Daily Readings - Thu Oct 26 2023
Romans
19I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.20When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness.21What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Luke
49"I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!50But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed!51Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.52From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three.53They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the transformative power of faith and the challenges it presents. In Romans, Paul contrasts life as servants of sin with life as servants of God, emphasizing that our choices lead to either death or eternal life. This transformation is not merely a change in behavior but a profound shift in our being, leading to sanctification.
In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of casting fire upon the earth, a metaphor for the transformative and sometimes divisive nature of His message. This fire ignites a passion that can create conflict, even within families, as not everyone will embrace the radical commitment He calls for. This teaching reminds us that following Christ is not about comfort but about a radical way of life that can set us apart.
Applying this to our daily lives, we are called to make choices that align with our faith, even when they are difficult. This might mean facing opposition or standing out in our commitment to justice and love. The moral lesson here is clear: our faith transforms us internally and challenges us externally, leading to a life of purpose and eternal promise. Let us embrace this transformative power, knowing that it brings both inner sanctification and the courage to face life's challenges.