daily Gospel readings – Page 79

Memorial of The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

When Jesus looked up he saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into the treasury and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins. He said, “I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.”

Jesus’ words from today’s Gospel reading reflect the compassion he felt toward the poor. But by saying the widow put in more than all the rest, Jesus seems to come to a conclusion that doesn’t make sense, at least according to conventional logic. Although the contributions of wealthy people amounted to more than the two small coins of the widow, her true wealth was her dependence on God and trust in his providence. More than that, Jesus beautifully expresses what happens when we are able to turn basic economics on its head and give Christ, King of the Universe, control of our livelihood. The Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary commemorates when Mary’s parents, Saints Joachim and Anne, brought Mary to the temple to be offered to God. By offering Mary, they too gave their whole livelihood.

God, help me understand what it means to detach from material possessions and learn what true wealth is, not as the world understands it but according to your divine order. In the first reading, John hears a sound like harps and a new song being sung: “They were singing what seemed to be a new hymn before the throne, before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn this hymn except the hundred and forty-four thousand who had been ransomed from the earth.” I don’t know what it’s like to give as the widow gave, not from surplus wealth but from an offering; teach me, Lord, with the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to let go of the fear of detachment and to offer myself freely to you.

How quieted is my soul, Lord, when I am able to say to you as Mary said to the archangel Gabriel: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word.” Take my works, joys, and sufferings of this day as an offering 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

The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us.” The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, “Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, marks the end of the Church year, and next Sunday is the start of Advent. It seems strange that the Gospel reading relates to the Passion of Christ, deep into his suffering as he hangs on the cross. In the reading from today, he responds to the good thief when another mocks him. In a contradiction that would seem as evident today as in the past, the criminal asks Jesus why he doesn’t save himself if he is the Christ. The other recognizes the injustice he has done and acknowledges that Jesus is the anointed one, the Son of David: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

God, thank you for your mercy! Considering the words of the good thief and Jesus’ response to him, help me understand today that there will always be the skepticism that produces injustice and malice. Others though, through fear of God, and acknowledgment of Christ as King help show us the way to his kingdom. God, you owe me nothing, and there is nothing I can do to deserve your mercy. Yet, mercy flows from you—body and blood, soul and divinity—as you hang on the cross. Today as I live my life may I recognize you as first and foremost. As Saint Paul says in the second reading: “He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he himself might be preeminent.” And on the day of my death, may I recognize you as Christ the King and hear your voice as you welcome me into Paradise.

Thank you, Lord, for your kingship. Only Christ, the Son of God, can say from the cross, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” Jesus, remember me, and the promise of your 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.

Readings

Saturday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

“The children of this age marry and remarry; but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise.”

This Gospel reading should sound familiar because it is from a recent Sunday Mass. Through Jesus’ response to the Sadducees, who did not believe in the resurrection, he expresses a hint of what the life to come will be like. We will be like angels, Jesus says, and those who are deemed worthy can no longer die because they are children of God, the ones who will rise. Marrying and marriage doesn’t take place, Jesus says. After Jesus answered the question the Sadducees meant to trap Jesus with, Luke says that they call Jesus teacher and no longer dared to ask him anything. What I hear from today’s reading is “They can no longer die.”

God, help me understand you, who are a God of the living. In this life, a sacramental marriage is meant to bring us closer to you. A husband takes a wife and a wife a husband, man and woman, to bring each other to sainthood. Along the way it is not easy, and there are many deaths before being deemed worthy to rise to new life. “That the dead will rise,” Jesus says, “even Moses made known.” In this life, Lord, supply me with the grace to die bravely to anything that prevents me from attaching to you so to rise to new life.

Lord, you sent your Son to us, the Incarnate Word. Thank you for your gifts, the gift of this day and the grace to know and do your will. I want to be made worthy of the promises of Christ and with the saints and angels declare your glory: Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts. Heaven and earth are full of your 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

Friday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the Gospel according to Luke

Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things, saying to them, “It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus drives out from the temple area all who were selling things, those who would deceive others in a temple made into a marketplace. The sellers were there for financial gain, not worship. When Jesus drives out of the temple those who made it into a marketplace, he is acting on truth he has spoken. Jesus is just in his judgment. Today, how does Jesus purify sacred spaces by driving out what doesn’t belong? In my own life, how does Jesus drive out from me, a temple of the Holy Spirit, the four substitutes for God, according to Saint Thomas Aquinas—honor, power, pleasure, wealth?

God, help me understand that Jesus made enemies by proclaiming the truth and judging justly. He drove out what didn’t belong in the temple area. Although the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders tried to find a way to put him to death, they couldn’t stop Jesus because people clung to the truths he was teaching them. Help me, Lord, learn wisdom from you to boldly proclaim the truth. As the refrain from today’s Psalm goes, “How sweet to my taste is your promise!”

When I am overwhelmed with tasks today, Lord, drive out self-possessing anxiety and let me remember “your will be done,” not mine. Grant me the grace to remember to return to you, who will drive out of me what doesn’t belong. In the words of Saint Paul: “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

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 of Hungary, Religious

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

As Jesus drew near Jerusalem, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If this day you only knew what makes for peace–but now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days are coming upon you when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides. They will smash you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

Jesus weeps as he draws near Jerusalem, realizing its destruction was imminent. Commentary on this passage notes that Jesus weeps this way in only one other instance—for the death of his friend Lazarus. Here is Emmanuel among his people, who do not recognize him and suffer division because of that.

God, help me understand that what Jesus says standing outside Jerusalem, he says to me in a personal way. Father in heaven, you sent your son out of love for each person. How is it that the enemies of the day—the enemies within me and the enemies without—hem me in and overtake me? God, give me the gift of wisdom to recognize that you are present, to recognize the moments of the day when you make your visitation. It is harder for me to acknowledge and confront the enemies within than the enemies that abound of “one holy catholic and apostolic Church,” who “smash you to the ground and your children within you.” How peace will come out of what seems impossible, only God knows. As Jesus says in the Gospel according to Matthew: “For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of your presence. I know you love your children and never turn away. Help me remember to turn to you today to see you through the eyes of faith. Saint Elizabeth, 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

Wednesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time

“‘Sir, he has ten gold coins.’ He replied, ‘I tell you, to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. Now as for those enemies of mine who did not want me as their king, bring them here and slay them before me.’”

The Gospel reading from today is difficult to hear if not read in light of how God is to be worshiped. In the reading from the Book of Revelation, John describes the four evangelists before God’s throne, exclaiming: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come.” The Parable of the Talents calls attention not to financial shortcomings or levels of worldly success but to devotion to God throughout life. In the parable, the king represents Jesus, present on earth as the Son of God and who will be present again as Christ the King when he returns in glory for the final judgment. In the parable, the king tells his servants: “Engage in trade with these [gold coins] until I return.” The question Jesus presents in the parable might be put this way when, at the end of this life, we meet the one who was, and who is, and who is to come: “What have you done with the coins, the gifts, I have given you?”

I might answer, God, by saying I have done little—not enough. Whatever I have done to bring forth the Kingdom of God, it was not my work but yours. What Jesus says in the parable is something I could ask myself every day, knowing the outcome of each scenario. To the servant who earns ten more coins, the king says, “Well done, good servant! You have been faithful in this very small matter; take charge of ten cities.” To the servant who returns the single coin, the king calls him a wicked servant. Bless me, Lord, with the wisdom of thinking little of what I can on my own; instead, let me love you by allowing you to act in and through me to accomplish marvelous works—your own Divine Will. God, you know that although I often stop short and gain little with the gifts you have given me, I would rather be like the servant who is faithful in small matters and hear you say, “Well done, good servant!” Help me strive to be faithful.

God, you give me every good you yourself have created. You meet me where I am and love me as I am. Help me through your grace gain the wisdom and strength I need to accomplish all that I am able with the gifts you have given me. Teach me your ways in this life so that in the life to come, I will exclaim with my whole heart: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come.

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 Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time

And Jesus said to [Zacchaeus], “Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”

The Gospel reading from today, which we heard recently during the Sunday Mass, tells the story of Jesus’ encounter with the wealthy chief tax collector Zacchaeus. As Jesus announces to Zacchaeus that today he will stay at his house, some people in the crowd surrounding Jesus grumble about him spending time in the house of a sinner. But after coming down to receive Jesus with joy, the passage says that “Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, ‘Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.’” How does this resonate with my own life? Have there been times when I see someone rejoicing in their relationship with the Lord, yet I respond with harsh judgment?

God, help me understand this Gospel reading in respect to my own life. The first reading says what might be said of Zacchaeus or anyone of relative wealth and social status: “For you say, ‘I am rich and affluent and have no need of anything,’ and yet do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” Even as Zacchaeus heard the grumbling of the people, he was overjoyed at standing before Jesus face to face. What Jesus says to Zacchaeus as he repents in person in the past, Jesus says to all of us who repent and return to him: “Today salvation has come to this house. . . . For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.” Thank you, Lord, for the Eucharist, which brings your Son (body and blood, soul and divinity) to us today and every day in the Masses celebrated throughout the world.

I am yours, God; help me remain in you today and every day. I can proclaim this with boldness only because I depend on your grace to remain in your word. Come today, Lord, to stay at my house when I hear your voice. You say, “If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with 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

Monday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time

“Lord, please let me see.” Jesus told him, “Have sight; your faith has saved you.” He immediately received his sight and followed him, giving glory to God. When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God.

A blind man called out to Jesus as he passed by on his way to Jericho. Despite people trying to quiet him, the man called out all the more, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” When the man was brought to Jesus, he said, “What do you want me to do for you?” As soon as the man asked to see, Jesus spoke, giving him sight. After he received sight, the man followed Jesus, giving glory to God; the people who witnessed this gave praise to God.

It seems almost a given that the man’s physical blindness is symbolic of human spiritual blindness. Yet he was truly physically blind, and Jesus met him where he was, asking, “What do you want me to do for you?” Help me understand, Lord, that I can ask you through prayer to heal me of physical and spiritual illnesses. The blind man had perfect faith in Jesus, and after Jesus healed him, his response was perfect: to follow Jesus and give glory to God.

God, thank you for the gift of your Son, present every minute of every day in the Eucharist and in the Blessed Sacrament. Jesus, in your real presence, give me the grace today to know that I can come to you at any time, asking for your mercy and for eyes of faith that see beyond the mere physical world. Let me know, God, that in the person of Jesus, I have the means to obtain the beatific vision, the hope to see you face to face in heaven.

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

Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jesus said, “Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. . . . You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus speaks about the end times, when nation will rise against nation and catastrophic natural events will occur. Also to come, Jesus says, are “awesome sights and mighty signs [that] will come from the sky.” Before that, though, many will come in God’s name saying “I am he” and “The time has come.” Jesus warns us not to follow them; that is not of God or from God. What is instead, is the name above all names, the one who will give us irrefutable wisdom and security through our perseverance in the faith.

God, help me understand a simple truth that I am aware of but often don’t acknowledge: things fall apart. Whether out of fear or my focus on the present, I don’t often dwell on the end times; that is, my own death and the time of redemption, the Second Coming of Christ. How much less I have to fear when I consider that Jesus refers to the resurrection—my resurrection because of his—that not a hair of my head will be destroyed. Yet, the temple in Jerusalem and all the greatest architectural and sacred treasures of the world will someday fall to dust. Lord, you invite each of us through perseverance in faith to risen life, to a new creation that will endure forever. As C. S. Lewis said: “Nations, cultures, arts, civilization—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.”

Mary, Mother of God, today I will bring my fears, prayers of thanksgiving, and intentions to you in praying the rosary. I know you welcome me always so that you can show me the way to your son. Thank you, God, for your great goodness! Glory to you! Bless me with your presence, and help me persevere.

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 Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr

The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Jesus says in today’s Gospel reading that for those who call out to him day and night, God renders justice speedily. By saying this, Jesus draws a direct connection between constant prayer and speedy justice. In my experience, I know that God hears my prayers, but I wait a long time to see a response to them or any kind of justice as a result of my prayers. What is apparently contradictory, is not contradictory at all. God works in his own time and in his own way, and what seems like an eternity to me is to God like a flash of lightning. God’s time is not my own. I know it must be that his will is accomplished even as I pray but am unable to see results.

God, help me understand and be at peace with how you accomplish justice on earth; that is, how your will is carried out in my life and the world around me. Figuring out your timetable is futile and irrelevant, but learning to trust you and believe that you hear me and act in my life is absolutely vital. “But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

God, you sent your Son to every one of us out of love and mercy, and he will come again in glory. These invisible realities I hold in faith; strengthen me through your grace to accept them as truth. Thank you for your goodness, Lord, and let me remember to return to you throughout the day in my prayers, words, and actions. You are my Father in heaven, and I want you to be well pleased with 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