Daily Readings - Fri Nov 18 2022
Revelation
8Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: "Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land."9So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, "Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey."10I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour.11Then I was told, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings."
Luke
45Then he entered the temple area and began driving out those who were selling.46"It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be a house of prayer'; but you have made it 'a den of robbers.'"47Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him.48Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter two powerful narratives that invite us to reflect on the nature of God's message and our response to it. The first reading from Revelation presents John being instructed by an angel to eat a book, which is sweet in his mouth but bitter in his stomach. This act symbolizes the prophet's role: receiving God's word, which brings joy but also the burden of proclaiming truths that may be difficult to hear. The second reading from Luke depicts Jesus cleansing the temple, driving out merchants and money changers, and emphasizing that the temple should be a house of prayer. This act of cleansing is a prophetic stand against corruption and the misuse of sacred spaces.
Both readings highlight the dual nature of God's message. In Revelation, the sweetness of the book represents the comfort and grace of God's word, while its bitterness signifies the challenging truths it may carry. In Luke, Jesus' action is a call to integrity and reverence, showing that upholding what is sacred often requires confronting injustice. These readings are connected through the theme of prophetic witness—both John and Jesus are called to deliver God's message, even when it leads to discomfort or conflict.
In our daily lives, these readings invite us to embrace the fullness of God's truth. Just as John consumed the book and Jesus cleansed the temple, we are called to receive God's word with openness and to live it out courageously. This means standing against injustice, even when it is inconvenient, and being willing to endure the bitterness that may come with faithfully following God's will. Let us strive to be temples of prayer, living in harmony with God's truth and reflecting His love and justice in the world.