September 01, 2025 Monday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Daily Readings: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Luke 4:16-20
Christian life rests on a radiant hope, the conviction that those who die in Christ will rise to eternal life. While death is an undeniable reality for all, for believers it is not the end but a passage, a doorway from the fleetingness of earthly existence to the permanence of the heavenly home. St. Paul reassures the grieving Thessalonians that death is only a momentary separation; those who sleep in Christ remain with Him. Just as Jesus died and rose again, so too will all who belong to Him share in His resurrection. Paul, convinced of the Lord’s imminent return, envisioned a glorious moment when the dead in Christ would rise first, and the living would be caught up to meet the Lord in the clouds, forever united with Him. This promise transforms sorrow into consolation and grief into steadfast hope.
In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus in His hometown of Nazareth, entering the synagogue on the Sabbath. He stands to read and, providentially, is handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling it, He proclaims the words of Isaiah 61:1-3, words of liberation, healing, and divine favor. Then, with bold authority, He declares, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21). His listeners respond with mixed emotions: amazement at His eloquence quickly gives way to skepticism and hostility as they question His humble origins. Sensing their rejection, Jesus cites two striking examples, Elijah’s aid to the widow of Zarephath and Elisha’s healing of Naaman the Syrian, signs of God’s boundless mercy reaching beyond Israel. This enrages the crowd, who attempt to harm Him. Yet, undeterred, Jesus walks away, steadfast in His mission.
Together, Paul’s hope-filled vision and Jesus’ prophetic courage remind us that faith is both a promise of eternal life and a call to persevere, even amid rejection, with eyes fixed on God’s greater plan.
Call to Action: The tendency to despise people based on their origin or profession amounts to racism, and it is highly condemnable. Today, let me learn to respect every person I meet.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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