Tag: bible

“But wisdom is vindicated by all her children.” | Wednesday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Give thanks to the LORD on the harp; with the ten stringed lyre chant his praises. Sing to him a new song; pluck the strings skillfully, with shouts of gladness. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 7:31-35)

Jesus said to the crowds: “To what shall I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children who sit in the marketplace and call to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance. We sang a dirge, but you did not weep.’ For John the Baptist came neither eating food nor drinking wine, and you said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking and you said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”

“When I was a child,” Saint Paul says, “I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things.” Jesus also compares the people to children who recognize neither the simple life of John the Baptist nor the full participation of Jesus in the daily lives of others. Yet each gave thanks to God in his own way. “Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own,” says the psalmist. In the love of the Father, love never fails. Although children of God, we don’t yet know the fullness of the love of the Lord. But God calls us to him to continually, until that day, as Paul says, when love that hopes all things prevails. “When the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.”

God, help me understand your condescending love and that without it I am nothing. You love me first and always take initiative. Apart from this love, there is nowhere to go. Paul expresses love that rejoices with the truth, and truth is the person of Jesus your Son. “Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life,” says the Gospel acclamation, “you have the words of everlasting life.” Give me the grace today to live in your love, to recognize my shortcomings, and to put my hope and faith in your mercy. “May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us who have put our hope in you.” 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.

“Young man, I tell you, arise!” | Tuesday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands; serve the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful song. We are his people: the sheep of his flock.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 7:11-17)

When the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” He stepped forward and touched the coffin; at this the bearers halted, and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.

As Jesus and the disciples and the large crowd that followed him approach the gates of the city called Nain, they see a man being carried out in a funeral. He was the only son of a widow. Moved with pity for the mother, Jesus touches the coffin and commands that the man rise, which bringing him back to life immediately. Jesus then gives the son to his mother. the people who witnessed this are terrified, and they glorify God, exclaiming, “A great prophet has arisen in our midst.” The voice who says, Young man, arise” is the same who said: Let there be light. And there was light. “Who shut within doors the sea, when it burst forth from the womb?”

God, help me see in the compassion of Jesus and the truth of the Gospel that you are Lord of the living and not of the dead. Luke takes great care to describe the reaction of the crowd that witnessed Jesus bringing the dead man back to life. This is not a cleverly devised myth, but a witness of Jesus to the crowd that what he does for the young man, you do for him in his resurrection. Lord, give me the same fear and amazement the people experienced, as they exclaimed: “God has visited his people.” Saint Hildegard 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.

“Lord, do not trouble yourself.” | Memorial of Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs

From the responsorial psalm: “Sacrifice or oblation you wished not, but ears open to obedience you gave me. Burnt offerings or sin offerings you sought not; then said I, “Behold I come.” Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 7:1-10)

A centurion there had a slave who was ill and about to die, and he was valuable to him. When he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and save the life of his slave. They approached Jesus and strongly urged him to come, saying, “He deserves to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation and he built the synagogue for us.” And Jesus went with them, but when he was only a short distance from the house, the centurion sent friends to tell him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof. Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you; but say the word and let my servant be healed.”

As Jesus approaches the centurion’s house, the centurion’s friends go and tell Jesus not to trouble himself to come in. Expressing his understanding of authority, the centurion gives as an example his commands to the soldiers, who obey him. He believes that Jesus can heal his servant by only speaking a word. Amazed at his words, Jesus says, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” When the friends return to the centurion’s home, they find the servant has been healed, confirming Jesus’ authority and the necessity of faith. We say the same words as the centurion at every Mass, expressing faith and the desire for unity, just before we receive Communion: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”

God, help me reflect throughout the day on the faith of the centurion. Help me realize that I can choose to keep you away from my door or invite you in. In beholding the Lamb of God—the unity of the Church through the presence of the Body of Christ—I ask for the grace to choose always to let you in. Saint Cyprian said: “Can anyone believe that he himself sticks fast to the faith without sticking fast to this unity of the Church? Can someone be confident that he himself is in the Church if he offers resistance to the Church and opposes her.” Saints Cornelius and Cyprian, 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.

“But who do you say that I am?” | Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “I love the LORD because he has heard my voice in supplication, because he has inclined his ear to me the day I called. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 8:27-35)

Jesus and his disciples set out for the villages of Caesarea Philippi. Along the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” They said in reply, “John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets.” And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said to him in reply, “You are the Christ.” Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him. He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days. He spoke this openly. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

Jesus places the question of his identity before the disciples as they head into Caesarea Philippi, a hub of pagan worship. With this in the backdrop, Jesus hears the response of people who fail to recognize him for who he is. Peter identifies him as the Christ, and Jesus warns them not to tell anyone about him. Hearing from Jesus many of the details of his coming passion, death, and resurrection, Peter rebukes Jesus but then himself is rebuked by the Son of God: “Get behind me, Satan.” Our ways are not God’s ways, and what is upside down is right side up. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,” Jesus tells the crowd, “but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.” The means to this is by way of the cross, denying ourselves, and uniting our suffering to the life-giving passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

God, help me understand the mystery of suffering and place my hope in your mercy. The world might seem right side up but is upside down. Help me by turning my vision right side up, to see the world as you see it. Pope Benedict XVI said: “It is not by sidestepping or fleeing from suffering that we are healed, but rather by our capacity for accepting it, maturing through it and finding meaning through union with Christ, who suffered with infinite love. . . .” Lord of truth, love, and goodness, guide 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.

“So that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” | Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

From the responsorial psalm: “But he, being merciful, forgave their sin and destroyed them not; Often he turned back his anger and let none of his wrath be roused. Do not forget the works of the Lord!”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 3:13-17)

Jesus said to Nicodemus: “No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

Jesus refers to the story of Moses lifting up the bronze serpent mounted on a pole. Just as Moses lifted that to save people who had been bitten by a serpent, Jesus himself says that he will be lifted up on the cross so that everyone who believes may have eternal life. A necessity of this is gratitude and faith in what is true and lasting. This connection between the two—the bronze serpent and the crucifixion—reveals the merciful means God uses to save his people and set them free even though they may be unaware or ungrateful. How does God call us today to look on his Son lifted up in the crucifixion?

God, help me see the message of salvation in today’s Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. You brought salvation to the Israelites through the obedience of Moses to your will, and your Son brings salvation to all who believe in him through his obedience to you even to death on the cross. For this reason, as Saint Paul says, “at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Give me the grace to recognize how Christ draws me to himself to hear and obey your will. Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ!

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.

Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

From the responsorial psalm: “Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest in which she puts her young— Your altars, O LORD of hosts, my king and my God! How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 6:39-42)

“Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,’ when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye.”

Jesus emphasizes the hypocrisy of judging others while being blind to one’s own shortcomings or flaws. Jesus, the incarnate Word, invites us into self-examination and the call to correct oneself before we find that it is necessary to offer correction to others. In calling people to focus on their own shortcomings, Jesus sets us on a path toward humility and self-awareness. To will the good of the other, as Saint Thomas Aquinas defines love, sometimes means addressing the faults of others. In entering into this, Jesus calls us to himself to treat others mercifully and with an understanding of one’s own humility and weaknesses. Taking all of this into account, Saint John Chrysostom said: “But I am quite certain that you will do this out of the tender love you bear your own members, and that you will make every effort to bring your brothers and sisters back to our common Mother, because I know that through the grace of God you are able to admonish others with wisdom.”

God, in helping others, give me the grace to discern what is at stake and what my role is. Help me see others as you see them, and teach me to be humble and to remember my own faults before I judge them. Lord, help me hear your voice today. Saint John Chrysostom, 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.

Do good to your enemies. | Thursday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “O LORD, you have probed me and you know me; you know when I sit and when I stand; you understand my thoughts from afar. My journeys and my rest you scrutinize, with all my ways you are familiar. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 6:27-38)

“Do to others as you would have them do to you. For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount. But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful.”

Jesus models for us the way to treat not only those we love but our enemies as well. In Matthew, Jesus tells us that God “grants his gifts of sun and rain to both the good and the bad.” Before Jesus calls us to the higher standard of being merciful just as his Father is merciful, he tells us to give, expecting nothing back. As difficult as that—even in the mistreatment we receive from those closest to us—the reward is great. It fulfills the purpose for which the Father sent the Son—that we will become children of the Most High.

Father in heaven, as Jesus asks us to be merciful as you are merciful, twice he says, “Love your enemies.” In a task that is impossible if left to myself, through Jesus Christ your Son, give me the grace to offer genuine forgiveness to those who have wronged me and be merciful to them. I am reminded of Saint Paul, who says, “yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me.” That is my sole hope in being merciful as you are merciful. Mary, through your intercession, help lead me always to 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.

“The Kingdom of God is yours.” | Wednesday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time

From the Gospel acclamation: “Rejoice and leap for joy! Your reward will be great in heaven.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 6:20-26)

“Blessed are you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. But woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep. Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.”

Every word of Jesus in the Gospel—whether Beatitudes or woes—enfolds those who experience hunger, poverty, sorrow, and persecution. And that is all of us. The experience of the Beatitudes is the way to the kingdom of God and the kingdom of God in its entirety.

What you promise, Lord, you don’t retract; in a world that leads to the empty promises of honor, pleasure, power, and wealth, the hope of your mercy in this life leads to the fulfillment of it in the next. Be with me today; help me live out the blessedness that the Beatitudes call me to.

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.

“He called his disciples to himself.” | Tuesday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Let the faithful exult in glory; let them sing for joy upon their couches; Let the high praises of God be in their throats. This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia. The Lord takes delight in his people.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 6:12-19)

And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground. A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured. Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him because power came forth from him and healed them all.

After Jesus spends a night in prayer on the mountain away from the disciples, he comes down and chooses the Twelve. As Luke says, he “called his disciples to himself,” including Judas, who would betray Jesus. In communion with his Father after a night of prayer, Jesus discerns the will of the Father to choose each of the apostles. From there, Jesus goes out to meet the great crowds that began following him and listening to his every word. Healing their diseases and curing those who had unclean spirits, Jesus brings the mountaintop power of unity with God to the crowd who seeks to touch the source of the power that heals them. What do we have in the Eucharist and in the sacraments but the very presence of Christ and his power to heal?

God, help me understand the power of your Son to draw people of all cultural backgrounds and faiths to go to Jesus to hear him and be healed. This is the story of the ages, and it is my story. The power of Jesus to teach and heal is in union with your will—the will of God the Father. Just as Jesus chose the apostles, the ones sent forth, he chooses me. Help me, Lord, be attentive and worthy of the call to discern and do your will. With your grace, help me in everyday matters judge justly the things of this world. “Do you not know that the unjust will not inherit the Kingdom of God?” Paul asks. You, Lord, are just because you are justice itself. Help me in my shortcomings so that I respond to you, as Paul says, “justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” Let me hear and know the voice of the one who calls me to himself.

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.

“Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph?” | Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Teach me, Lord, to have complete trust in Jesus Christ your Son whom you sent from heaven as true food and true drink so that we look to you radiant with joy—now and forever.

From the responsorial psalm: “I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall be ever in my mouth. Let my soul glory in the LORD; the lowly will hear me and be glad. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 6:41-51)

The Jews murmured about Jesus because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven, ” and they said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Stop murmuring among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. It is written in the prophets: They shall all be taught by God. Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.”

Jesus goes on to reveal his relationship to the Father even further. He has seen the Father, he tells the Jews, because he is sent by him. As the bread of life sent down from heaven, Jesus gives eternal life to anyone who believes in him. Jesus recalls for the Jews how their ancestors ate manna in the desert but died. This is the bread that gives eternal life, Jesus says, “so that one may eat it and not die.” The Gospel passage closes with this teaching from the mouth of the one sent by the Father: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” The power of God the Father to speak reality into existence is also in the power of the Son sent by the Father. At every Mass, we hear the priest, in the person of Christ, say the very same thing: “Take this, all of you, and eat it; this is my body which will be given up for you.” Done out of love and in obedience to the Father, Jesus accomplishes perfectly what Saint Paul describes in the second reading. He “loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma.”

God, I can’t imagine how Jesus could have been more explicit than this in identifying himself as present in the Eucharist—body and blood, soul and divinity. “I am the bread of life.” How clearly Jesus teaches all of us who he is and what he instituted through his life and during the Last Supper. “I am the living bread that came down from heaven.” Whoever believes has eternal life, Jesus says, and whoever eats this bread will live forever. Teach me, Lord, to have complete trust in Jesus Christ your Son whom you sent from heaven as true food and true drink so that we look to you radiant with joy—now and forever. Strengthen my faith in the Eucharist and with it; let my soul glory in you, Lord, in your goodness!

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.