Tag: evangelio del dia

“Why does this generation seek a sign?” | Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 8:11-13)

The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” Then he left them, got into the boat again, and went off to the other shore.

The Pharisees approach Jesus and ask for a sign from heaven to prove his authority, and Jesus sighs over their lack of faith despite their witnessing his previous miracles and teachings. Aware that they are testing him, Jesus puts the question to the Pharisees why this generation seeks a sign. What matters, Jesus suggests by asking this, is faith and trust in him rather than seeking signs as the sole basis for belief. 

God, help me trust in your presence without the need for signs. Even more, help me remember you in the midst of the day, when communication with you becomes sparse. I imagine Jesus turning back to the Pharisees to answer them as he go into the boat. He questions them not out of annoyance but of love for them. He gave a deep sigh when he asks why they seek a sign. Strengthen my confidence in you, Lord, in the hidden works you perform each day and in the ones I overlook that are right before my eyes.

From the responsorial psalm: “You are good and bountiful; teach me your statutes. Be kind to me, Lord, and I shall live.”

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.

“I do will it. Be made clean.” | Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 1:40-45)

A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said, “If you wish, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, “I do will it. Be made clean.” The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.

“I do will it. Be made clean.” These words of Jesus to the leper reveal the Father’s will for all of his people. Leprosy was not part of God’s plan for humanity. Illness, disease, and death were not part of God’s plan. With a compassionate touch, Jesus heals the leper, showing his divine authority over human illnesses, isolation, and sin—and through his death and resurrection—even death. Jesus sternly warns the leper not to tell anyone about this miracle. Instead, he tells him to be obedient to Mosaic law in regard to the treatment of leprosy, which the first reading gives us a glimpse of. Instead, the man tells everybody he encounters; as a result, Jesus is unable to go unnoticed, and people come to him from everywhere.

God, help me understand today’s Gospel. Although from a time long ago and a place far away, Jesus’ treatment of the leper is living and effective today because he lives today and is truly present. The healing of the leper is not isolated in time and space, Lord, but is your mercy expressed here and now. Your will is to restore me to wholeness, to reconcile me to you. I want to fix in my mind the words of Jesus to the leper: “I do will it. Be made clean.”

From the responsorial psalm: “Blessed is he whose fault is taken away, whose sin is covered. Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt, in whose spirit there is no guile. I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.”

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.

“My heart is moved with pity.” | Memorial of Saint Scholastica, Virgin

“New Skete: St Scholastica” flickr photo by jimforest https://flickr.com/photos/jimforest/5125868728 shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) license

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 8:1-10)

In those days when there again was a great crowd without anything to eat, Jesus summoned the disciples and said, “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance.”

Having experienced it personally in his own body, Jesus sees and knows the limits of human stamina and the need for nourishment to sustain strength. The compassion he shows for the crowd, that he fears they will collapse on the way home, is a prelude to the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes, where Jesus takes seven loaves of bread and a few fish to feed more than four thousand people. The disciples ask Jesus, “Where can anyone get enough bread to satisfy them here in this deserted place?” In response, Jesus performs a miracle. No man can get enough to satisfy the crowd; one true God has more than enough to satisfy, basketsful more than what satisfies. Jesus knows we come a great distance to close the gap between ourselves and him. His grace, the sustenance of true food in his body and blood, strengthens us to walk the long way back home with him.

God, help me today to remember this miracle. If I stop to look around in seemingly deserted places, places of weakness and brokenness, your many blessings are all around me, and more than enough to sustain me. More than that, you give me this life-sustaining food always in the Eucharist and the Blessed Sacrament. Thank you, Lord, for your abundant mercy!

From the Gospel acclamation: “One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” Saint Scholastica, 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.

“He has done all things well.” | Friday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 7:31-37)

And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly. He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it. They were exceedingly astonished and they said, “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

People begin to recognize Jesus wherever he goes. Knowing he is capable of healing, people in the district of Decapolis bring him a deaf man who has a speech impediment. Mark tells us that Jesus takes the man with him away from the crowd. Jesus puts his finger into the man’s ears, spits, touches his tongue, looks up to heaven, and says, “Ephphatha,” which means “Be opened.” Immediately, the man’s ears are opened, and he is able to hear and speak clearly. Although Jesus instructs the people to keep quiet about this miracle, their amazement can’t be contained, and they proclaim his power and goodness to anyone who would hear.

God, you sent Jesus to heal the deaf and mute man, just as you sent him to heal all people. Help me be honest in examining my own life, what to bring to you that most needs healing. Jesus, the Divine Physician, knows better than I do what those things are. But in bringing them to him, I open myself to receiving his mercy, recognizing whose eyes are on me as I am healed. Lord, you want me to be free to love you, to be unencumbered so that I can hear and proclaim your word. For this, I need your grace and merciful gaze upon me. Stay with me, Lord!

From the Gospel acclamation: “Open our hearts, O Lord, to listen to the words of 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.

“For saying this, you may go.” | Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 7:24-30)

She replied and said to [Jesus], “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

Even as Jesus attempts to escape notice, he encounters a Syrophoenician woman who asks him to heal her daughter, who has an unclean spirit. Jesus at first responds to her in a way that reflects Jewish perspective in Jesus’ time toward Gentiles: “Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” Willing to receive whatever Jesus could offer her, the woman’s response demonstrates her great humility, faith, and trust in him. As Jesus says these words, the woman’s daughter is immediately healed: “For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” The woman who asks for scraps from the table finds so much more—the grace and mercy of the Divine Physician.

God, the woman who came to Jesus clearly knew what she wanted. But in her humility, she was willing to settle for scraps—a crumb of mercy to fall from the table. I often begin my day not knowing what to ask of you and find it hard to bring to the surface what I really need. You know better what I need than I do. Seeing how Jesus responded to the woman for the sake of her daughter, maybe the question is, What do you want to give me today? Give me the grace today to put aside what I think I need and recognize the gifts you place in plain sight before me. Give us this day our daily bread.

From the Gospel acclamation: “Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls.”

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.

“From within . . . come evil thoughts.” | Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 7:14-23)

Jesus said to the disciples: “But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him. From within the man, from his heart, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.”

Jesus tells the crowd and later explains to the disciples: “Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.” The list of evils that plagued people of his time are no less a threat to souls today, and external practices fail to remedy the cause. From within, from the heart, sin defiles; from within, Jesus heals. He recognizes the root cause and invites us to repentance, reconciling us to the Father. By naming evils, he calls us near for the salvation of souls, to preserve us for eternal life through the power of his grace.

God, help me reflect on my inclination toward sin and my need for redemption. Time after time, Jesus associated himself with sinners, inviting them to repent and follow him. The list of evils Jesus names could go on and on. As much an identification of human illnesses, listing sin by name demonstrates the endless permutations of sin that Christ can heal as the Divine Physician. Help me recognize that there is no sin that Christ is not aware of, that there is no sin that he cannot eradicate through his passion, death, and resurrection. God, help me turn to you with a contrite heart in the hope of eternal life; help me trust in your mercy.

From the responsorial psalm: “Commit to the LORD your way; trust in him, and he will act. He will make justice dawn for you like the light; bright as the noonday shall be your vindication. The mouth of the just murmurs wisdom.”

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.

“You have set aside the commandment of God.” | Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 7:1-13)

“You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.” He went on to say, “How well you have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition! For Moses said, Honor your father and your mother, and whoever curses father or mother shall die. Yet you say, ‘If someone says to father or mother, ‘Any support you might have had from me is qorban’ (meaning, dedicated to God), you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother.”

The Pharisees criticize some of the disciples as they eat with unwashed hands. Jesus responds to their criticism, confronting their adherence to human traditions over God’s commandments. Jesus quotes Isaiah, saying, “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.” Jesus calls out the Pharisees for dedicating their possessions to the temple instead of honoring their parents, demonstrating that they follow human traditions over God’s commandments. “You nullify the word of God,” Jesus tells them. “And you do many such things.”

God, help me understand that in confronting the Pharisees, Jesus provides a model for how to prioritize your commandments over human tradition, a good in itself that has an appropriate place. “You disregard God’s commandment,” Jesus says, “but cling to human tradition.” Give me sincerity of heart and the grace to put into practice the Ten Commandments and your Son’s two great commandments: to love you, God, with all one’s heart, soul, and mind, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself.

From the responsorial psalm: “My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the LORD. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!” Saint Paul Miki and companions, 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.

“As many as touched it were healed.” | Memorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (MK 6:53-56)

Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak; and as many as touched it were healed.

Jesus and his disciples cross to the other side of the sea and come Gennesaret. As they leave the boat, people immediately recognize him. They send out word around the surrounding country that he is present and begin to bring the sick to him wherever he goes. Whether in remote areas or in the marketplaces of towns, Jesus heals whoever he encounters merely by their touching the tassel of his cloak. How similar this is to the Eucharist, divided among many, in which we extend our hands to touch the Body of Christ and enter into profound union with him.

God, just as Solomon desired to have you present in a dwelling where you could abide forever, help me have the same fervor to make of myself a place for you to dwell. Give me the grace to receive Jesus in the Eucharist with an understanding of who it is I receive and what it means to be united to him in his sacrifice on the cross. And united in the Paschal Mystery, sanctify and strengthen me. Lord, as the people in Jesus’ time immediately recognized him, let me recognize your presence in the greatest needs of others.

From the Gospel acclamation: “Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom
and cured every disease among the people.” Saint Agatha, 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.

“For this purpose have I come.”| Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Free Catholic Prayer Guide

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 1:29-39)

Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed. Simon and those who were with him pursued him and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.” He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come.” So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee.

Early in his public ministry in Capernaum, Jesus responds to the needs of the people he encounters, healing many who were sick or possessed by demons. After healing Simon’s mother-in-law, in his compassion Jesus “healed many who were sick with various diseases, and he drove out many demons.” Next, Mark describes the priorities of Jesus in his daily routine, rising early before dawn to find solitude and spend time with the Father in prayer. Simon and others pursue Jesus, seeming to call him away from prayer. Yet, Jesus reveals to Simon the fruit of prayer—perfect fulfillment of the will of the Father. “For this purpose have I come.”

God, grant me the means to take in today’s readings and lay them out as a path for the week ahead. “So I have been assigned months of misery, and troubled nights have been allotted to me. . . . My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle; they come to an end without hope.” Job’s words from the first reading describe the suffering and loss he experienced in life. They also suggest the hopelessness of the many people who came to Jesus to be healed by his touch but also by every word of hope that he spoke. In my moments of discouragement and numbering days and months ahead, help me remember who you are, the one who calls me by name and numbers the stars. You, Lord, are truth itself and hope realized.

From the responsorial psalm: “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He tells the number of the stars; he calls each by name. Praise the Lord, who heals the brokenhearted.”

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.

“His heart was moved with pity.” | Saturday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Free Catholic Prayer Guide

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 6:30-34)

When Jesus disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

Mark describes the compassion of Jesus when he sees the large crowd that comes to him from surrounding towns. Before all of this takes place, the Twelve gather together with Jesus and tell him all that they have done and taught after he sent them out. Desiring their well-being, Jesus says to them: “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” As it turns out, people still come to them, and they find no respite. So they go off by boat to a deserted place, but the people are aware of this and arrive by foot before Jesus and the apostles. There among the vast crowd, Jesus meets their needs with pity and shepherds the shepherdless with his teachings.

God, as Solomon asked of you, I ask for an understanding heart today to distinguish right from wrong. That is a gift I know you readily give to those who ask for it in sincerity. Give me grace to see where the greater need is—what is just—even if I feel that you call me to rest and reflect quietly on your goodness. The gift of understanding came to Jesus in the form of tears as he looked among the vast crowd who came to him. Allow me the opportunity today to put selflessness into practice in caring for others, and the wisdom to recognize how to discern with compassion what the greatest need is.

From the responsorial psalm: “With all my heart I seek you; let me not stray from your commands. Lord, teach me your statutes.” Stay with me, Lord, day and night.

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.