Tag: kingdom of God

“There is need of only one thing.” | Tuesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 10:38-42)

“Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

In today’s Gospel, Luke gives us a view into Jesus’ friendship with Martha and Mary. He tells us that Martha welcomes Jesus as he enters a village. Without Luke describing how, we see Jesus in the house of Martha and Mary. At that moment, Martha is burdened with much serving while Mary is “beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.” Where would Mary be without Martha? She has welcomed Jesus into her home and served him hospitably with food and drink. Because of this, Mary is able to give wholehearted attention to the words of the Lord. And where would Martha be without Mary? Although Martha is anxious and asks, “Lord, do you not care,” Mary holds up for her a fundamental choice—the better part. What is the one thing needed but to quiet yourself in the presence of the Lord?

God, I want to be in your presence today. Whether I am aware of you, I will go on with the day regardless, busy with many things and anxious to accomplish them. Martha, in her frustration, said, “Lord, do you not care?” Yet, that in itself is a prayer for your presence and an expression of need. When I forget you today, bring me back through your grace to recognize that I need you. Call me back, Lord, to sit at your feet and hear your voice. Help me remember today’s Gospel acclamation as a way to return to you again and again: “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”

From the responsorial psalm: “Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD. LORD, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to my voice in supplication. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?” Lord, hear my voice!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Monday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 10:25-37)

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” He said in reply, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

Today’s Gospel makes clear that the language God uses to speak to his people is mercy. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus illustrates for the scholar what it means to be a neighbor. First a priest and then a Levite approach a victim lying in the road, but they see the man and pass him on the opposite side. As models caretakers of worship and the Temple, they would be expected also to be model neighbors. Instead, a Samaritan helps the victim. In other passages in the Gospel, as when Jesus tries to pass through a Samaritan village to reach Jerusalem, the Samaritans are anything but welcoming, and Jesus finds another way to reach the city. In the same way, God’s mercy—if not expressed through his chosen people, the Israelites—finds another way through the love and care the Samaritan provides for the victim. What does cooperation with God’s grace do for our relationships with neighbors?

Father in heaven, eternal life seems far off, and here it is sometimes hard to love. Within the turmoil of this life, I forget to be loving or choose not to love. Yet, in this state of exile, you hear my prayer just as you heard the prayers of Jonah: “From the belly of the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD, his God.” And from the responsorial psalm, I hear: “Out of my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me; From the midst of the nether world I cried for help, and you heard my voice.” Hear me, Lord, as I encounter my neighbor many times over today and have the opportunity to show compassion in return as you have been compassionate to me. Where I tend to accuse, show me how to forgive; when I am tempted to wound with words, teach me to heal; and when I am inclined to deny who my neighbor is, help me instead be welcoming and merciful.

From the Gospel acclamation: “I give you a new commandment: love one another as I have loved you.” Lord, be merciful; help me show mercy in return.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“It is wonderful in our eyes.” | Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 21:33-43)

Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes?”

Jesus speaks to the chief priests and elders about the kingdom of God through a parable about a landowner and his vineyard. The landowner is the Lord, and the tenants caring for the vineyard are the spiritual leaders of Israel. The servants the landowner sends are holy people and prophets sent by God to bear spiritual fruit and do God’s will. During harvest, when the landowner sends servants to obtain the produce of the harvest, the tenants beat, kill, and stone them. Others are sent, treated the same way. Finally, the landowner sends his son, whom the landowner believes they will respect. On seeing the son, the tenants say, foreshadowing Jesus’ passion and death: “This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.” Jesus asks what the landowner will do when he returns. Today and at the Second Coming, how will we be found caring for the Lord’s vineyard—all of his gifts and his Church?

God, help me take in the richness in all of today’s readings. As in the first reading and responsorial psalm, the vineyard represents your kingdom on earth. We, your servants on earth are here to care for it. But often in my corner of the vineyard, rather than a crop of grapes, wild grapes grow. Parts of it lie in ruin, overgrown with thorns and briers. A sinner, I forget and cut myself off from you. Yet, as with the psalmist, I ask for your grace to bear good fruit: “Once again, O LORD of hosts, look down from heaven, and see; take care of this vine.” Lord, help me care for your gifts, the kingdom you have given me to nurture. It is, after all, yours: “by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes.”

From the second reading: “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Lord, grant me your peace; remain in me to produce lasting fruit.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.” | Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 10:17-24)

Turning to the disciples in private Jesus said, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”

In today’s Gospel, as the seventy-two disciples return from their mission, Jesus hears of their victories for body and soul over the powers of darkness. The disciples say to Jesus: “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.” Jesus replies, “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky.” And he tells them that he has given them power so that the full force of the enemy will not harm them. Jesus rejoices in the Father in this and praises his will. In Jesus’ name and in the revelation of his divine identity, the disciples accomplished through childlike faith the Father’s work, which has written their names in heaven.

God, you offer me continually the opportunity to see your will accomplished through childlike faith and trust. Help me see the daily battle that rages on. Because of his holy name, Jesus your Son sees Satan falling like lightning from the sky, and he says to the disciples and to me: “Behold, I have given you the power ‘to tread upon serpents’ and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you.” Through the intercession of Our Lady of the Rosary, help lift me up today to hear these words when I am in most need of hearing them. Give me the grace, Lord, to return to you again and again for the strength and mercy only you can give me.

From the first reading: “As your hearts have been disposed to stray from God, turn now ten times the more to seek him. For he who has brought disaster upon you will, in saving you, bring you back enduring joy.” Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for me to hear and do whatever Jesus tells me. Take me in hand and show me the way to Christ your Son!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” | Friday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 10:13-16)

Jesus said to them, “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus addresses Jews and Gentiles of unrepentant towns he visits. As the Son of God, his judgment on the people though severe, is just. “And whoever rejects me,” Jesus says to the people of Capernaum, “rejects the one who sent me.” These people, whose towns Jesus had visited and had witnessed his miracles, were not incapable of hearing and following the Lord. In the first reading from Baruch, we hear, “From the time the Lord led our ancestors out of the land of Egypt until the present day, we have been disobedient to the Lord, our God, and only too ready to disregard his voice.” Similarly, from today’s Psalm, “Remember not against us the iniquities of the past; may your compassion quickly come to us, for we are brought very low.” Yet, rejecting God results from original sin, a loss of the original image of goodness in which God formed us. Jesus restores us to the original image in Baptism through his death and resurrection.

Father in heaven, help me understand and take to heart today the words of your Son. Give me the grace to do spiritual battle today so I can be free to choose you. I want to hear you and do your will, and to do it I need the strength of your presence to turn to you. As the Catechism states: “Baptism, by imparting the life of Christ’s grace, erases original sin and turns a man back towards God, but the consequences for nature, weakened and inclined to evil, persist in man and summon him to spiritual battle.” Help me recall today the moments of life you kept me from harm and in your care. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver me.

From the responsorial psalm: “Help us, O God our savior, because of the glory of your name; Deliver us and pardon our sins for your name’s sake. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.” Stay with me, Lord, to show me your will!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Peace to this household.” | Thursday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 10:1-12)

Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them . . . , “Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.’ Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you, go out into the streets and say, ‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet, even that we shake off against you.'”

As Jesus sends out the seventy-two disciples ahead of the places he intends to visit, he instructs them to take little with them as they proclaim the Kingdom of God. “I am sending you like lambs among wolves,” Jesus says. And to whatever house they enter, Jesus tells them to say, “Peace to this household.” In this, Jesus the Master teaches the disciples what he himself does. What does it mean to preach the Good News except to place trust in the Lord as you share with others the message of repentance and reconciliation? A welcoming reception, Jesus knew, is nothing he could guarantee the disciples. But he didn’t send them defenseless. God’s peace wished upon a household, today, as then, returns to the one who wishes the peace, regardless of its acceptance.

Father in heaven, help me understand the task of the disciples and my task in sharing your word and curing what ails others. Just as the disciples would face rejection, the reality is there for me as well. The potential for rejection among wolves hinders my ability to proclaim your word and wish peace to every house I enter. Yet, Jesus makes clear that I am to do that. And to the ones who accept peace, it will rest on them; to the ones who reject it, it will return to me—either way, that is your blessing. Lord, give me the grace to remain courageous and joyful in proclaiming your word, through Jesus Christ your Son.

From the responsorial psalm: “The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul; The decree of the LORD is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“The Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” | Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi | 10.4.23

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 9:57-62)

As Jesus and his disciples were proceeding on their journey, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”

Jesus encounters people who desire to follow him. To each, he responds in a way that makes them question their sincerity. The response to the man who asks first to bury his father is without question harsh. Whether the man’s father had just passed away or he wanted to wait until his father’s death and burial to commit to discipleship is not clear. Yet, Jesus radically rearranges human spiritual priorities, placing family obligations behind worship of God and proclaiming his kingdom. Another person requests to bid farewell to their family before following Jesus, but Jesus warns against looking back and emphasizes the need for wholehearted dedication to the Kingdom of God. As Jesus does his Father’s will by proclaiming the Kingdom of God, the urgency for us to do the same is indisputable. In doing that, nothing is lost in choices that follow.

Father in heaven, you are present in apparent absence, present always and everywhere in heaven and earth. While foxes have dens and birds have nests, whoever would follow Jesus has not even a place to rest his head. Yet, you are present daily, every second of the day. In the face of death, Lord God of hosts, you are there. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Jesus said to the man with family at home: “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.” Lord, give me the grace to understand what Jesus teaches about spiritual priorities. Help me recognize your presence, Lord, and always put you first.

From the Gospel acclamation: “I consider all things so much rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in him.” Saint Francis, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Fourth Sunday of Lent

“Live as children of light,” Saint Paul says, “for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

“If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you are saying, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains.

In this Sunday’s Gospel, worth reading and rereading because of its richness and majesty, Jesus heals a man who was born blind. John’s account of the story begins with Jesus and his disciples encountering the blind man, and the disciples asking whether the man’s blindness was caused by his own sin or that of his parents. Jesus responds that neither the man nor his parents sinned, but rather the man was born blind so that “the works of God might be made visible through him.” Jesus heals the man by spitting on the ground, making mud with the saliva, and spreading the mud over the man’s eyes. Jesus then instructs the man to wash his eyes in the pool of Siloam. The healing causes controversy among the Pharisees, who question the man and his parents about the healing. They are skeptical of the healing and accuse Jesus of being a sinner because he healed on the Sabbath, and they throw the man out of the synagogue. When Jesus hears about this, he approaches the man and Jesus asks if he believes that he is the Son of Man. The man says to Jesus, “I do believe, Lord,” and he worships him. Jesus tells him: “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind.” In this Gospel passage, the man’s physical blindness is lifted, allowing him to see the world around him. Greater yet, he gains spiritual insight into the truth of Jesus’ power and divinity and worships him. Compare this to the Pharisees who reject Jesus and his healing power remain in spiritual darkness, unable to see the truth of who Jesus is.

God, help me distinguish between blindness and sight. Keep me in your light, visible to you, and bring me to life through you. As Saint Paul says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” When the man’s physical blindness is lifted, he comes to believe in you. Bring into the light the things that lie in darkness and lead to death so that I can reject them. From the Gospel acclamation: “I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life.”

Lord, I want to live in the light of your truth. “Live as children of light,” Saint Paul says, “for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth.” Keep me in your light, Lord!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

https://youtu.be/2W-KSOPWWBY

Readings

Saturday of the Third Week of Lent

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

“But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’”

Jesus tells the parable about those convinced of their own righteousness. He compares the prayers in the temple of two people: a Pharisee and a tax collector. The Pharisee took a position in the temple and spoke a prayer to himself: “O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.” Meanwhile, the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not raise his eyes to heaven. He beat his breast and prayed: “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.” Jesus says of the tax collector and the sinner: “I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” How often have I been like the Pharisee who looks at others and says, “Thank God I am not like them”?

God, help me see the ways I have convinced myself of my own righteousness and release me from its bondage. Although I come to you at times humbled and in need of your compassion, at other times I am thankful for the position I have taken up in life and despise others for the choices they have made and the lives they lead. Be merciful, Lord; give me the grace to be merciful to others. Contrary to what the Pharisee believes, I am like the rest of humanity and in as much need of God’s mercy as those that through pride I fall into believing I am superior to. “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.” Make me a means of mercy to others.

From the Responsorial Psalm: “Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Readings

Friday of the Third Week of Lent

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”

In today’s Gospel, a scribe asks Jesus which is the first or greatest of the commandments. First among them, part of Mosaic law embodied in the Shema, or the Jewish profession of faith, is to love God above all else. The Shema was a daily prayer for ancient Israelites, still recited today by Jewish people. And then Jesus says, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no separating these two great commandments to love. As in the Lord’s Prayer, to forgive is to know God’s forgiveness; to love others is to experience the love of God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Those others God puts before us daily—whether strangers, friends, or family—are a humbling reminder of how demanding it is to put God first and love others.

God, help me understand that in forgiving others, I commend them to you and learn to love them. Without your grace, Lord, it is a weak and faltering love, tending toward collapse. With the first reading from Hosea, I see you present your mercy as a model: “I will heal their defection, says the LORD, I will love them freely; for my wrath is turned away from them.” How do I dare to say that I will love you with everything I have? Give me the grace, Lord, to obey your two great commandments.

From the Prayer after Communion: “May your strength be at work in us, O Lord, pervading our minds and bodies, that what we have received by participating in this Sacrament may bring us the fullness of redemption. Through Christ our Lord.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Readings