Daily Readings - Tue Dec 05 2017

First Reading - Isaiah 11.1-10

¹And a rod will go forth from the root of Jesse, and a flower will ascend from his root²And the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon him: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and fortitude, the spirit of knowledge and piety³And he will be filled with the spirit of the fear of the Lord. He will not judge according to the sight of the eyes, nor reprove according to the hearing of the ears⁴Instead, he will judge the poor with justice, and he will reprove the meek of the earth with fairness. And he will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and he will slay the impious with the spirit of his lips⁵And justice will be the belt around his waist. And faith will be the warrior’s belt at his side⁶The wolf will dwell with the lamb; and the leopard will lie down with the kid; the calf and the lion and the sheep will abide together; and a little boy will drive them⁷The calf and the bear will feed together; their young ones will rest together. And the lion will eat straw like the ox⁸And a breastfeeding infant will play above the lair of the asp. And a child who has been weaned will thrust his hand into the den of the king snake⁹They will not harm, and they will not kill, on all my holy mountain. For the earth has been filled with the knowledge of the Lord, like the waters covering the sea¹⁰In that day, the root of Jesse, who stands as a sign among the people, the same the Gentiles shall beseech, and his sepulcher will be glorious

Gospel - Luke 10.21-24

Luke

Chapter 10

²¹In the same hour, he exulted in the Holy Spirit, and he said: "I confess to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the prudent, and have revealed them to little ones. It is so, Father, because this way was pleasing before you²²All things have been delivered to me by my Father. And no one knows who the Son is, except the Father, and who the Father is, except the Son, and those to whom the Son has chosen to reveal him.²³And turning to his disciples, he said: "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see²⁴For I say to you, that many prophets and kings wanted to see the things that you see, and they did not see them, and to hear the things that you hear, and they did not hear them.

Sermon

The readings today invite us to reflect on the nature of God’s plan and the way He reveals Himself to us. In the first reading from Isaiah, we hear of a future where God’s Spirit-filled leader will bring justice, harmony, and peace to the world. This leader, rooted in Jesse’s lineage, will not judge by appearances but will side with the poor and the meek, creating a world where even predators and prey live in peace. Isaiah paints a vivid picture of a world transformed by God’s justice and wisdom, where the earth is filled with the knowledge of the Lord. In the Gospel, Jesus rejoices in the Holy Spirit, thanking the Father for revealing divine truths not to the wise and powerful, but to the simple and humble. Jesus emphasizes that the Father and the Son share a unique relationship, and that the Son has been entrusted to reveal the Father to those He chooses. Turning to His disciples, Jesus blesses them for being eyewitnesses to the fulfillment of God’s promises, something that many prophets and kings longed to see but did not. This passage underscores the theme of divine revelation and the privilege of faith. These readings remind us that God’s ways are not our ways. He often works through the unexpected and reveals Himself to those who are humble and open to His grace. In our daily lives, we are called to trust in God’s plan, even when it doesn’t align with our expectations. Like the disciples, we are blessed to have the gift of faith, and with that gift comes the responsibility to live in a way that reflects God’s justice, compassion, and love. Let us strive to be simple of heart, open to the Spirit, and attentive to the ways God is working in our lives and in the world around us.