Tag: bible

Memorial of Saint Irenaeus, Bishop and Martyr

From the responsorial psalm: “By the streams of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. On the aspens of that land we hung up our harps. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 8:1-4)

When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I will do it. Be made clean.” His leprosy was cleansed immediately. Then Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one, but go show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.”

As the leper approaches Jesus, he finds immediately in the Lord the words and actions that heal him. There is a flowing correspondence between Jesus, the Lord, and the leper who wishes to be made clean. In his homage of Jesus and in stretching out his hand, the leper is in every way receptive to the Lord cleansing him of his leprosy. The result of his faith was immediate healing. Matthew does not make explicit why Jesus says to the man to tell no one, except that showing himself to the priest and offering a gift was in accordance with Mosaic law. In instructing the man to show himself to the priest, Jesus restores his place within the community; in telling him to offer a gift, he sends the man off in a spirit of gratitude. Just as much, Jesus desires us to be grateful for the sake of glory.

God, help me be grateful today for every good gift you give me. Heal me, Lord, in body and spirit so that I can go through the day cleansed of anything that would obscure my sight of you, fully aware that you guide me and will for me to remain in you. Give me the wisdom to hold to this today and always. As Saint Irenaeus said, “Faith is established upon things truly real, that we may believe what really is, as it is. And believing what really is, as it is, we may always keep our conviction of it firm.” Saint Irenaeus, 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.

Thursday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

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.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 7:21-29)

Jesus said to his disciples: “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”

Continuing from yesterday’s Gospel, Jesus teaches the disciples what it means to do the will of the Father. Referring to false prophets, Jesus says of them, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” The miraculous works of the false prophets—prophesying in the Lord’s name, driving out demons—are not in themselves the measure of faith but instead one built on sincerely hearing and doing the will of the Father.

God, help me today as I strive to know and do your will, and give me the grace to be genuine in my relationship with you. I hear in the Gospel acclamation “Remain in me, as I remain in you, says the Lord; whoever remains in me will bear much fruit.” Help me live out my faith in truth and in a way that is pleasing to 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.

“Enter through the narrow gate.” | Tuesday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Great is the LORD and wholly to be praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain, fairest of heights, is the joy of all the earth. God upholds his city for ever.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 7:6, 12-14)

Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces. “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the Law and the Prophets. “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.”

In a few sentences, Jesus relates to the disciples three important teachings: care for and guard holiness, treat others as you would have them treat you, and enter the narrow way that leads to life on earth and to everlasting life. Throwing pearls before swine, among those who outright reject spiritual truths, calls for careful discernment if and when those truths are shared. The Golden Rule is a daily guide in every way we treat others in compassion and respect. To strive for the narrow gate is to strive for holiness, to seek God’s will, commit to it, and do it.

God, help me live in harmony with others as I take in the profound message of today’s Gospel. Help me remain grateful for all of your gifts, including the truth of the Gospel and the opportunity to be a means of your love to others. Throughout the day, I am bound to be drawn to the broad road that leads away from you. Through your grace, help my love for others be sincere even when I feel that it is constricted, ineffectual; through the help of the Holy Spirit and for your glory, Lord, lead me through the narrow gate to bring your gift of joy to those who need it most.

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.

Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

From the responsorial psalm: “O LORD, you have probed me, 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. I praise you for I am wonderfully made.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 1:57-66, 80)

All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be?” For surely the hand of the Lord was with him. The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his manifestation to Israel.

On this Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, Luke tells us details about the birth of John. His parents, Elizabeth and Zechariah, independently name him John. Unable to speak, Zechariah writes his name on a tablet. When he does, he is able to speak again, blessing God. Luke tells us that the witnesses of this were frightened. “All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, ‘What, then, will this child be?’ For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.” Zechariah, who had been struck mute by the angel Gabriel, praises God for fulfilling his promise in John’s unique role in preparing the way for Jesus.

God, you know me body and soul better than I know myself. Throughout the day, help me be grateful that you always fulfill your promises, and in your goodness I can depend. Just as you sent John to fulfill a special mission, knowing me as you do, you have something unique for me that only I can fulfill. Help me discern what that is, and grant me the fortitude to carry that mission out. Saint John the Baptist, 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.

“Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?” | Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “They rejoiced that they were calmed, and he brought them to their desired haven. Let them give thanks to the LORD for his kindness and his wondrous deeds to the children of men. Give thanks to the Lord, his love is everlasting.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 4:35-41)

They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”

As Jesus crosses the Sea of Galilee with his disciples to reach the pagan territory of Gerasenes, a sudden gust of wind comes up over their boat. As water began to fill it, the boat was in danger of sinking and the disciples became frightened. In waking Jesus, he speaks with the same power over nature that God displays in the first reading from Job. Jesus speaks, and the sea obeys. So it is with the troubled waters of life, when in times of trial we call into question where God is in the storm. “Do you not care?” Just as God sets the limits of what we can bear, so Christ with a word disperses our storms and says, “Quiet! Be still!” At times like that, we can only pause in thanksgiving at the wondrous deeds God works in our lives.

God, I know you are present at all times. As the Gospel acclamation says, “A great prophet has risen in our midst. God has visited his people.” When I turn my back on you, I am the one responsible for your apparent absence. But you are there nonetheless, and in times of trouble I have an urgent need to find you again. “Be still,” Jesus says. “Be still and know that I am God!” the psalmist prays, “The LORD of hosts is with us.” Give me the faith, Lord, to keep you in my sight throughout the day so that when night comes I have unshakeable confidence in you at all times—in life’s storms and in the calm of their ceasing.

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 not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.” |Saturday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant: Forever will I confirm your posterity and establish your throne for all generations.” For ever I will maintain my love for my servant.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 6:24-34)

“So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’ All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.”

The comforting words of Jesus unburden us from worries that often never come to fruition. Even more, his words remind us that we are all under one Father as he reminds us of his paternal care of every one of our needs. To take in the words of Jesus as he describes this complete dependence on God is to look on his creation, including his own people, and see all around us his eternal mark of beauty and providential care. “Learn from the way the wild flowers grow,” Jesus says. “They do not work or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?”

God, help me have faith in your care for me and trust in it even as I work and my mind spins, wondering what’s next. Let me learn from spending some time outdoors today to find that you are everywhere in everything under the sun. “Seek first the Kingdom of God,” Jesus says. Give me the grace to hear those words echo throughout this day and the outcome of seeking you first: “and all these things will be given to you besides.” And if nothing else, help me call to mind the prayer of Saint Padre Pio: “Pray, hope, and don’t worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer.” 

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 Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious

From the responsorial psalm: “In her will I make a horn to sprout forth for David; I will place a lamp for my anointed. His enemies I will clothe with shame, but upon him my crown shall shine.” The Lord has chosen Zion for his dwelling.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 6:19-23)

Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”

Whether it is things or people or concepts, what we most treasure, Jesus says, tells us where our heart is. Then Jesus tells us not to store up the things that can be destroyed, like things or people or ideas. Instead, provide and pile up treasures that belong in heaven and can’t be destroyed. That is where your heart should be, Jesus says. Soundness of sight is how we see what to store up. “The lamp of the body is the eye,” Jesus says. “If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light; but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness. And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be.” Throughout the day, what treasures will we see that are truly worth storing up?

God, help me see today the things of this world with an eye that is sound and heart that is filled with your light. The light that I would be filled with is your grace and nothing less. Please supply this. Help me see things in the light of truth, Lord, so that my heart is in treasures that last and ultimately reset in you. Saint Aloysius, 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.

Thursday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice; let the many isles be glad. Clouds and darkness are round about him, justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (MT 6:7-15)

Jesus said to his disciples: “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

Jesus tells the disciples that prayer should be sincere, from the heart, rather than being a mere recitation of words. Then he teaches them what we know as the Lord’s Prayer or the Our Father. Asking God for care of our everyday needs, seeking forgiveness for sins and protection from temptation and evil, the Lord’s Prayer aligns our will with God’s so our actions can also be aligned with him. When he finishes, he emphasizes one facet of the prayer: “If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.” Showing mercy and grace to others, just as we have received mercy and grace from God, is what the Lord’s prayer empowers us to do.

Heavenly Father, help me see the prayer that Jesus taught the disciples as my model for how to approach you with reverence and trust and a desire to know and do your will. Teach me to love and forgive others as Jesus did in every word of the Lord’s Prayer. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

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.

“Give to the one who asks of you.” | Monday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “At dawn I bring my plea expectantly before you. For you, O God, delight not in wickedness; no evil man remains with you; the arrogant may not stand in your sight. Lord, listen to my groaning.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 5:38-42)

Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.”

Don’t count the cost. That’s what Jesus seems to be saying, even in response to those who don’t like you, demand much of you, and press you unfairly into service. Instead of following the Old Testament law of “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,” Jesus instructs the disciples that the way to fight evil and aggression is with love, forgiveness, and a willingness to go the extra mile. Turning the other cheek does not mean being a doormat but instead means to overcome evil with good and hatred with love through the strength of God’s grace and mercy. The gifts God gives are ours to give away.

God, I hear what Jesus is saying, yet all of my being resists showing love, generosity, and forgiveness to those who make aggression and malice their way of communicating their wants and needs. Give me the grace to be selfless in the face of this and respond with mercy and compassion to people who have suffered hatred from others and in turn lash out in kind. Help me give your gifts without counting the cost and go the extra mile without expecting anything in return. Lord, hear my prayer and help 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.

“The seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how.” | Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praise to your name, Most High, To proclaim your kindness at dawn and your faithfulness throughout the night. Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 4:26-34)

Jesus said to the crowds: “This is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and through it all the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.”

In the Gospel, Jesus echoes the words of the LORD as spoken in the first reading from Ezekiel. “It shall put forth branches and bear fruit, and become a majestic cedar. Birds of every kind shall dwell beneath it, every winged thing in the shade of its boughs.” So it is with the kingdom of God. The little effort we put forth in bringing about his kingdom is supernaturally fortified and imbued by God himself with love of his people, love that in turn goes out horizontally and veristically for the sake of his glory. God’s kingdom is by its authentic definition, bringing low what is high and lifting up what is low. “And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the LORD . . . , make the withered tree bloom.”

God, help me pause throughout the day and hear the words of Jesus as he describes the mystery of your kingdom. Everywhere outside, I see the wild growth of plants under the summer sun and rain. Tomato plants that were no bigger than my hand now stand at waist level. The tiny seeds I planted just weeks ago now have taken root and begin to blossom. As I hold fast to you, Lord, seeking you in the Church and its sacraments, help me remember to be thankful for all your gifts and faithfulness and to witness to it. Glory to you, Lord. As the psalmist prays: “They that are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. Lord, it is good to give thanks to 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.