Daily Readings - Mon Oct 07 2024

⁶I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel--⁷which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.⁸But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!⁹As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!¹⁰Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.¹¹I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up.¹²I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.

Luke

Chapter 10

²⁵On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"²⁶"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"²⁷He answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"²⁸"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."²⁹But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"³⁰In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.³¹A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.³²So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.³³But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.³⁴He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him.³⁵The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'³⁶"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"³⁷The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

Sermon

In today’s readings, we are reminded of the essence of our faith and the call to live it out with authenticity and compassion. The first reading from Galatians highlights Paul’s concern for the community that has been swayed by false teachings. He emphasizes the purity of the Gospel, which he received through divine revelation, urging the Galatians to remain steadfast and not be misled by distortions of the truth. This serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of grounding our faith in the authentic teachings of Christ. The Gospel from Luke presents the parable of the Good Samaritan, which challenges us to rethink who our neighbors are. Jesus expands the traditional understanding of a neighbor to include anyone in need, regardless of background or circumstances. The Samaritan, often seen as an outcast, becomes the exemplar of true neighborliness through his compassionate actions. This parable underscores that faith is not just about belief but about putting love into action, especially towards those we might otherwise overlook or avoid. Together, these readings call us to reflect on our commitment to the Gospel and how we live it out. Just as Paul urges us to hold fast to the true Gospel, Jesus calls us to express our faith through tangible acts of mercy and love. In our daily lives, this means being steadfast in our beliefs while actively seeking opportunities to serve and care for others, even when it is inconvenient or challenging. Let us strive to embody the integrity of Paul and the compassion of the Good Samaritan, living out our faith with authenticity and love.