Tag: disciples

Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and evangelist

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 9:9-13)

“Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” [Jesus] heard this and said, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

Jesus calls Matthew as he sits at the customs post, and Matthew follows him immediately. At Matthew’s house, the Pharisees criticize Jesus for eating with tax collectors and sinners. From the point of view of the Pharisees, Jesus chooses the wrong crowd—the outcasts, the ones to be avoided, the unrighteous. But Jesus’ thought-provoking response is an invitation to his mercy not only for tax collectors and sinners but also for the self-righteous who fail to see error in their strict judgment of others. Through his presence among sinners, Jesus shows us where mercy is to be placed, and he speaks that place into existence when he says, “Follow me.”

Father in heaven, you sent Jesus to call every person to yourself away from brokenness and sin. Help me understand, Lord, and take to heart these two realities: you recognize that every person sins—even the righteous—and you desire to heal us with your mercy and compassion. God, help me recognize my constant need for healing through the presence of Christ your Son in the sacraments and in your word. Divine Physician, have mercy on us!

From the Gospel acclamation: “We praise you, O God, we acclaim you as Lord;
the glorious company of Apostles praise you.” Saint Matthew, 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.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAaVQ82g2C4

Memorial of Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn, Priest, and Paul Chŏng Ha-sang, and Companions, Martyrs

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

Jesus said to the crowds: “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.”

In today’s Gospel, after Jesus had raised a young man back to life, Jesus talks to the crowd about John the Baptist. What the people see in the way that both Jesus and John live fails to fulfill what they believe about prophets or the Messiah. Jesus compares the generation of people he lives among to children who fail to recognize the way of life of either: “We played the flute for you, but you did not dance. We sang a dirge, but you did not weep.” John the Baptist’s lifestyle differed from that of Jesus, who lived among others, drinking and socializing with various people, including tax collectors and sinners. Referring both to John and himself, Jesus says to the crowd: “But wisdom is vindicated by all her children.” How do people of today’s generation respond to God’s messengers?

Father in heaven, help me recognize you in my life and within the events that unfold in this present generation. Help me hear and respond to you. In hearing and responding to you, give me the courage to give witness to my faith. As the Korean martyrs bore witness to the crucified and risen Christ, give me the grace to do the same, even in the face of persecution and sacrifice. As Saint John Paul II said during the Mass for the canonization of the Korean martyrs: “Through the sacrifice of their own lives they have become like Christ in a very special way.” Strengthen me, Lord, to cling to Christ your Son.

From the Gospel acclamation: “Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life, you have the words of everlasting life.” Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn and Paul Chŏng Ha-sang, martyrs, 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.

Tuesday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

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

As [Jesus] drew near to the gate of the city, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the city was with her. 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.

After Jesus raises the young man from the dead, the crowd’s immediate reaction is terror and awe . “Fear seized them all,” Luke tells us, “and they glorified God, exclaiming, ‘A great prophet has arisen in our midst’ and ‘God has visited his people.'” In this short passage, Jesus says two sentences: “Do not weep” and “Young man, I tell you, arise!” Moved with pity, Jesus seeks immediately to ease the mother’s grief. Raising her son from the dead would seem to serve that purpose instantly. Yet, Jesus first tells her not to weep, which must have been perplexing to hear. Was this Jesus’ way of allowing the mother and the crowd of witnesses a pause from grief, a means to ponder that death does not have the final word?

Father in heaven, help me understand the works that Jesus accomplished on earth emanated through the trinitarian unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The fear the crowd experienced as they witnessed the young man raised from the dead is a holy fear, a fear that caused them to glorify you. Jesus touched the coffin, the thing bearing the young man, and the dead man sat up and began to speak. Like a foretaste, the young man rises just as Jesus would rise. In his death and resurrection, Jesus destroyed death and gives life not to one but to all who believe in him.

From the Gospel acclamation: “A great prophet has arisen in our midst and God has visited his people.” Lord, guide me today and show me the way to glorify 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.

Monday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

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

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. For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me.”

In today’s Gospel, a Roman centurion has a servant who is gravely ill. The centurion, recognizing Jesus’ reputation as a healer, sends Jewish elders to request Jesus’ help. Although the centurion was a Gentile and part of the occupying Roman military, he demonstrates faith and humility in seeking the aid of Jesus. Luke tells us, in fact, that he loves the Jewish community and had built the synagogue for them. The centurion is confident in the chain of command and obedience, something he learned as a soldier who issues commands and follows them. So when he comes to Jesus to ask for his help, he is able to give wholehearted trust in Jesus’ authority.

Father in heaven, let me come to you with the same confidence and trust as the centurion. His words are the very words spoken during the Mass after the priest elevates the body of Christ in the sacred host and the chalice of the blood of Christ saying, “Behold the Lamb of God.” At this moment, Christ is present at the altar in the transubstantiation of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. The congregation responds, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” When I say these words—and I have to stop to think about this—I am speaking to the same person of Christ that the centurion came to for divine assistance. Give me the grace, Lord, to recognize this the next time I am at Mass; that you are truly present. Just as you were amazed at the faith of the centurion, through your grace may I have the same absolute trust in the power of your word.

From the first reading: “For there is one God. There is also one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as ransom for all.”

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.

Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 18:21-35)

“Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”

“Could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the LORD? Could anyone refuse mercy to another like himself, can he seek pardon for his own sins? If one who is but flesh cherishes wrath, who will forgive his sins?” These words of Sirach from the first reading introduce the mortal cost of unforgiveness, which Jesus examines in response to Peter’s question about how often one is to forgive. Jesus tells Peter, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. In the parable about the king settling accounts with his servants, the master hands over to torturers the unforgiving servant until he should pay back the whole debt. “Wrath and anger are hateful things,” says Sirach, “yet the sinner hugs them tight.” In that image of the wrathful servant, Jesus gives each of us the consequence of refusing to forgive. “Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,” the master asks the servant, “as I had pity on you?”

Father in heaven, help me understand what I often fail to understand and fall into: inability to forgive and its tortures are of my own making. Give me the grace to follow your commandment to love one another and to experience your freedom through the sacrament of reconciliation. That’s the way out; that’s the means of dismantling the ramshackle hut where hurt and unforgiveness dwell. What is the cost of unforgiveness? Let me hear and obey Jesus as he says to me what he says to Peter, that anger and unforgiveness go on thriving “unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.” Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner, and through Christ your Son help me forgive past injuries and rise up to live in the light of your love.

From the responsorial psalm: “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he put our transgressions from us. The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.”

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.

“Whoever loves me will keep my word.” | Memorial of Saints Cornelius and Cyprian, Martyrs | 9.16.23

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 6:43-49)

Jesus said to his disciples: “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but not do what I command? I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, listens to my words, and acts on them. That one is like a man building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when the flood came, the river burst against that house but could not shake it because it had been well built. But the one who listens and does not act is like a person who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, it collapsed at once and was completely destroyed.”

In today’s Gospel according to Luke, Jesus compares the types of fruit a tree produces, rotten or good, and teaches his disciples the importance of obedience. He says to them, “The good man brings good things out of the good treasure of his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil treasure of his heart.” To bring things out of the good treasure of the heart means that one has a store of it to share. As Jesus says elsewhere in the Gospel, “For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” What is the source of that goodness but to come into the presence of God, to listen to his Word, and then to act on it?

Father in heaven, help me today to come to you, not in vain, saying, “Lord, Lord,” inattentive to your will. “I will show you what someone is like,” Jesus says, “who comes to me, listens to my words, and acts on them.” Things overwhelm, the day can be enough. Floods come breaking into life, rivers burst and tear at old, established foundations. Despite that, through all that, let me listen out for you and do your will. Give me the grace to dig deeply to find you in the events of the day and choose to store up your good gifts in the treasure of my heart. And for whose sake do I do this? You alone, Lord. As Saint Paul says, “To the king of ages, incorruptible, invisible, the only God, honor and glory forever and ever.”

From the responsorial psalm: “Who is like the LORD, our God, and looks upon the heavens and the earth below? He raises up the lowly from the dust; from the dunghill he lifts up the poor.” Saints Cornelius and Cyprian, martyrs, 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.

“Behold, your mother.” | Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows | 9.15.23

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 2:33-35)

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

From the cross, Jesus entrusts to Mary the maternal care of John, the disciple whom Jesus loved. By doing this, Jesus extends this gift from the cross to all people who believe and follow him. At the same time, he says to John: “Behold, your mother.” As Jesus entrusts his mother to the care of the beloved disciple, and by extension, to the care of the Church and all believers, he directs our gaze to divine love. The twofold charge to behold Mary Our Mother and to be beheld by her refers to a relationship like that between God the Father and Jesus his Son. John’s response exemplifies what our response should be to Jesus’ loving invitation: “And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.”

Father in heaven, thank you for sending your Son into the world—into the midst of evil, sin, and death—to save us from the darkness of sin and to destroy death through the death and resurrection of your Son. Thank you, Jesus, for the profound words you spoke as you were dying on the cross. You entrusted your mother to the disciple John and to all disciples, making her the spiritual mother of all Christians. Mary, Lady of Sorrows, you entered into the Passion of your Son, united with him at the foot of the cross. Pray for us sinners; teach me to love your Son as you love him. Mother of mercy, hear our prayers!

From the Gospel acclamation: “Blessed are you, O Virgin Mary; without dying you won the martyr’s crown beneath the Cross of the 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.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAaVQ82g2C4

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

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.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus responds to Nicodemus, who asks him in an earlier passage how one can be born again after growing old. Jesus tells him that one must be born from above and that no one except the Son of Man, Jesus himself, has gone up to heaven and come down from it. Jesus also tells Nicodemus: “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.” In perfect union with the Father yet fully human—true God and true man—Jesus explains to Nicodemus the purpose of his incarnation: “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.”

Father in heaven, help me hear and trust in the words of Jesus. Just as you and your Son are one, you desire that we become one with you in eternal life. In the person of Christ is the inseparable union of divine and human natures. Your desire that we might not perish but have eternal life lies hidden in the mystery of your being; it is love itself. Lord, help me comprehend that eternal love for all who would believe, came at the cost of lifting up your Son on the cross for the sake of our salvation. Let his Passion be strength to me. In dying, he destroys death; in rising, he restores life. Give me the desire to be in union with you and through your grace be unafraid to take up my own cross.

From the Gospel acclamation: “We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your Cross you have redeemed the world.”

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.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAaVQ82g2C4

“Woe to you when all speak well of you.” | Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

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

Jesus said to his disciples: “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.”

In speaking to the great crowd of disciples who came to hear him, Jesus begins his Sermon on the Plain first with the beatitudes and then with the woes. As he begins speaking, Luke tells us that he raises his eyes toward his disciples. This image of Jesus, who appears first to reflect before speaking, echoes his retreat to the mountain to pray before choosing the Twelve Apostles. As he looks among the crowd, it’s not difficult to imagine that he looks up to see before him many men, women, and children who live in poverty. His first words, “Blessed are you who are poor,” are supportive and compassionate. He goes on to speak to the hungry, the sorrowful, the outcasts, and he says as he looks at them: “Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.” In addressing the woes of humanity—the conditions of wealth, satisfaction, unbridled pleasure—Jesus reverses the goals or values of this world in order to draw people to God’s kingdom.

Father in heaven, I want to understand today’s readings as they relate to my life. Who is Jesus addressing when he looks up to speak to the disciples? He looked at them with love and spoke his sermon long ago, but the risen Christ continues to speak today to everyone who would hear him. I have many blessings—more than I can count. Does that mean I will someday grieve and weep and lack honor in the eyes of others? That could be and might someday be the case. And what then? Jesus will speak to me still: “Blessed are you.” And then I take in the words of Saint Paul, who says, “Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly.” I think either way, Jesus says, “Come to me in the Eucharist. Hunger for me; thirst for me; strive to make me your joy.”

“From the responsorial psalm: “Rejoice and leap for joy! Your reward will be great in heaven.” Hear me in your mercy, Lord; let me hunger for your Word. 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.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAaVQ82g2C4

Tuesday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time

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

And [Jesus] 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.

After spending the night in prayer, Jesus chooses the Twelve Apostles, including Judas Iscariot, who would betray him. After choosing them, Luke tells us that the apostles come down the mountain with Jesus, where he stands on a stretch of level ground. There he meets a great crowd of his disciples and a large number of people. From the mountaintop where Jesus prays, he carries with him and transmits to the people on level ground the divine love between the Father and the Son. They came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases and unclean spirits. The miracles Jesus performs come from communication with his Father and is immediately passed on to the people, as Luke says, “because power came forth from him and healed them all.”

Father in heaven, please help me understand the trust that Jesus placed in you as he prayed to you on the mountain. The choosing of the Twelve came through your Son’s discernment through communication with you in the power of the Holy Spirit. Through the same Holy Spirit, help me share in the love between you and the Son, placing my trust in his divinity. As Saint Paul says of Jesus in the first reading: “For in him dwells the whole fullness of the deity bodily, and you share in this fullness in him, who is the head of every principality and power.” Give me the grace to listen out for your Word with the same ardor with which the crowds sought out Jesus to hear him, be healed by him, and follow him.

From the responsorial psalm: “I will extol you, O my God and King, and I will bless your name forever and ever. Every day will I bless you, and I will praise your name forever and ever.” Through the intercession of Mary, the Mother of God, Lord hear my 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.