Tag: evangelio del dia

“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward?” | Wednesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “God indeed is my savior; I am confident and unafraid. My strength and my courage is the LORD, and he has been my savior. With joy you will draw water at the fountain of salvation. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 12:39-48)

Then Peter said, “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?” And the Lord replied, “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. Truly, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.”

Jesus continues to speak to the disciples about constant vigilance in light of the unknown time of his return. In responding to Peter about the faithful and prudent steward, Jesus refers to the distribution of food at the proper time. By contrast, Jesus describes the servant who is irresponsible. Rather than sharing what is to be distributed, he eats and drinks to excess, getting drunk. “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,” Jesus says, “and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.” Today’s Gospel is an invitation to reflect on what is required of us as faithful and responsible followers of Jesus.

God, in choosing you as my strength and courage, help me draw joy from Jesus Christ your Son, the spring of salvation. Accompany me as I move throughout the day, confident and unafraid in the midst of adversity. As Jesus commands, give me the grace to be generous in what I give to others, nourishing them with your gift of love. Help me remain faithful, Lord, as I await your return. Saint John of Capistrano, 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.

“Ready to open immediately.” | Tuesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “The LORD himself will give his benefits; our land shall yield its increase. Justice shall walk before him, and salvation, along the way of his steps. The Lord speaks of peace to his people.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 12:35-38)

Jesus said to his disciples: “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus asks the disciples and all of his followers to be vigilant for his return. Comparing his coming to a master returning from a wedding, Jesus turns the roles of master and servant on its head. The master himself will have them find a place at the table and wait on them. Similarly, the psalmist says, “The LORD himself will give his benefits.” A people far off from the master are drawn to him in his gift of salvation, as Saint Paul explains. “But now in Christ Jesus,” he says, “you who once were far off have become near by the Blood of Christ.”

God, help me be vigilant at all times and pray, ready to open immediately when I hear your voice. To be without you is to be without hope in this world or the life of the world to come. Give me the grace to see in sacrifice and suffering the opportunity to follow the example of Jesus. Let that grace shine through me to give glory to you, Lord. “In a word,” Saint John Paul II said, “you must set yourselves on the path of holiness. Only thus can you be a sign of God in the world. . . .” Saint John Paul II, 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.

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Our soul waits for the LORD, who is our help and our shield. May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us who have put our hope in you. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 10:35-45)

Jesus summoned the twelve and said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

James and John ask Jesus to grant them the honor of sitting at his right and left in his glory. Misunderstanding what it means to share in glory as a leader, Jesus describes his coming suffering and death. He goes on to tell them that they also will face suffering. In this world, Jesus tells explains, rulers exercise authority over others, but among his followers it’s different: true greatness, Jesus tells them, comes from serving others.

God, help me follow what Jesus taught the disciples. On any given day, there are dozens of temptations to power, to be the one who lords power or wealth over others. Help me recognize that your gifts cannot be accounted for in the way the world accounts for blessings. Suffering is not something I would readily take on; yet, it is inevitable. Give me the opportunity to put my needs aside to take care of the person next to me. When I hesitate today and to put selfishness aside, recalling the words of Saint Paul, let me call to you for divine assistance: “So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.” Lord, be merciful as I place my 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.

Memorial of Saints John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Priests, and Companions, Martyrs

From the responsorial psalm: “When I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you set in place—What is man that you should be mindful of him, or the son of man that you should care for him? You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 12:8-12)

Jesus said to his disciples: “I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God. “Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.”

The words of Jesus call us to greater conversion and discipleship. If we acknowledge Jesus before others, he opens up his doors to us. If we deny him, how could we expect Jesus to do anything but deny us? Yet, we have a choice, and in choosing him there is forgiveness. Blaspheming against the Holy Spirit, Jesus says, will not be forgiven. Difficult words to take in and understand in light of free will. Blaspheming against the Holy Spirit is committed rejection of the love and forgiveness Jesus offers. Lucifer rejected God once and for all in his exercise of free will. How good it is to acknowledge the Son of God and trust in his mercy.

God, open my eyes today to the opportunity to acknowledge your Son before others. Give me the courage to do it, if only in a quiet way. While I would never desire to blaspheme the Holy Spirit, help me recognize the times in my life when choosing sin has completely eclipsed the light of the Lord, the giver of life. Give me a contrite heart, Lord, as I give over everything to you. Saint Paul said, “And he put all things beneath his feet and gave him as head over all things to the Church, which is his Body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.” Saints John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, 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.

Feast of Saint Luke, evangelist

From the responsorial psalm: “Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD, and let your faithful ones bless you. Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom and speak of your might. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 10:1-9)

“Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves payment. Do not move about from one house to another. 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.'”

Jesus appoints seventy-two disciples and sends them out in pairs to preach the Gospel. Sending them out as lambs among wolves, he gives them specific instructions on what to say and how to behave as guests. The source of peace he tells them to wish on each house they enter is from the love of the Father. In visiting towns, the disciples are instruments of God’s healing grace, and they open the door to the kingdom of God. What might open up to us today as we wish peace—spoken or silent—to every person we encounter?

God, help me trust in you today. In the hope I have for the many plans I would like to carry out today, give me the grace to put my hope in you alone and what you can accomplish through me. Allow me to be aware of what I have to offer you in the people and opportunities you present to me. Lift me up, Lord; empower me to accomplish your will. The seventy-two listened to Jesus and followed his commands, proclaiming your kingdom wherever they went. In accordance with your will, give me courage to do the same. Saint Luke, 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.

Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr

From the responsorial psalm: “Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds; His right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm. The Lord has made known his salvation.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 11:47-54)

“Woe to you, scholars of the law! You have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter.” When Jesus left, the scribes and Pharisees began to act with hostility toward him and to interrogate him about many things, for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say.

Even as the Pharisees try to trip up Jesus, he calls them to see and respond to the truth, to the key of knowledge he himself is as the Son of God. As they try to “catch him at something he might say,” they become frustrated toward him and hostile because of their inability to see any wrong Jesus has done. The knowledge of God, revealed throughout the ages and finally through his Son Jesus Christ, is a gift given out of love for us. How will I receive it today?

God, help me see the times I have been complicit in preventing the truth of the Gospel from being heard or entered into. I don’t need to look deeply, too far beyond the capacities you have given me, to know the truth of faith that you are a loving Father and to share the goodness of that with others. Give me the grace to have childlike faith and trust in you, Lord; open my hear to hear and respond to you. Saint Ignatius of Antioch, 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.

Wednesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Blessed the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked Nor walks in the way of sinners, nor sits in the company of the insolent, But delights in the law of the LORD and meditates on his law day and night. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 11:42-46)

Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply, “Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too.” And he said, “Woe also to you scholars of the law! You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.”

Jesus denounces the Pharisees and the scholars of the law for their overemphasis of authority as they seek to maintain outward appearances. Externally, they appear to be reverent but inside are corrupt—as Jesus says, “like unseen graves.” But even in denunciation, Jesus calls them to love of something that transcends the law even as it brings it to fulfillment—love for God and attention to placing judgment in the hands of the Father. Where honor is given, there our heart is. If not to God, what do we give honor to in our words and actions?

God, all glory and honor is yours, for ever and ever. Even as I become more aware of you, Lord, in the faces of others, help me look to my interior life to make a place for you to stay. I give others room insofar as I take into account their needs, serve them, fall short, and try again. Teach me, then, to do the same for you as much as for others. If I hear and follow your voice, help me trust that good things will follow. As Saint Paul says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” By this, Lord Jesus Christ, let me trust that you stand beside me and remain within.

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.

“Everything will be clean for you.” | Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

From the responsorial psalm: “Let your mercy come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 11:37-41)

After Jesus had spoken, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home. He entered and reclined at table to eat. The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal. The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you.”

As a guest in the home of a Pharisee, Jesus doesn’t observe the ritual washing before the meal. His harsh response to the Pharisee’s amazement at this calls out the evil he sees in this customary practice. Washing itself doesn’t seem like a bad idea, yet the extreme focus on keeping up appearances is what Jesus criticizes. And there’s more to come. In tomorrow’s Gospel, Jesus continues to denounce the practices of the Pharisees that are for the sake of appearance. Even as he condemns the inner spiritual state of the Pharisees, Jesus has an antidote for their illness and for ours: give alms and be made clean.

God, you fashioned my entire being, inside and outside. As my maker, be my aid in purging my interior self of any evil to make room for you. Jesus says, “Give alms.” In giving alms, help me be a cheerful giver of not only your material gifts but also your mercy. “Give and gifts will be given to you,” Jesus says. Guide me, Lord, throughout the day and lead me not in the way of fools but in the way of a heart made clean by doing your will. “The soul of the just person is nothing else,” Saint Teresa says, “but a paradise where the Lord says he finds his delight.” Saint Teresa, 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.

“There is something greater than Solomon here.” | Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Who is like the LORD, our God, who looks upon the heavens and the earth below? He raises up the lowly from the dust; from the dunghill he lifts up the poor. Blessed be the name of the Lord forever.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 11:29-32)

“At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.”

The condemnation of Jesus ought to have stirred the crowd to repentance. Although Luke doesn’t describe the crowd’s response to these words, it seems likely that the teaching fell on deaf ears. Jesus reveals to the crowd two ways that God has shown his signs in the past, in the wisdom of Solomon, sought by the Queen of Sheba and in the repentance of the Ninevites, who heard and responded to Jonah’s message. The something greater here that Jesus refers to is not another sign but what every prophet points to—that which is, the Great I AM, the very presence of God in flesh and blood. God has given signs, but the crowd rejects them. What Jesus calls evil is the deliberate choice of the people.

God, help me see your goodness, whether I see it in a sign fulfilled or in the peaceful indwelling of the Holy Spirit. If a sign or signs point to you throughout the day, I will welcome them. Still, if I know you are near by every good gift you give me, by your grace, let me rest in the truth of that faith; I don’t need signs. For the times when I have no awareness of your presence, give me the grace, now and then, to trust that you are near. Guard my heart as I hear other voices that may call me away from you. Help me keep in mind the Gospel acclamation: “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” Saint Callistus I, 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.

“No one is good but God alone.” | Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart. Return, O LORD! How long? Have pity on your servants! Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 10:17-30)

“Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.” Peter began to say to him, “We have given up everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.”

After Jesus challenges a rich young man him to sell all he has, give the money to the poor, and follow him, the young man walks away saddened by this demand. Jesus then tells the disciples how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. Probably alarmed to hear that worldly success does not automatically indicate the favor of God, the astonished disciples ask Jesus who then can be saved. For human beings, Jesus tells them, impossible, but not for God. Peter’s statement is a strong profession of faith; in it, he professes his detachment from the world and his identity as a follower of Christ. In a way that calls to mind the Beatitudes, Jesus takes the disciples deeper and farther by revealing to them what they have chosen over countless riches—blessings in this life, including persecutions, and eternal life in the world to come.

God, help me recognize your gift of love, the same loving look that Jesus gave to the rich young man. “You are lacking in one thing.” Give me the grace to see what I am lacking to inherit eternal life; not one thing but many. Yet, what is impossible for me, you make possible. Why do I call you good? Because you alone are the Lord. What I lack in poverty of spirit, you make up for in grace. I hear in the Gospel acclamation the wisdom of choosing poverty of spirit over what the world offers: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Guide me today, Lord, toward your loving gaze; teach me to let go of the things that keep me from 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.