daily Gospel readings – Page 81

Solemnity of All Saints

Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest, says the Lord.

The readings today reflect what sainthood is, who the saints are, what they long for (to see God face to face), and how Jesus calls us to sainthood. The first reading from the Book of Revelation describes John’s vision of heaven, where a great multitude stands before the throne and the Lamb. Saint Paul says, “We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” In the Gospel acclamation, Jesus invites all who are burdened to come to him to find rest. In the Gospel reading, Jesus shares the beatitudes with the disciples and the crowds who followed him, promising to the blessed that their reward in heaven will be great. It seems a little overwhelming to consider all of this; yet, the Communion of Saints intercedes for us in a way that brings us closer to the Father. As Saint Thérèse of Lisieux says of the intercessory prayer of the saints: “I want to spend my Heaven doing good on Earth.”

God, help me understand that as I celebrate today’s Solemnity of the Saints the particular path you see for me to bring me to sainthood—something you desire for every one of your children. I feel humbled to know that in the midst of an ordinary day, I have the means to lead me to greater sanctity, not by any of my own doing but by every good you give me in this life. Let that realization deepen my need to follow the lives of the saints and call upon them to intercede for me as I discern from among choices the path that leads to you. When the way is difficult, let me take heart that the striving, the suffering, and even the persecution is purposeful and redemptive. As Pope Benedict XVI said of saints: “They are all in joy, in a festival without end, but, like Jesus, they achieved this goal passing through difficulties and trials, each of them shouldering their own share of sacrifice in order to participate in the glory of the Resurrection.”

Lord, I long to see your face. I long to see the face of those I no longer see in this world but am confident I will see in the next. Through the Blessed Sacrament, I participate in that joy already, knowing that you care for those you call your children in mercy and love, and in the hope of the Resurrection. “Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to our God forever and ever.”

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-first Week in Ordinary Time

On a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees. He said to the host who invited him, “When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or sisters or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

The words of Jesus in today’s Gospel reading are an invitation to authentic selflessness. What is there to gain by inviting the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind to dine with us at a banquet? Although Jesus speaks to the Pharisee, he also speaks to everyone who would read and hear the Gospel. It would be unusual for a lunch or dinner to be held for the sake of inviting the marginalized, but the meaning is both literal and and figurative. It would be equally unusual to go through an entire day without encountering someone who is brought low or incapacitated in some way. Those people, the everyday encounters, are the ones to whom Jesus says give without expecting repayment.

Today, God, I will feel the pressure to pursue my own interests and complete all I hope to complete in a neat package. It won’t be that easy. There will be interruptions, requests, coworkers and family members who will call me away from that aim. The words of Saint Paul from today’s first reading are a strong antidote to any delusions I might have about carving out a path of selfishness: “Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also everyone for those of others.” God, help me welcome rather than shun the interruptions of others. Instead, let me find God in those moments, getting my attention. As the psalmist says, “In you, O Lord, I have found my peace.”

God, I am anxious about the day and its tasks. Be my strength. I will forget you during the day and this moment with you will fade. Be present as you are present always in the Blessed Sacrament. How can I repay you, Lord, for quieting my soul?

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 Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

He told a parable to those who had been invited, noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table. “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor. . . . Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, ‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’”

In today’s Gospel reading, Luke describes how Jesus notices the people who chose places of honor at the table. I can imagine Jesus silently watching. His notice of this is the divine gaze of God the Father, from whom nothing is hidden. Jesus knows the arrogance and futility of competing for honor. “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,” Jesus says, “but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

God, thank you for being present among your people to read our hearts. I want to understand how to live a life that is not in competition with others but in selflessness that allows me to keep my eyes on you. Saint Paul expresses this same self-emptying in his letter to the Philippians from today’s reading: “And this I know with confidence, that I shall remain and continue in the service of all of you for your progress and joy in the faith.” Lord, help me put honor in its rightful place—namely, with you—by doing your will and giving glory to your name.

Jesus, just as you observed carefully the people seeking places of honor at the table, let me see with your eyes the choices that lie before me. At the Annunciation, Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Stay with me today, God, so that I can rest in you and through your grace find solace in humility.

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 Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles

Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles.

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus chooses the Twelve Apostles. The reading from Luke names each of them. From the Greek word apóstolos, apostle means “one who is sent forth.” Able to trace this apostolic lineage all the way back to the Twelve, Jesus also calls us to be apostles sent forth on a special mission. Just as Jesus went up to the mountain to pray before choosing the Twelve, he continues to intercede for us to his Father that we may be the ones who are sent forth to accomplish the mission he gives us.

God, help me understand my apostolic mission, just as you entrusted Saints Simon and Jude with a mission. It seems overwhelming to think that Jesus calls me by name to be an Apostle, and that I stand in the company of Peter, Andrew, James, John, and the other apostles. Help me understand that it is Jesus himself who calls me and sends me and that, as Saint Paul says, Jesus as the capstone in which “the whole structure is held together.” In the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus says, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations . . . teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

Lord, I have neither the knowledge or strength to understand the mission you have given me. Deepen my dependence on you so that I am open to your Word. Through your grace, let my words and actions be a selfless witness for the glory of your name. Free me from all distress today that would turn my eyes away from you; let my trust in you be firm in the knowledge that I am one of, as Paul says, the “fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God.” We praise you, O God, we acclaim you as Lord; the glorious company of Apostles praise 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

Wednesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

Someone asked Jesus, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” He answered them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.”

Imagine the person who timidly asks Jesus this question. In the question itself is a longing to know the answer and trembling expectation. Not everyone will enter the Kingdom of God. Jesus himself says in today’s reading, “And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out.” What is the difference between those who will not be saved and those who will? One word: strive. The English translation from the Greek term means to struggle. How do I struggle? Elsewhere in the Bible, Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven.” Does God see me daily striving to enter?

God, help direct my gaze toward the narrow gate. Even if I keep it in sight, it doesn’t mean I will strive to enter. Give me the grace to fight the good fight and enter the narrow gate. Lord, will I be the one knocking at the locked door, saying, “Lord, open the door for us”? Twice you say to those at the door: “I do not know where you are from.” By my words and actions today, Lord, let it be that you recognize where I am from—that is, always falling short—and that I need you to lift me up.

God, thank you for the words of your Son. At first the words “strive to enter” seem harsh to me, and taste of rejection. But coming straight from the mouth of Jesus and intrinsic to the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love, they call me to go on, to move forward in love of the Eucharist, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and the teachings of the Bride of Christ, the Church. Lord, open the door 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

Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden. When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.” Again he said, “To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened.”

Jesus compares the Kingdom of God in two ways: the mustard seed that is planted and the yeast that is mixed into a batch of dough. In both parables, Jesus describes what his Father’s kingdom is like; in both, he describes a man and a woman taking action: planting seed and adding yeast. Is this God’s way of inviting everybody to take part in growing and nurturing the Kingdom of God? Do a little; let God take that offering, bless it, and make it grow. It takes a bit of effort to cooperate with God’s Word. How the Word of God spreads, how his kingdom grows is a mystery—one that I would understand better with the mind of a child. As the Gospel acclamation says, “You have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.”

God, help me understand my part in making your kingdom grow. On the grand scale, there is little I can do to broaden and deepen your kingdom. How can I help it grow? In my own family and among those around me on any given day, it seems enough to be mindful of the reality of your kingdom and trust in its existence. As Paul says in the first reading, “Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ. . . . This is a great mystery, but I speak in reference to Christ and the Church.” Let me not look to myself or be concerned about the little I do; instead, out of reverence for Christ, let me be subordinate to your Divine Will. Give me the grace to know and do your will to grow your kingdom.

Dear God, be with me today. Stay with me in the fight of the day as I struggle to bring your kingdom into my limited sight and restless hands. By my words and actions, through your grace, show me where to plant and what to leaven for the sake 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

Monday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the sabbath. And a woman was there who for eighteen years had been crippled by a spirit; she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect. When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said, “Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.” He laid his hands on her, and she at once stood up straight and glorified God.

After Jesus had cured the woman, the leader of the synagogue approached him, indignant that Jesus cured on the sabbath. Jesus replied by calling the leader a hypocrite and saying how it was fitting that the woman be healed from bondage by Satan on the sabbath day, the day when God rested from all the work he had done in creation. In the many healing miracles Jesus performs, most of the time people approach Jesus to be healed; they raise their hand and call for help. In today’s Gospel reading, however, Jesus calls to the woman to come to him to be healed. There is great comfort in knowing that there may be times when I don’t know well enough to ask God for healing; instead, when I am crippled by a spirit, he comes to me out of love. As Jesus says of the woman, I could say of myself: “ought she have not been set free on the sabbath day from this bondage?”

God, you know me better than I know myself. Wherever I am crippled by a spirit and have infirmity because of it, come heal me even if I am not fully aware of the kind of healing I need. Free me, so that as the woman stood erect and glorified you, I can cease from being stooped over and do the same. Whatever prevents me from living in your love, shatter the obstacles that bind; break through that darkness and bring healing so that the glory may be yours. As Paul says in the first reading: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.”

Lord, you bring me in your presence the foundation on which I long to build this day. You are the light that leads me out of confusion and darkness as I take on tasks and interact with others. How will I live in love, compassion, and forgiveness today, as Paul encourages? Teach me to please you in my words and actions, and teach me to desire this more and more today and every day.

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

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jesus said, “But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, Jesus addresses a parable to those, as Luke says, convinced of their own righteousness and despising everybody. Two people went to the temple to pray, a Pharisee and a tax collector. In his prayer, the Pharisee thanked God that he was not like the rest of humanity. He was not greedy, dishonest, or adulterous and fasted twice a week and paid tithes. The tax collector stood off at a distance, did not even raise his eyes to heaven, beat his breast, and prayed, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.” How often has the congregation at Mass been a place to observe all who are present and say of some of them, “Thank God I am not like them.”

God, help me take to heart interiorly the posture and demeanor of the tax collector. Jesus says the tax collector stood off at a distance, perhaps not to be noticed but also because he was aware that he was a sinner. Rather than looking around at Mass and positioning myself in relation to others’ status, let me look to you, Lord, and bring all of my sins before you to see. This is not an act born out of shame; it is acknowledgment of my own dysfunction—when I have failed to love you above all else.

Act in me today, God, through your Divine Will. Show me the ways I can put others’ needs ahead of my own, and give me the grace to do this with a joyful heart. As I recognize my shortcomings, let that give me greater certainty that I need to stay near you at all times for your protection from harm. Lord, let me put my faith in proclaiming your Divine Will, as Saint Paul did, saying: “But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength. . . . The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

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

Publican & Pharisee Icon — Ted: Icon of The Publican (Tax Collector) and Pharisee. flickr.

Saturday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Some people told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. He said to them in reply, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!”

In today’s Gospel reading, people describe to Jesus the brutal violence under Pilate of Galileans whose blood was spilled as they offered ritual sacrifices. Exactly what happened is not clear. Jesus gives another example of people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them. In both instances, Jesus says it is not that these people were more guilty than anyone else but that what is needed—what he calls them to—is repentance. The Greek word from which repent is translated is metanoia, or a transformative change of heart. The Gospel acclamation expresses this in this way: “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked man, says the Lord, but rather in his conversion that he may live.”

Help me understand, Lord, this conversion of heart that your Son calls me to. It is easy to brush off the violent events of the past as irrelevant and completely unlike those of today. Beneath that, though, is the message of your mercy. And then in the parable, your Son says of the barren fig tree: “Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.” One more gift of mercy you give to us for change of heart, one more call to return to you.

Lord, you are beautiful to behold in the Blessed Sacrament. Although it is not practical for me to be before you throughout the day in adoration, teach me to return to you with my whole heart through the people I meet and in my words and actions. Blessed be God. Blessed be His Holy Name. Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true Man. Blessed be the Name of 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

Friday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west you say immediately that it is going to rain–and so it does; and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south you say that it is going to be hot–and so it is. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time?”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus calls the crowd hypocrites because they are unable to judge the present time, that the Son of God is in their midst. Yet, in Jesus’ words is a kind of encouragement: you are smart enough to read events in the natural world, he seems to say; why are you not able to read events in the supernatural world? What Jesus said to the crowds, he says to people of the present: “You hypocrites.”

Offering a way to acknowledge that God is among us, Jesus goes on to encourage the crowd to settle conflicts before they escalate. And in the first reading, Saint Paul provides a means of bringing peace in his letter to the Ephesians: “I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace.” Through this and through your grace, God, bring clarity of these readings to me; help me see, as the psalmist says, how to ascend the mountain of the LORD.

Jesus, teach me to interpret the present time; that is, your presence among us as true God and true man and the love made manifest in the relationship of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Help me remember to turn to you, Lord, in my moments of distress; teach me peace so that I can get outside of myself and see 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