18 November 2026 · Syro-Malabar Rite
Open in the Daily Word appAlso: Latin Rite · Syro-Malankara Rite · മലയാളം
“But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:11
Paul lists the sins that exclude from the Kingdom, then adds with tenderness: “And this is what some of you used to be. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified.” Baptism is a real change: a new identity in Christ. Christians are called to live as who they already are.
Jesus says that since John the Baptist “the good news of the kingdom of God is proclaimed, and everyone tries to enter it by force.” The Kingdom is a gift, but it is entered with resolve: turning from sin, refusing to serve money, choosing God daily. Grace does not remove effort; it makes effort possible.
Theme: “Washed, and called to enter.”
Baptism gives a new identity; the Kingdom asks for resolve.
“I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live.” Ezekiel 37:14
“Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.”” John 3:5
Apply: Thank God for your baptism today.
“You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.” Leviticus 19:2
“So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” 2 Corinthians 5:17
Apply: Renounce one old habit that contradicts your baptism.
“Choose this day whom you will serve… but as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15
“The law and the prophets were in effect until John came; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is proclaimed, and everyone tries to enter it by force.” Luke 16:16
Apply: Cut off one occasion of sin today.
We were washed; now we walk in newness of life.
Let us enter the Kingdom with all our heart.
Take-home resolution: Renew your baptismal promises at night prayer this week.
Dear friends, after listing the sins that exclude from the Kingdom, Paul adds with tenderness: and this is what some of you used to be. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God (1 Corinthians 6:11).
Baptism is a real change: a new identity in Christ. Christians are called to live as people who have been washed, not taking their quarrels before unbelievers, but dealing justly with their brothers and sisters. Jesus also says that everyone tries to enter the Kingdom by force (Luke 16:16), with eager resolve.
Our past does not decide our future; God's grace does. Today let us renew our baptismal promises in our hearts, and take the first step to settle a family quarrel with love. Amen.
Children, at Baptism God washed us and made us new. When you enter the church today, make the sign of the cross and remember: I am God's child.
Lord Jesus, you washed, sanctified and justified me in baptism. Give me the resolve to live as your child and to enter your Kingdom with all my heart. Amen.
Both readings speak about belonging to God's Kingdom. Paul reminds the Corinthians, who were suing one another in pagan courts, that they have been washed and sanctified and must live as heirs of the Kingdom. Jesus tells the Pharisees, who loved money, that God knows the heart, and that since John the Baptist the Kingdom is being preached and people press to enter it. Entering the Kingdom is a gift received in baptism and an effort kept up every day.
Setting.
In Corinth some Christians were taking their quarrels about property and money before the city's civil courts, in front of pagan judges. Paul is shocked, not because courts are evil in themselves, but because brothers in Christ were exposing their divisions to outsiders instead of settling them in love within the Church.
Structure.
Key words.
Verse by verse.
“In fact, to have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?” (6:7)
Paul echoes the teaching of Jesus about turning the other cheek (Matthew 5:39–40). A community that wins its lawsuits but loses its love has already lost.
“And this is what some of you used to be. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” (6:11)
After a hard list of sins comes this great “But”. No one is beyond the reach of grace. The verse also names the Father (“our God”), the Son and the Spirit: baptism is the work of the whole Trinity.
How the Church reads it.
The Catechism quotes 1 Corinthians 6:11 at the opening of its teaching on life in Christ and again on the sacrament of reconciliation: we must appreciate the greatness of the gift God has given in the sacraments of Christian initiation, and Penance is offered to those who after baptism have fallen into sin (CCC 1695, 1425). The Church's own way of settling disputes, through the bishop and the ecclesiastical tribunals, grew partly from this chapter.
Setting.
These verses follow the parable of the dishonest steward. Jesus' saying that no one can serve God and wealth provokes scorn from some Pharisees. Luke describes them as “lovers of money”. This is Luke's picture of particular opponents in a particular scene, not a judgement on all Pharisees, many of whom were sincere and devout teachers of the Law.
Structure.
Key words.
Verse by verse.
“but God knows your hearts; for what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God.” (16:15)
Human honour and divine judgment often differ. God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).
“The law and the prophets were in effect until John came; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is proclaimed, and everyone tries to enter it by force.” (16:16)
For Luke, John the Baptist stands at the turning point of history: he closes the time of promise and opens the time of fulfilment.
“But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one stroke of a letter in the law to be dropped.” (16:17)
How the Church reads it.
The Catechism teaches that Jesus did not abolish the Law but fulfilled it, quoting the Lord's words on the smallest letter and stroke (CCC 577–582). The Church honours the Old Testament as true word of God and never set it aside (CCC 121–123). Several Fathers read v. 16 as a description of the holy effort of faith: the Kingdom is taken not by violence against others, but by the strength of a converted heart (in substance).