Tag: daily Gospel readings

Memorial of Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr

When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the chief priests and elders the parable of the two sons. The father said to the first: “Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.” He said, “I will not.” Afterward, he changed his mind and went. He gave the second son the same order. He said, “Yes, sir,” but did not go. Jesus then asks them, “Which of the two did his father’s will?” They answered, “The first.” Which of these sons am I most like? How often do I enthusiastically respond to God’s call but then falter?

God, help me understand the Gospel reading. Tax collectors and prostitutes, Jesus says, are entering the Kingdom of God before the ones—myself included—who first say yes and then don’t go. Is it that because of their sins, they no they have greater need for your grace and mercy? Grant me the grace, Lord, to hear and respond to you, as in the words of the first reading: “But I will leave as a remnant in your midst a people humble and lowly, Who shall take refuge in the name of the LORD: the remnant of Israel.”

I feel the constraints of time today and a stubborn drive to accomplish the work that lies ahead in my own way. Lord, through your presence, let me hear you and go where you want me to go. Show me how to do it your way. You are my father, and you ask me to go out and work in the vineyard today, in the things I do and with the people I meet. Let me humbly accept the work you give me and find peace in following your will.

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

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary.

Today’s Gospel reading from Luke tells the story of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In it, we see Mary betrothed to Joseph, who is of the house of David. The angel Gabriel was sent. Although the passage doesn’t say, who but God would have sent Gabriel to Mary. Therefore, everything the angel told Mary was “God sent.” When Mary was troubled at his appearance, he said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” In a similar way, Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to Juan Diego near Mexico City who was traveling outside a town on his way to a catechism class and Mass. Mary told him in his native Nahuatl language, “For I am your merciful Mother, to you and to all mankind who love me and trust in me and invoke my help.” Our Lady asked Juan to build a shrine in that same spot. When Juan visited the Archbishop to tell him, he didn’t believe him. So when Our Lady appeared to Juan again, she asked him to pick some flowers. It was winter. Nonetheless, Juan found many flowers of a type he had never seen. The Virgin placed them in Juan’s tilma. When Juan returned to the Archbishop, he presented the tilma. The flowers, Castilian flowers not found in Mexico, fell out. The tilma had been imprinted with a miraculous image of the Virgin. From that moment, within the span of seven years, eight million natives converted to Christianity.

God, help me understand through today’s liturgy of the word and through the actions of Our Lady of Guadalupe that you care for your people, for the health of body and soul, and that you want us to know peace in your presence. Mary said to Juan Diego concerning his dying uncle: “Do not let anything afflict you and be not afraid of illness or pain.” I want to have that kind of trust as I face the trials of the day.

Lord, I know you are near. When I find myself becoming afraid of the tasks of this day, let me remember the words of the angel Gabriel and Our Lady of Guadalupe: “Do not be afraid.”

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

Sunday of the Third Week of Advent

Jesus said to them in reply, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus responds to the disciples of John the Baptist who ask him if he is the one to come, the Messiah. In Jesus’ response, there is what is heralded in each of the other readings and the Responsorial Psalm. Of the coming of God, Isaiah says, “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute will sing.” Similarly, the psalmists says, “The LORD gives sight to the blind; the LORD raises up those who were bowed down.” And in the second reading from James, he encourages his brothers and sisters to wait patiently as a farmer waits for “the precious fruit of the earth” because “the coming of the Lord is at hand.” What does that mean to me that God’s kingdom is amid the ordinariness of each day and certainly amid the extraordinary joyful expectation of this day, Gaudete Sunday?

God, help me take this in and understand it. The kingdom of heaven is coming, and the kingdom of heaven is here now. As Jesus tells the crowds: “among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” In Jesus’ coming, I have what no one before him had. Although no one was greater than the forerunner John, the least in the kingdom, in Jesus’ coming, is greater than John. Even today, Lord, you feed the least in your kingdom with the Eucharist and the sacraments, with us until you come again in glory. Be here with me today during the Mass, in receiving the Eucharist, and present in me through the Holy Spirit.

God of all, you heal us in mind, body, and spirit through the saving power of your Son. Help me see and hear you today so that I can do your will to give you glory.

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

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The angel Gabriel said to Mary: “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”

On today’s Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Gospel according to Luke describes a profound moment in human history, where Mary says yes to God. It is the quietest of meetings, Gabriel and Mary face to face. Is it possible that Gabriel knew of Mary’s immaculate conception, observing her life from the time she was born? Born without original sin, at the Annunciation, Mary was able to say yes wholeheartedly and without the same brokenness of spirit that we all confront because of sin. Mary’s yes undid that other conversation between an angel and a woman, the serpent and Eve, that took place in the Garden of Eden. Mary’s question—“How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?”—shows that for her it was not a question of whether God could make the incarnation happen but how it would happen. What would it take for me to give the same wholehearted response to God as Mary does?

Lord, as Gabriel tells Mary that Jesus will rule over the house of Jacob forever and that of his Kingdom there will be no end and that nothing is impossible for you, wouldn’t it have been understandable for Mary to question this? Wouldn’t any one of us say, “Wait; stop right there. I will bear a son whose kingdom will never end? I need a minute.” Instead, Mary simply says, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Almighty God, grant me the grace of complete confidence in your power and glory.

Thank you, God, for the Blessed Virgin Mary’s yes. Her fiat—“May it be done to me according to your word.”— is the royal road to the Incarnate Word, Jesus your Son. Lord, let me know and do your will for the praise of your glory. Blessed Mary, Mother of God, 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.

Readings

Memorial of Saint Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Jesus said to the crowds: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus invites those who hear him to come to him for rest, to take his yoke upon them and learn from him. Jesus doesn’t say he will remove the burden. What, then, does he mean by asking us to take his yoke upon him? Traditionally, a yoke is a heavy beam placed between animals such as oxen to allow them to pull a load together. Jesus offers rest by sharing his yoke with us, to lighten the load, to learn from him to be meek and humble of heart. The yoke Jesus offers is easy; in it, there is no escape from daily burdens but room to come to know who it is that walks beside us. On the feast of Saint Ambrose, a Doctor of the Church, let me remember to be attentive to the word of God in the work I do today and bring Christ into the most burdensome moments. Saint Ambrose, pray for us!

My instinct is to try to escape the yoke of daily routines bring and to lay my burdens down and rest. God, help guide me with the wisdom to know that these inescapable burdens are an opportunity to learn that you are beside me and to rest in the peace of your presence. Give me the grace today to strive in that hope with the yoke you offer me.

Lord, thank you for the gift of the burdens of this day that you give me to draw me closer to you, to have me work beside you. Stay with me! In the words of Saint Ambrose, “Let us take refuge from this world. You can do this in spirit, even if you are kept here in the body. You can at the same time be here and present to 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.

Readings

Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent

Jesus said to his disciples, “In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus tells his disciples the parable of the lost sheep. He asks their opinion of whether a shepherd would leave his ninety-nine sheep to go in search of the one gone astray. And if he finds it, Jesus says, “he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.” He says this to teach the disciples about the extraordinary love of the Father for his beloved children. Rather than pity the ones who are lost, I have to think about the times that I have gone astray and waited for God to come in power to save me. As the Gospel acclamation says: “The day of the Lord is near; Behold, he comes to save us.” As we celebrate the feast of Saint Nicholas today, I’m reminded of his generosity through his life of service to the needy, the sick, and the suffering. Is Santa real, I have to ask myself? As long as we celebrate the life of Saint Nicholas among the communion of saints, yes, Santa is real.

Help me understand, Lord, the words of the Our Father in daily life: “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” Life passes quickly, and the strength and resolve of youth is transitory. Isaiah’s beautiful words in the first reading calls this to mind: “All flesh is grass, and all their glory like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower wilts, when the breath of the LORD blows upon it. So then, the people is the grass. Though the grass withers and the flower wilts, the word of our God stands forever.” Keep me in your care, God, and close to your word—to the word made flesh.

Jesus, Good Shepherd, help me stay close to you today. I know I will go astray. As Saint Paul says, “For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want.” Through your grace, keep me from the temptation that leads to sin and let me instead see and do your will. And when I fail, come find me and bring me back 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.

Readings

Monday of the Second Week of Advent

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”–he said to the one who was paralyzed, “I say to you, rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.” He stood up immediately before them, picked up what he had been lying on, and went home, glorifying God. Then astonishment seized them all and they glorified God, and, struck with awe, they said, “We have seen incredible things today.”

In today’s reading, as Jesus is teaching the Pharisees and scribes, the friends of a man who was paralyzed lowered him through the roof because they couldn’t make their way through the crowd. As soon as Jesus sees the man, he says to him: “As for you, your sins are forgiven.” The scribes and Pharisees see this as blasphemy because only God can forgive sins. But Jesus says to them: “What are you thinking in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?” And immediately the man stood up and walked. As the Son of God, Jesus speaks reality into existence. He said to the man “Rise and walk,” and he rose and walked. The same goes for sins. As he speaks, so it is done. Sins are forgiven.

God, help me understand the power and authority you gave to your Son to release me from sin. As the Gospel Acclamation says, “Behold the king will come, the Lord of the earth, and he himself will lift the yoke of our captivity.” Sin and death bind and enslave, but through your Son they no longer have the last word because he destroyed death and canceled sin, restoring us to communion with you. And just as the crowd recognizes in the last words of today’s Gospel, I can also take in and respond to with joy: “We have seen incredible things today.”

Lord, give me the grace to carry that joy with me throughout the day. As Jesus the Divine Physician spoke healing and forgiveness into reality out of great love and mercy, I can choose to recognize that as the events of today unfold. As Padre Pio prayed in his prayer after Holy Communion: “Stay with me, Lord, for it is You alone I look for, Your Love, Your Grace, Your Will, Your Heart, Your Spirit, because I love You and ask no other reward but to love You more and more.”

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

Sunday of the Second Week of Advent

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “””You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, “‘We have Abraham as our father.’”

In today’s Gospel reading, John the Baptist was preaching the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven, the coming of Christ. Matthew says that people from the whole region around the Jordan were coming to John to be baptized. John, known as the forerunner of Christ, chastises the Pharisees and Sadducees to repentance, to make a complete turnaround: “For I tell you,” John says to them, “God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones. Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees.” Some commentaries on this passage suggest that the stones and dust of the earth are the dust from which God created man and woman. Their reliance on Abraham as their father, then, is not to replace the coming of the Son of God. What are the tenuous beliefs I hold onto that keep me from an authentic relationship with God?

Help me see clearly, Lord, my own overreliance in what is not you—adherence to beliefs that fail to lead to you. I want to understand that the Pharisees and Sadducees are not so remote in world history that they are irrelevant. Help me learn from them that pride in my own particular path to holiness is a dead end, is sin, the chaff that you separate from the wheat. As John says of you, Lord: “Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” Guide me in keeping with Christ so that with one voice with one another I may glorify you.

Jesus, as I receive you in the Eucharist today, let me give glory to your name. Be with me so that I can keep today holy. As the first reading beautifully describes the Kingdom of Heaven, fill me with the gift of your presence: “There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD, as water covers the sea.”

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

Saturday of the First Week of Advent

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus, “Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”

In the Gospel for today, we celebrate the memorial of Saint Francis Xavier. On this last day of the first week of Advent, Matthew describes Jesus’ entry into towns and villages as he proclaimed the Kingdom of heaven and cured every disease and illness. “At the sight of the crowds,” Matthew tells us, “his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.” Who is this whose heart is moved with pity? It is the same God in the Responsorial Psalm who tells the number of the stars and calls each of us by name. It is the same God in the first reading who guides us from behind and whose voice we hear say: “‘This is the way; walk in it,’ when you would turn to the right or to the left.” Then, Jesus asks of me what he asks of the Twelve: cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and drive out demons.

God, help me understand you are not some ideology or philosophy to comprehend and apply to daily life. You are the creator of the universe; you are Christ the Son; you are the Holy Spirit. And you are asking me, whose name you know, to proclaim that the Kingdom of heaven is at hand. How is it possible that I am able to do all you ask of me, especially the impossible? When I think of curing the sick and driving out demons, I bring it down to size. Be loving, help give healing to brokenness, welcome the ones who feel alienated, and go to Confession and invite others. But there is more to that. You really did give Peter and the Twelve the authority to raise the dead and cure the sick. Let me not underestimate the power you entrust me with that comes through faith in you. As that other great Francis, Saint Francis of Assisi, said: “First do what is necessary. Then do what is possible. And before you know it you are doing the impossible.”

Lord, let me quietly take in the love you have for me. The authority you first gave to the Twelve by your authority as Lord of all you also give to me. It’s humbling to hold in my being that you love me as a laborer sent out to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom of heaven. Stay with me today, stay behind me, guiding which way to go to accomplish your will.

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

Friday of the First Week of Advent

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

When he entered the house, the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I can do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they said to him. Then he touched their eyes and said, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.”

The two blind men who approached Jesus first cried out to him and then followed him. The passage doesn’t say that the blind men asked Jesus anything. Jesus simply knows their needs: “Do you believe that I can do this?” Just as God spoke creation into existence, Jesus says “let it be done” and it is done. He tells the blind men that it is done according to their faith. Countless times every day, I make plans in my head as if I could speak them into fulfillment, as if by my own interior light I see ahead in the dark. How far am I willing to say of each plan “let it be done” according to God’s will?

God, let me stop and consider the power behind the words of your Son: “Let it be done.” In coming to Jesus, the blind men poured out their hearts to him, saying, “Son of David, have pity on us!” The extent of what I might accomplish today, Lord, can be summed up in two words: God willing. What can I hope to accomplish today without believing that you work with me and through me to do your will? Lord, touch my eyes today with your presence and give me the grace to remember to come to you in trust, and let me hear you say: “Let it be done for you according to your faith.”

Jesus, open my eyes of faith today to your presence in the Blessed Sacrament and in the Masses said throughout the world at every minute of the day. I know you delight in me and love me. Help me realize that when I fall short. Take pity on me when I fail to love you and all those I encounter today as I should. Advent is here, and you are coming. Open my eyes to that joyful expectation. I know you are near!

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