Daily Readings - Thu Oct 26 2017

First Reading - Romans 6.19-23

¹⁹I am speaking in human terms because of the infirmity of your flesh. For just as you offered the parts of your body to serve impurity and iniquity, for the sake of iniquity, so also have you now yielded the parts of your body to serve justice, for the sake of sanctification²⁰For though you were once the servants of sin, you have become the children of justice²¹But what fruit did you hold at that time, in those things about which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death²²Yet truly, having been freed now from sin, and having been made servants of God, you hold your fruit in sanctification, and truly its end is eternal life²³For the wages of sin is death. But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord

Gospel - Luke 12.49-53

Luke

Chapter 12

⁴⁹I have come to cast a fire upon the earth. And what should I desire, except that it may be kindled⁵⁰And I have a baptism, with which I am to be baptized. And how I am constrained, even until it may be accomplished⁵¹Do you think that I have come to give peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but division⁵²For from this time on, there will be five in one house: divided as three against two, and as two against three⁵³A father will be divided against a son, and a son against his father; a mother against a daughter and a daughter against a mother; a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

Sermon

The readings today invite us to reflect on the transformative power of God’s grace and the challenging nature of discipleship. In the first reading from Romans, St. Paul contrasts our former lives of sin with our new life in Christ. He reminds us that we were once slaves to sin, but through baptism, we have been set free and now belong to God, living a life oriented toward holiness and eternal life. This passage emphasizes the radical change that occurs when we surrender to God’s will, leaving behind the fruitless works of darkness and embracing the fruitful path of sanctification. The Gospel from Luke presents a stark and unsettling image of Jesus as a divine disruptor. He speaks of casting fire upon the earth and bringing division rather than peace. This is not the comforting Jesus we often imagine; instead, this is the Jesus who calls us to radical commitment, even if it means tension within our own families. His words remind us that following Him is not about maintaining the status quo or avoiding conflict. True discipleship requires us to take a stand for the truth, even when it leads to division. Jesus’ baptism, here, refers not just to His own Passion but also to the trials and sacrifices that His followers must endure. Together, these readings challenge us to examine our lives. Are we living as children of justice, or are we still clinging to the old self? The fire Jesus speaks of is the purifying flame of the Holy Spirit, which burns away sin and ignites our hearts with love for God. This fire demands that we make difficult choices, prioritizing our relationship with God above all else. In a world that often values comfort and compromise, these readings call us to boldness and fidelity. Let us pray for the courage to embrace the transformative power of God’s grace, even when it leads to division, trusting that it is through this process that we will bear fruit in holiness and attain eternal life.