Daily Readings for September 10, 2018

1st READING

Paul enjoins us to uproot all immorality in us and in the life of our community. He affirms that it is necessary to expel from the community those who persist in living immorally. We cannot endanger the moral sense of the community by not addressing persistent and structural sin.

1 Corinthians 5:1-8

1 Brothers and sisters: It is widely reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of a kind not found even among pagans — a man living with his father’s wife. 2 And you are inflated with pride. Should you not rather have been sorrowful? The one who did this deed should be expelled from your midst. 3 I, for my part, although absent in body but present in spirit, have already, as if present, pronounced judgment on the one who has committed this deed, 4 in the name of our Lord Jesus: when you have gathered together and I am with you in spirit with the power of the Lord Jesus, 5 you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord. 6 Your boasting is not appropriate. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough? 7 Clear out the old yeast, so that you may become a fresh batch of dough, inasmuch as you are unleavened. For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

P S A L M 

Psalm 5:5-6, 7, 12

R: Lead me in your justice, Lord.

4 [5] For you, O God, delight not in wickedness; no evil man remains with you; 5 [6] the arrogant may not stand in your sight. You hate all evildoers. (R) 6 [7] You destroy all who speak falsehood; the bloodthirsty and the deceitful the Lord abhors. (R) 11 [12] But let all who take refuge in you be glad and exult forever. Protect them, that you may be the joy of those who love your name. (R)

GOSPEL 

Jesus cannot stand hypocrisy. It is ridiculous to consider it immoral to heal a sick or lame person on the Sabbath. The Sabbath was created by God to remind us to honor Him first, not to govern our lives to the extent that it is wrong to do good. Common sense teaches us the rightness and wrongness of Jesus’ actions in today’s Gospel.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me.

Luke 6:6-11

6 On a certain Sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. 7 The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely to see if he would cure on the sabbath so that they might discover a reason to accuse him. 8 But he realized their intentions and said to the man with the withered hand, “Come up and stand before us.” And he rose and stood there. 9 Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” 10 Looking around at them all, he then said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so and his hand was restored. 11 But they became enraged and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.