Daily Bible Reading

READING OF THE DAY

A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians
4:1-6

Brothers and sisters:
I, a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,
striving to preserve the unity of the spirit
through the bond of peace;  
one Body and one Spirit,
as you were also called to the one hope of your call;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Luke
12:54-59

Jesus said to the crowds,
“When you see a cloud rising in the west
you say immediately that it is going to rain–and so it does;
and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south
you say that it is going to be hot–and so it is.
You hypocrites!
You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky;
why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

“Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?
If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate,
make an effort to settle the matter on the way;
otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge,
and the judge hand you over to the constable,
and the constable throw you into prison.
I say to you, you will not be released
until you have paid the last penny.”

THE WORDS OF THE POPES

Knowing the signs of the times. Times change, and it is in the nature of Christian wisdom to recognize these changes, to recognize the different times and to recognize the signs of the times. To understand what one thing means and what another means. And to do this without fear, with freedom. This is a task we usually don’t do. Instead, we conform, we become tranquillized with “they told me; I heard; people say; I read…”, and we remain comfortable. Instead, we should ask ourselves: “What is the truth? What is the message that the Lord wants to give me with that sign of the times?”. First and foremost, silence is necessary: to be quiet, to watch and observe. And afterwards to think within ourselves. For example: why are there so many wars now? Why did this thing happen? And to pray: silence, reflection and prayer. Only then can we understand the signs of the times and what Jesus wants to tell us. Times change and we Christians must continually change. We must change, steadfast in the faith in Jesus Christ, steadfast in the truth of the Gospel, but our approach must constantly move according to the signs of the times. (Pope Francis, Homily at Santa Marta, 23 October 2015)