Tag: evangelio del dia

“Where are the other nine?” | Memorial of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin

Keep me in your care, Lord. Give me the grace to give you thanks always for being at my side to give me courage as I move through every moment of the day. Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, pray for us!

From the responsorial psalm: “He guides me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side With your rod and your staff that give me courage. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 17:11-19)

As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.

Lepers see Jesus as he travels through Samaria and Galilee. The ten lepers remain at a distance and call out loudly to him, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” In a few words, Jesus heals them, saying, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” As the lepers go, they are miraculously healed of their leprosy as they obey Jesus’ command through their faith and action. But only one leper—a Samaritan, a foreigner—returns to thank Jesus, falling to his knees. Jesus says, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.” Through his faith and gratitude, the leper receives complete healing in mind, body, and soul. As the day progresses, will there be time to stop and thank God for the work he accomplishes through us as we do his will.

God, let me consider the Gospel acclamation: “In all circumstances, give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” I am sure that throughout the day I will experience what I believe are dark valleys, paths that appear to lead to no good end. Even in those circumstances, stir up in me the desire to take comfort in you, knowing you are present with your rod and your staff to guide and protect me. Keep me in your care, Lord. Give me the grace to give you thanks always for being at my side to give me courage as I move through every moment of the day. Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, 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.

Perpetual adoration live stream Kolbe Shrine.

“If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.” | Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours, Bishop

From the responsorial psalm: “Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD? or who may stand in his holy place? He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 17:1-6)

“Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’ you should forgive him.”

Jesus recognizes the inevitability of sin. In the same breath, he warns the disciples of the dire consequences of causing “one of these little ones” to sin—that it would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and that he be tossed into the sea. Although we choose to sin through free will, our brothers and sisters and all of those around us can lead us into the temptation of sin, whether through counsel, command, consent, provocation, or praise. About these very same people, Jesus says, “Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.” Forgiveness calls for repentance from the offender countless times as they say sorry, yet this might never come to be. The Apostles on hearing this, perhaps recognizing the high bar Jesus places before them, ask him to increase their faith. And it only takes a little—faith the size of a mustard seed to be an instrument of God’s mercy. Faith in the mercy of the Father allowed Jesus to say from the cross, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”

God, help me dwell today on the Gospel and on the first reading. Saint Paul describes a blameless steward who is in service to you: “blameless, not arrogant, not irritable, not a drunkard, not aggressive, not greedy for sordid gain, but hospitable, a lover of goodness, temperate, just, holy, and self-controlled, holding fast to the true message.” Arrogance, irritability, aggression, and other sins do not call for acceptance and approval but forgiveness for those who repent of them. Guide me Lord; make me blameless and a lover of goodness, holding fast to you in faith. Teach me to forgive even those who wound without knowing what they do. Saint Martin of Tours, 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.

Perpetual adoration live stream Kolbe Shrine.

“She, from her poverty, has contributed all she had.” | Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “The LORD keeps faith forever, secures justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets captives free. Praise the Lord, my soul!”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 12:38-44)

Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, “Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.”

Jesus warns the crowds of the scribes. They seek attention by the way they behave and dress, and they seek out places of honor in the marketplace and at banquets. And then Jesus says something else that seems to stand apart from the rest of what he says. He tells the crowds, “They devour the houses of widows and as a pretext recite lengthy prayers.” As he sits down opposite the treasury, Jesus observes rich people putting in large amounts of money. Then a widow approaches and puts in two small coins worth a few cents. Jesus contrasts the action of the scribes who swallow up the property of healthy widows and lengthen their prayers in an attempt at restitution with the widow herself who gives out of her whole livelihood. The widow is an image and example of God’s boundless generosity.

God, help me be generous today with the gifts you gave me first. In the first reading, the widow serves Elijah out of her extreme poverty. Yet, Elijah tells her, “Do not be afraid.” In serving others, the widows in the first reading, the responsorial psalm, and the Gospel all receive new life from you who sustained them and raised them up. Throughout the day, guide me toward opportunities to meet someone in their poverty and be generous in your gift of mercy as you are generous to me. Lord, you give food to the hungry and set captives free!

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.

Perpetual adoration live stream Kolbe Shrine.

“And in three days I will raise it up.” | Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome

From the responsorial psalm: “God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in distress. Therefore, we fear not, though the earth be shaken and mountains plunge into the depths of the sea. The waters of the river gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High!”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 2:13-22)

Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his Body.

The Jewish Passover is near, and many pilgrims travel to Jerusalem to worship at the temple. As Jesus enters the temple area, he finds people selling oxen, sheep, and doves. Money changers are seated there. In response, with a whip made of cords, he drives them all out and overturns the tables of the money changers. And he says to those selling doves, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.” John makes clear what would otherwise be puzzling. Jesus refers to the “temple of his Body” in the same way Saint Paul refers to the Spirit that dwells in God’s holy temple: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” Where the Spirit of God dwells—our bodies—is not the place for a noisy, cluttered exchange of things and ideas but a quieted dwelling place to receive the person of Jesus.

God, as a way to understand the Gospel, let me consider what today’s feast represents for the Church and what it means to me. The dedication feast calls attention to the Church on earth as the Body of Christ and a sign of what is yet to be in our eternal dwelling place in heaven. The disciples recognized the zeal of Jesus in the temple area but only after the resurrection came to understand that the temple of the Body would need to die and rise before we also could be restored to eternal life. The Gospel acclamation says, “I have chosen and consecrated this house, says the Lord, that my name may be there forever.” All thanks and praise to you, Lord, that you have made me to be your holy dwelling place even as I long for my eternal home in the life of the world to come.

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.

Image: Sailko, CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:San_giovanni_in_laterano,_interno,_presbiterio_01.jpg

Perpetual adoration live stream Kolbe Shrine.

“The children of light.” | Friday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “I rejoiced because they said to me, “We will go up to the house of the LORD.” And now we have set foot within your gates, O Jerusalem. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 16:1-8)

“For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than the children of light.”

Spoken after telling the parable of the dishonest steward, Jesus identifies a contrast between the shrewd stewardship of worldly goods and the kind of stewardship Jesus calls us to exemplify as children of light, his followers. Jesus doesn’t say that he approves of the dishonesty of the steward, but he recognizes his resourcefulness in a dire situation. What Jesus suggests to each of us as his sons and daughters who live in the light of faith is to be prudent as we care and nurture and preserve it. Our imperfect attempts meet God’s perfect grace. “Whoever keeps the word of Christ,” we hear in the Gospel acclamation, “the love of God is truly perfected in him.” In a time of crisis, from what source do we draw strength to maintain and uphold our hope as exiles. Our true home is elsewhere. “Our citizenship,” Saint Paul says, “is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Father in heaven, you give every good gift. The choice to follow you is mine and is not imposed but is your gift of free will. Help me use the things of this world wisely even as I choose daily to nurture and maintain your gift of faith to bring forth your kingdom to the benefit of others. Give me the grace to be prudent—even shrewd—as I seek to live as an honest steward of all of your gifts. To be a child of light means to look to the source of light for guidance. With childlike faith, let me place my trust in you, my sole hope for preserving every good gift you give me. Jesus, I trust in you!

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.

Perpetual adoration live stream Kolbe Shrine.

“Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.”| Thursday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Look to the LORD in his strength; seek to serve him constantly. Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought, his portents, and the judgments he has uttered. Let hearts rejoice who search for the Lord.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 15:1-10)

“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’”

Today’s Gospel begins with tax collectors and sinners drawing near to listen to Jesus. As they come to him, the Pharisees begin to complain, threatened by what he is teaching them and the example he sets in his treatment of them. Speaking out of love to the righteousness of the Pharisees and the sinners who draw near to him, Jesus tells the parable of the single lost sheep and the single lost coin. No less important is every one of the 99 sheep and each of the 9 coins, but the lost sheep and the lost coin represent finding and bringing back the repentant into the care of the supreme good of the Father. Jesus says, “I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.” The parable speaks to the hearts of the Pharisees and to the sinners who cling to Jesus’ every word.

God, on hearing this parable so many times throughout my life, I might easily take for granted that Jesus does not allow me to remain in a liminal state, neither here nor there. If in genuine righteousness, remaining in your truth, I experience your grace and mercy, there your love is. If I sin, I know your mercy as the Father of Mercies in the sacrament of reconciliation and am found and am drawn near to you. Help me see this today. In your radical love of your children, I have a perpetual call to give all glory to you with thanks and praise. Let hearts rejoice who search for you, 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.

Perpetual adoration live stream Kolbe Shrine.

The Conditions of Discipleship. | Wednesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid? The Lord is my light and my salvation.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 14:25-33)

“In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions
cannot be my disciple.”

Addressing the great crowds following him made up of individuals and family members traveling together, Jesus counts these among the possessions they need to renounce—that is, father, mother, wife, children, and brothers and sisters, and even oneself. Jesus says, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, . . . he cannot be my disciple.” It is not to live in fear but to rest in the Spirit of God if we place him first and by this come to know God through our own cross in following Christ, thereby gaining anew life and redemption. The parables Jesus shares with the crowd relate to spiritual discernment and planning, and the commitment to bring to fulfillment God’s work in us. And without his grace, all the planning and action in the world is worth nothing.

God, help me consider the words of Saint Paul as they relate to the Gospel: “For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work.” Enliven my desire, Lord, to recognize my cross and do the work of following you as I carry it. With the help of your grace, let me be unafraid to renounce possessions and place you above all other relationships to things and people, even the ones closest to me. Let me see in sacrifices gain and not loss; more, not less. “I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD in the land of the living.”

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.

Perpetual adoration live stream Kolbe Shrine.

“Come, everything is now ready.” | Tuesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “I will fulfill my vows before those who fear him. The lowly shall eat their fill; they who seek the LORD shall praise him: “May your hearts be ever merry!” I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 14:15-24)

One of those at table with Jesus said to him, “Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God.” He replied to him, “A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many. When the time for the dinner came, he dispatched his servant to say to those invited, ‘Come, everything is now ready.’ But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves.”

As in yesterday’s Gospel, Jesus is at a banquet held by a leading religious figure. Jesus responds to the statement of the guest who sits next to him with a parable. The great banquet Jesus describes represents God’s invitation to Israel and their rejection of it, but it also speaks to the rejection by Gentiles and all other people who receive and reject the invitation because of attachment to their possessions. When the master hears from the servant that his invitation is rejected, he becomes angry and asks that the servant go out to all the surroundings to invite “the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame” so that “people come in that my home may be filled.” Just as those in the parable are invited, Jesus invites each of us from every station in life to dine in his kingdom.

God, it is true what the guest at the banquet said: “Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God.” Jesus knows the hearts of people and the reasons why they excuse themselves from following him, and so he shares the parable. Yet, let me consider how St. Paul describes the necessity to put aside attachments and follow: “Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.” Jesus also knows the limits of what we can perceive. Lord, give me the grace to follow Jesus in his humility, in his self-emptying, and in his obedience to your will so that “at the name of Jesus every knee should bend.”

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.

Perpetual adoration live stream Kolbe Shrine.

“Blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.” | Memorial of Saint Charles Borromeo, Bishop

From the responsorial psalm: “O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor are my eyes haughty; I busy not myself with great things, nor with things too sublime for me. In you, O Lord, I have found my peace.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 14:12-14)

“When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or sisters or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

As a dinner guest of one of the leading Pharisees, Jesus speaks these words to his host. Although Luke doesn’t say how he responds, we know that the criticism Jesus gives him gets at the heart of the reason the Pharisee held banquets for his guests. Does it look good in the eyes of the others? Does it impress the other guests at a banquet to see important guests. Does it inflate the ego of the host who delights in their awe? To participate in self-inflating reciprocity—to pay for honor and receive it in return for the sake of grandiosity—comes from deep dysfunction. Out of love for the people whose hearts he fashioned, Jesus tells them to stop. Instead, exit this game and open your home and your hearts to people who for whatever reason do not have the means of paying you back.

God, deepen my capacity to recognize the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. You put them daily in my field of view—those whose limitations may be physical but are more often mental or spiritual. In yesterday’s Gospel, the words still echo in my mind: that you alone are the Lord and to love you with all my heart, with all my understanding, with all my strength, and to love my neighbor as myself. Help me, Lord, as I seek to love you and love my neighbor more completely. Yet, hearing the phrase “as myself” makes me realize that loving others does not mean you allow oneself to be a doormat. It means to live in the freedom of loving you through the inherent dignity as your child—a love we all carry inside us that seeks the well-being of others without compromising the common good. Saint Charles Borromeo, 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.

Perpetual adoration live stream Kolbe Shrine.

“You are not far from the kingdom of God.” | Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “I love you, O LORD, my strength, O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer. I love you, Lord, my strength.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 12:28b-34)

The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, ‘He is One and there is no other than he.’ And ‘to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself’ is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

A scribe approaches Jesus, encouraged to hear more of what he says. The scribe asks Jesus which commandment is the most important of all. Jesus responds by quoting the Shema: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” And he tells the scribe, the second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. In acknowledging the response Jesus gives, he affirms that loving God and one’s neighbor is more important than burnt offerings and sacrifices. Jesus tells him: “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one, Mark tells us, dared to ask Jesus any more questions. What does Jesus mean by telling the scribe he is not far from the kingdom of God, and what does it mean to be near to it?

God, help me understand the commandments not as legal ties that bind but your gift to allow a wholehearted response to your love. To love you with my whole heart, soul, mind, and strength is to begin to understand the love by which you loved me first. What other gift is acceptable to you, Lord, but my whole heart? I wonder at the words of Jesus to the scribe, why the scribe is “not far from the kingdom of God” when he seems to fully understand. Yet, I see my own distance from the kingdom when I fail altogether to love you and those around me. Give me the grace, Lord, to bring forth your kingdom in these two great commandments, not by my own doing but with the help of the Holy Spirit through Jesus 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.

Perpetual adoration live stream Kolbe Shrine.