Tag: lectio divina

Friday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

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

As Jesus passed by, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, “”Follow me.”” And he got up and followed him.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus sees Matthew, a tax collector, sitting at the tax booth, and he says to him, “Follow me.” Matthew immediately gets up and follows Jesus. This event highlights Jesus’ authority to call individuals to be his disciples and the transformative power of his invitation. The meaning of this passage first emphasizes Jesus’ inclusive mission to call all people, regardless of their social status or reputation, to be his followers. It also challenges the religious leaders’ narrow understanding of righteousness and their exclusion of sinners. Jesus quotes from the prophet Hosea, emphasizing that God desires genuine acts of mercy and love rather than mere external sacrifices.

From the Gospel acclamation: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest, says 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.

Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

“But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”–he then said to the paralytic, “Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.” He rose and went home. When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe and glorified God who had given such authority to men.

In today’s Gospel, people bring Jesus a paralytic lying on a stretcher. With the words, “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven,” Jesus cures him. The scribes believe Jesus is blaspheming by saying that his sins are forgiven. But Jesus, whose word make reality present, says to the scribes: “Why do you harbor evil thoughts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk'”? Despite the skepticism and opposition Jesus faced from the religious leaders of the time, this reveals Jesus’ power to both heal and forgive as the Word incarnate.

God, thank you for calling me to you as Jesus called the paralytic to take heart and receive his forgiveness. Whether Jesus says “Rise and walk” or “Your sins are forgiven,” that same reality is made present in his words. Reconciled to you in trust, the paralytic was able to rise and go home. Thank you, Father of mercies, for the sacrament of reconciliation. Through it, the reality of your forgiveness is made present today in repentance and in the absolution of the priest who absolves sins by saying, “I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

Lord, stay with me today as I recall the Gospel acclamation: “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.”

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.

Wednesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

The demons pleaded with Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of swine.” And he said to them, “Go then!” They came out and entered the swine, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea where they drowned.

Jesus and his disciples arrive in the region of the Gadarenes, where they are met by two men possessed by demons. These men are so violent and fierce that no one dares to pass by that way. The demons within them recognize Jesus and cry out, asking if he had come to torment them before the appointed time. A large herd of pigs was feeding nearby, and the demons beg Jesus to send them into the pigs instead of tormenting them. Jesus grants their request, and the demons leave the men and enter the herd of pigs. The pigs, possessed by the demons, rush down a steep bank into the sea and drown. Just as the words of Jesus “Go then!” bring into realization what the demons request, how much more does he hear us when we ask for the Father’s will to be done?

God, help me see the internal division within myself that prevents me from receiving you. The demons, who recognize Jesus as the Son of God, know that their power will end at an appointed time. They reject Jesus, and the torment his presence brings to them. God, help me see your Son present to me in the people and events I encounter today. Give me the grace, Father in heaven, to receive your Son in the truth of his word to give you glory.

From the Gospel acclamation: “The Father willed to give us birth by the word of truth that we may be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” Lord, stay with me today so that I remain in your truth.

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 Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

Jesus said to them, “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?” Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm.

In today’s Gospel, Matthew tells the story of Jesus and the disciples who follow him. He gets in a boat. Shortly afterward, a violent storm on the Sea of Galilee overtakes them. Although waves are sinking the boat, Jesus is asleep in the back of it. The disciples wake him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” Jesus responds by rebuking them for their lack of faith and then stands up and rebukes the winds and the sea. Suddenly, there was a great calm. With amazement, the disciples say, “What sort of man is this, whom even the winds and the sea obey?” Matthew depicts Jesus’ divine power over nature and the importance of having faith in him even in the most difficult situations.

God, help me understand the role of faith in my relationship with you. It’s easy to see that the storm in the Gospel could be any disquieting situation in life. During it, you are present and in control of the circumstances. Just as you led Lot to safety from great destruction, help me trust that you will guide me safely to freedom, away from any threat to my faith in you. From the responsorial psalm, “Search me, O LORD, and try me; test my soul and my heart.”

The Gospel acclamation says, “I trust in the LORD; my soul trusts in his word.” Lord, help me trust that you can rebuke any storm that the day throws at me. Grant me your peace. May the Holy Spirit, the bond of love between the Father and the Son, be the bond of love among this nation and among all peoples.

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.

Feast of Saint Thomas, Apostle

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

In today’s Gospel reading for the feast of Saint Thomas, Jesus appears to the Twelve after having appeared to the others at a separate time. Because he was absent, Thomas doubted the first appearance, saying, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” A week later, Jesus appears again to the disciples, this time with Thomas present. Although the doors were locked, Jesus stands in their midst and wishes them peace. Jesus sees in Thomas disbelief in his presence even as he stands before him. Blessed are those, Jesus says, who come to believe without seeing.

God, help me see and believe in the reality of your Son’s resurrection. Let my faith in you not rest in evidence but in the testimony and witness of others as both have been handed down throughout the ages in your Church. Just as Thomas comes to recognize Jesus’ divine identity, I want his profession “My Lord and my God!” to be mine as well. Give me the grace today to respond to you in firmness of faith, not by any evidence I have in hand, but through the sacraments and teachings of the Church that have been passed to me from generation to generation.

Thank you, Lord, for your presence and for the peace that only Christ can give. Through him, as Saint Paul says, I am a fellow citizen with the holy ones and members of the household of God. Saint Thomas, 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.

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

Jesus said to his apostles: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

With these challenging words, Jesus invites not only the apostles but anybody who hears him to take up his cross and follow after him. It’s hard to imagine a love greater than that of love for parents or children. Yet, in speaking to the apostles, that is the standard he calls us to strive for. The demand of discipleship to set aside the quest of self-fulfillment has a paradoxical result. In Jesus’ own words, what is that result? “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Whoever finds himself worthy of the Lord is the one who loves him more than father or mother or son or daughter. In that worthy state of grace, love of father and mother and son and daughter becomes ever greater.

God, help me remember this way of life that Jesus calls me to and that you, the author of life, give me your Son as the way, the truth, and the life. Calling this to mind, give me the courage to find my life by losing it for your sake. Jesus says, “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.” Give me the grace to recognize that I am an instrument of your love for your people, your “little ones.” In showing them mercy and kindness, I do your will by giving them a cup of cold water to drink.

Lord, be with me today as I put self-interest aside. Stay with me as I receive others, knowing that I love them all the more as I strive to be worthy of 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.

Saturday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

When it was evening, they brought [Jesus] many who were possessed by demons, and he drove out the spirits by a word and cured all the sick, to fulfill what had been said by Isaiah the prophet: He took away our infirmities and bore our diseases.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus enters Capernaum and encounters the centurion whose servant was at his home, paralyzed and suffering. Amazed at the centurion’s faith and without going to see the servant, Jesus heals him with the words “You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you.” As Jesus enters Peter’s house, Peter’s mother-in-law lies in bed with a fever. As Jesus touches her hand, Matthew tells us, the fever left her. In both of these miraculous healings, Jesus merely says a word or touches to restore the servant and Peter’s mother-in-law. Matthew says that “by a word” Jesus drove out demons and healed the sick. With complete faith in the Lord and with only a word from him, what is there he cannot accomplish?

Lord, help me recognize your power to heal, your willingness to extend your healing to all, and the importance of faith in receiving your healing. Just as in yesterday’s reading as Jesus says to the leper “I do will it,” today he shows his compassion, authority, and his mission to bring salvation to all and to restore them to him. God, with the same faith as the centurion, give me the grace to say, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.”

From the Gospel acclamation: “Christ took away our infirmities and bore our diseases.”

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.

Friday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

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.

The leper who approached Jesus suffered greatly from his disease. In Jesus’ time, leprosy was commonly understood to be a punishment for sin. Therefore, in curing the man immediately from his leprosy, Matthew shows us that Jesus had authority to heal both body and soul. By coming to Jesus, the leper is a great example of his trust in Jesus’ ability to heal him and that faith is essential in our relationship with God and his ability to heal us through his grace.

God, help me understand that the relationship the leper had with Jesus, coming to him in faith and trust, is exactly where I need to be with you. Through the recurrence of sin, I can delude myself in believing that what I have done is beyond your forgiveness. In saying, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean,” the leper comes to Jesus in childlike faith. Jesus’ reply to him shows that what you will is for all to be restored in wholeness to you. In a state of grace, the leper hears Jesus command him to show himself to the priest and offer the gift prescribed by Moses. In the same way after receiving absolution in Confession, I go with joy in a state of grace to offer myself to Jesus as I receive him in the Eucharist.

Thank you, Lord, for your gift of healing physical and spiritual illnesses through your grace, through the sacraments. When I have sinned, let to come to you in faith to receive your divine mercy.

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 Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

Jesus said to Peter: “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

In today’s Gospel, Matthew describes the moment when Jesus chooses Peter as the first pope of the Catholic Church. From the second reading, Paul himself speaks of his apostleship in proclaiming the Gospel: “The Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it.” Both of these great apostles cooperated with God’s grace to strengthen them, and both were martyred. Just as Mary said yes to the Lord during the annunciation, Peter and Paul said yes in different ways, which shaped the Church that remains today and which the gates of the netherworld will never prevail against.

God, these giants of the early Church martyred long ago for love of you now pray for your Church before you in heaven. Rather than see them as unapproachable because of their greatness, I ask for them to intercede for me for your grace to compete well in this life and finish the race alive in faith that will bring me to eternal life. Rescue me, Lord, from the threats of this life—great and small. Under your care and longing for you always, may the prayers of Saints Peter and Paul one day bring me to you safe in your heavenly kingdom.

From the responsorial psalm: “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. Taste and see how good the LORD is; blessed the man who takes refuge in him.” Saints Peter and Paul, 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.

Memorial of Saint Irenaeus, Bishop and Martyr

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

Jesus said to his disciples: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them.”

Jesus warns the disciples to remain close to what is true in avoiding false prophets. To remain in the truth is to remain in Jesus Christ, who is truth itself. How do you recognize the false prophets—the ones in Jesus’ time and the ones of today? Jesus says you will know them not by appearances or by persona but by their fruits. “Just so, every good tree bears good fruit,” Jesus tells us, “and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.” The false prophets of Jesus’ day are not too different from the false prophets of today. Just as Jesus invites the disciples to know and remain in the truth, he also invites us each day to remain in him.

God, here I am at the start of a new day. I sit quietly in your presence, undisturbed by the many wavering voices that will compete for my attention throughout the day. Help me avoid the bad and choose the good; even better, give me the grace to remain in you through singleminded attention to your will in each moment of the day.

Thank you, God, for all your gifts. Let me remember to rest in you today as I strive to make the most of your gift of time with the work I have to do and the people I encounter. Help me remain in you as you remain in me so that I bear good fruit.

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.