Tag: daily Gospel readings

Friday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to him, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves, “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins?”

The Gospel passage today relates a well-known story from Jesus’ ministry to the people of Capernaum. He heals the paralytic, who rises, picks up his mat, and goes home at once. The people are astounded at Jesus’ ability to heal the man. At the same time, the scribes observe this and see blasphemy in Jesus’ actions as he forgives the man’s sins. It strikes me that the scribes witness four men breaking through the roof and fail to see the courage and determination to bring their friend to wholeness. Something profound is happening here, and they miss it—a moment not unlike at Jesus’ baptism when the heavens are opened and the voice of the Father thunders, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

God, help me learn to be a witness to the events of the day that attest to your presence. Although not as dramatic as a roof being broken through, your actions today are there for me to see if I watch out for them.

Jesus, you saw the faith of the paralytic and the men who lowered him through the roof. Give me the grace to be firm and steadfast in my faith in you. Keep me in your your care today and guide me back to you when I stray.

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.

Readings

Thursday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

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

In today’s reading, Jesus continues to journey throughout Galilee, preaching, driving out demons, and curing the sick. After curing the leper, he warns him not to say anything, but the man speaks about his experience, making it, as Mark says, “impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly.” He stayed in deserted places, but people kept coming to him from everywhere. Still, it was Jesus’ will that the man should be made clean, and Jesus’ pity for him is expressed in seven words: “I do will it. Be made clean.” In telling the leper to offer for his cleansing what Moses prescribed, Jesus restores the man to his community and to the means of sanctifying his life. Apart from physical health, are there mental or spiritual illnesses in society—or personal ones—that keep me from participating fully in my Catholic faith? What role do the sacraments have in restoring me to sanctity? In whatever needs to be cleansed in my relationship with Christ, today I want to hear his voice say, “I do will it. Be made clean.”

Lord, as a penitent who needs to be made clean continually, I hear your voice in the absolution after confession as the priest says: “God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church, may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Help me understand that as I come to you for mercy and forgiveness, you are there to meet me because it is your will that nothing separates me from your love.

Be with me today, Lord, as I strive to keep you before my eyes. The commotion of the day distracts me, but you are there too. Your voice calls me back to you. From the Responsorial Psalm, help me recall “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”

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.

Readings

Wednesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

On leaving the synagogue Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John. Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever. They immediately told him about her. He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up. Then the fever left her and she waited on them.

In today’s Gospel, which follows directly after yesterday’s, Jesus goes on that same day to cure the sick and drive out demons. The next day he rose early to go off and pray in a deserted place when Simon and others find him. “Everyone is looking for you,” they said to Jesus. He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come.” Before all this, though, the day before, Jesus gives personal attention to Simon’s mother-in-law, who lay sick with a fever. He grasps her hand and helps her up, which brings to mind the way God speaks to us through Isaiah: “I, the LORD, have called you for justice, I have grasped you by the hand.”

God, help me understand the spiritual place from which Jesus was able to go “into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons.” First, he helped Simon’s mother-in-law, then he cured the sick and drove out demons, and then went on to fulfill his purpose among humanity as the Word incarnate: true God and true man. Jesus’ healing of Simon’s mother-in-law moves me as I consider what that moment was like. He had just come from the synagogue, where he had taught and then rebuked the unclean spirit. And before he has time to rest and recharge, he approaches Simon’s mother-in-law and immediately heals her. God, let me be mindful of Jesus as servant today when I amass a list of things I’d like to accomplish as the day goes by. Give me the grace, Lord, to be an instrument of love as I see the person in front of me who would seem to stand in my way. Help rouse me when I become so self-absorbed in my plans that I fail to see what is right before my eyes.

Teach me to be your servant, Lord. From today’s Responsorial Psalm, we pray: “Glory in his holy name; rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD! Look to the LORD in his strength; seek to serve him constantly.”

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.

Readings

Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers, and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are–the Holy One of God!” Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!” The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.

In yesterday’s reading describing the Baptism of the Lord, John the Baptist immediately recognizes Jesus’ divinity. Today, as Jesus teaches in the synagogue, an unclean spirit speaks to Jesus through a man possessed by it. This spirit, more than one voice speaking through the man, recognizes Jesus’ divinity as he says, “Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are–the Holy One of God!” How is it possible that among some people today the Evil One is not acknowledged or given any credence at all, but demons recognize and fear Jesus and continue to recognize and fear him?

To begin each day this way—recognizing the presence of the Holy One of God—is to subject myself to the will of God. The Book of Proverbs beautifully expresses this: “The beginning of wisdom is fear of the LORD, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” God, help me understand this. I have no reason to fear you; you give me everything I have out of love and goodness. Yet, to fear you is to move out of the way and trust in your Son’s authority to destroy evil and to make all things subject to you. From today’s Responsorial Psalm, we pray: “You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.” Give me the grace, Lord, to be assured today and every day that you are the Holy One of God.

Thank you, Lord, for your grace and protection. From today’s prayer after Communion from the Roman Missal: “Humbly we ask you, almighty God, be graciously pleased to grant that those you renew with your Sacraments may also serve with lives pleasing to you. Through Christ our 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.

Readings

The Baptism of the Lord

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

And a voice came from the heavens, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Today’s reading, heard recently in a weekday reading from the Gospel according to Mark, relates the baptism of Jesus. Both Evangelists say that the voice of God came from the heavens, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” In the first reading from Isaiah, God speaks the same words: “Thus says the LORD: Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased.” Describing the servant that the New Testament identifies as Christ, Isaiah says: “I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice, I have grasped you by the hand.” I can’t read this without recognizing that as God speaks about his Son as the model servant of servants, by doing that he also calls those who hear his voice to be the servant.

God the Father, you are well pleased with your Son as he is baptized. Give me all the grace needed so that you are well pleased with me also through the action of the Holy Spirit. I want to understand your will for me today and have the courage to carry it out. The words “grasp me by the hand” call to mind the image of a guide and savior, which is the very nature of your Son through the sacraments of the Church. Baptism, which removes original sin and configures me to Christ; Confirmation, the gift of the Holy Spirit, strengthening me as a servant; Reconciliation, grasping me from the pit of sin and despair; the Eucharist, which grasps me interiorly with the saving body and blood of Christ. And so on. With each sacrament, Lord, you grasp me by the hand.

Father in heaven, Lord above all, look down on me as I strive to find my identity in recognizing what you have called me for. Give me the grace to hear your voice. All glory to you, God, as we hear in the Responsorial Psalm: “The voice of the LORD is over the waters, the LORD, over vast waters. The voice of the LORD is mighty; the voice of the LORD is majestic.” 

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.

Readings

The Epiphany of the Lord

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

And behold, the star that [the magi] had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. . . . They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.

In today’s reading for the Epiphany of the Lord, the magi seeking the newborn king of the Jews follow a star at its rising to give the king homage. When they come from the east, they follow the star and continue as long as it draws them on. Matthew tells us that the star stopped. Over that place, Matthew tells us, that is where they found Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. How many stars have I followed in life that continue to lead me on to another and another? The star stopped over Jesus, and the magi gave Jesus homage, offering him their treasures. When they left, they went home another way, forever changed.

God, help me come to understand the light that Jesus brings to the world. When I fall and strive to rise, help me follow your light. Isaiah says of the birth of your Son: “Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you. See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; but upon you the LORD shines, and over you appears his glory.” Help me by your grace perceive the light you shine through the Eucharist and in the faces and experiences I encounter today.

Lord, the magi knew in whose presence they prostrated themselves. Let me bask in the light of your love and trust in your the promise of your Son of eternal life in your splendor. Be with me, 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.

Readings

Christmas Readings: January 7

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.”

The familiar story of the Wedding at Cana presents what would be a crucial moment during the feast: the wine has run out. Without wine, how can the feast continue? Among the few words the Evangelists share, Mary says: “They have no wine.” She sees and understands that the feasting would end without it. Jesus says in so many words to Mary, “What has your concern got to do with me? It’s not time yet for me to go out into the world.” It is telling to see that Mary does not reply to Jesus’ question; she says instead to the servers, leaving the Son of God to act on his own will, “Do whatever he tells you.” Two elements of Mary’s nature begin at this moment to shine: her selfless intercession (“They have no wine.”) and her perfect trust in God’s will: “Do whatever he tells you.” Wine, which becomes the blood of Christ at the Last Supper, here initiates the feast in the coming of Emmanuel. The passing earthly banquet foreshadows the joy of God made man who comes to draw all into the great feast of endless length of days.

God, help me understand the beauty in this Gospel passage and allow its beauty to draw me toward Mary as a model of faith and to adopt her selflessness and abandonment to your will. Why does Jesus question Mary’s concern? The Mother of God becomes the Queen of Heaven, the ever-present intercessor of every spiritual need, who entrusts the prayers of the human family directly to her Son. Is Jesus asking her that question, not out of a kind of irony, but only to allow her to give witness to her faith in her response? “Do whatever he tells you.”

In your presence, Lord, my eyes see only so much. There is infinitely more! Give me the grace today to see your love manifested in the day’s unfolding. Be with me as I come to knowledge of your will through the material gifts that surround me. You supply me with every spiritual need; strengthen me to do whatever you tell 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.

Readings

Christmas Weekday: January 6

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

In yesterday’s reading from John, Jesus tells Nathanael: “you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” Today, we see Jesus going to John the Baptist for baptism in the waters of the Jordan. As Jesus rises up out of the water, the heavens open and the Spirit descends upon him. The voice of God the Father speaks from the heavens: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” What am I a witness to day by day that is not as magnificent as the heavens opening but is still a sign of God’s love?

Lord, help me understand that in your Son there is no untruth. What he says, comes to be; just as he said to Nathanael, so it becomes reality. The baptism by John with water precedes the baptism for all by the Holy Spirit. Of Jesus, John says: “I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.” With such humility as John’s, what truths about your nature would I hear you reveal to me? Where are the opportunities throughout each day to recognize your divine authority, presence, and unconditional love? John describes this loving presence in the gift of your Son: “God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever possesses the Son has life; whoever does not possess the Son of God does not have life.”

Let me rest, here, Lord in your presence. In your Son, there is the baptism by the Holy Spirit; that is, dying and rising to new life through his resurrection. Grant me the grace, Lord, to recognize and hold in my heart today what Nathanael saw in Jesus: “You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”

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.

Readings

Memorial of Saint John Neumann, Bishop

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

As in yesterday’s reading, where Andrew brought Peter to Jesus, Philip brings his brother Nathanael to him. It’s clear that Jesus already knows him, not merely superficially, but he knows his character. “Here is a true child of Israel,” Jesus says of him. “There is no duplicity in him.” Jesus meets Nathanael where he is in his astonishment, and Nathanael acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, giving confident witness to his divinity. In turn, Jesus responds to his faith by telling him what is in store for him: “the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” If Jesus were to meet me as I go about my day, what might he call me? As he called Nathanael a “true child of Israel,” in what way would he identify my character?

Here I am, Jesus. You see me and you already know me. The wonders you tell Nathanael he will be a witness to—where has that been in my life? Have I seen the sky opened or the angels of God ascending and descending on you? I haven’t, but I should always be prepared for God to accomplish the seemingly impossible. What I have seen is that when I turn away from you, you are always present and ready to take me back as I am in unconditional love. What I believe and at the same time struggle to believe is that whether I feel it or not, whether tangible or intangible, you are Love itself, present to me in my heart and in the sacraments. Again today in the Gospel, a brother brings a brother to you. Give me the grace and the means to bring a brother or sister to you today, to give witness to your unconditional love and mercy.

Lord, let your word remain with me today. From the first reading, John writes: “If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain in him? Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.” You know me, Lord; help me be who you know me to be.

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.

Readings

Memorial of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Religious

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus. He first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah,” which is translated Christ. Then he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Cephas,” which is translated Peter.

In today’s Gospel, as Jesus walks by, John the Baptist says to two of his disciples, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” The two disciples immediately follow Jesus, who asks them what they are looking for. They ask Jesus where he is staying and he tells them, “Come, and you will see.” Andrew tells his brother Simon Peter that they have found the Messiah, and he brings him to Jesus. In calling Simon Peter Cephas, Jesus gives Peter a new identity as the rock on which Jesus will build his church. Just as I received a new name at Confirmation, Jesus invites us to come and stay with him and through his grace gives us a new identity to put on. Or, as Saint Paul says, “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” This gift beyond measure through Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection—how willingly today will I wear that, will I put on Christ?

God, help me understand the work of your Son in your choosing from among the most humble people the first apostles. The Gospel acclamation reveals how you magnified your mercy by coming to us in the person of Christ: “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets: in these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son.” Jesus, you are the Word of God made flesh; you are the Incarnate Word. Whatever you say, then, is spoken into existence. You speak through your Son; your Son speaks, and Simon becomes Peter, the rock on which you build your Church. Lord, create in me today a new identity so that I can recognize and do your will. From Psalm 51, I pray: “A clean heart create for me, God; renew within me a steadfast spirit.”

Lord, let me be clothed with Christ today. Help me through natural gifts you give me to make good decisions; through supernatural grace, guide me when I lose my way, and restore me to your presence. Lamb of God, have 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.

https://youtu.be/2W-KSOPWWBY

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