September 2, 2019
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DAILY MEDITATION
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In the first reading, Paul reassures those in doubt that the dead indeed will rise, followed by the living, Christ comes again. In the Gospel, Jesus declares Isaiah’s prophesy fulfilled. The crown in Jesus’ hometown doubts his claim and drives him away when he cites Israel’s history of rejecting prophets.
We continue to believe because the Spirit of Christ is upon us.
As Jesus and Paul encountered skeptics, so do we. When faced with doubt, we are reminded that we believe because of Christ’s Spirit, given through the sacraments. We are inspired by the Spirit to participate in Christ’s works of mercy and be people of hope, trusting we shall always be with the Lord into eternal life. Let us pray: God of the prophets, you sent your Son, Jesus to bring glad tidings and proclaim a year acceptable to you. Accept our prayers according to your holy will, through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Monday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 431
Nghe các bài đọc Anh ngữ tại đây
Reading 1 1 Thes 4:13-18
We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,
about those who have fallen asleep,
so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose,
so too will God, through Jesus,
bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of the Lord,
that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord,
will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep.
For the Lord himself, with a word of command,
with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God,
will come down from heaven,
and the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive, who are left,
will be caught up together with them in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air.
Thus we shall always be with the Lord.
Therefore, console one another with these words.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 96:1 and 3, 4-5, 11-12, 13
- (13b) The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
For great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
awesome is he, beyond all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are things of nought,
but the LORD made the heavens.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then shall all the trees of the forest exult.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Before the LORD, for he comes;
for he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with his constancy.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Alleluia See Lk 4:18
- Alleluia, alleluia.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me;
he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Lk 4:16-30
Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,
and went according to his custom
into the synagogue on the sabbath day.
He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.
Rolling up the scroll,
he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,
and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them,
“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
And all spoke highly of him
and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.
They also asked, “Is this not the son of Joseph?”
He said to them, “Surely you will quote me this proverb,
‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say, ‘Do here in your native place
the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.'”
And he said,
“Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place.
Indeed, I tell you,
there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah
when the sky was closed for three and a half years
and a severe famine spread over the entire land.
It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,
but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
Again, there were many lepers in Israel
during the time of Elisha the prophet;
yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
When the people in the synagogue heard this,
they were all filled with fury.
They rose up, drove him out of the town,
and led him to the brow of the hill
on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong.
But he passed through the midst of them and went away.
September 3, 2019
« September 2 | September 4 »
DAILY MEDITATION
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Obligation memorial Saint Gregory the Great, pope and doctor of the Church.
Paul writes to the Church at Thessalonica that the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night. Calling them children of the light, he exhorts them to stay alert and to continue encouraging one another. In the synagogue in Capernaum, Jesus illustrates his power and authority by teaching and casting out a demon.
Salvation is ours – to accept or not.
The prophets foretold Jesus would come to free the oppressed. His ability to save beyond the grave, as Paul reassures the Church at Thessalonica. Though we are destined to be saved, we must remain alert for we will all be judged on the last day. Let us pray: Father, your Son is the light that shines in the darkness. With humble hearts, we ask that you would hear our prayers and answer them in accordance with your will. Amen.
Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 432
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Reading 1 1 Thes 5:1-6, 9-11
Concerning times and seasons, brothers and sisters,
you have no need for anything to be written to you.
For you yourselves know very well
that the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night.
When people are saying, “Peace and security,”
then sudden disaster comes upon them,
like labor pains upon a pregnant woman,
and they will not escape.
But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness,
for that day to overtake you like a thief.
For all of you are children of the light
and children of the day.
We are not of the night or of darkness.
Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do,
but let us stay alert and sober.
For God did not destine us for wrath,
but to gain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep
we may live together with him.
Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up,
as indeed you do.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14
- (13) I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
Alleluia Lk 7:16
- Alleluia, alleluia.
A great prophet has arisen in our midst
and God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Lk 4:31-37
Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee.
He taught them on the sabbath,
and they were astonished at his teaching
because he spoke with authority.
In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon,
and he cried out in a loud voice,
“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, “Be quiet! Come out of him!”
Then the demon threw the man down in front of them
and came out of him without doing him any harm.
They were all amazed and said to one another,
“What is there about his word?
For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits,
and they come out.”
And news of him spread everywhere in the surrounding region.
For the readings of the Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, please go here.
September 4, 2019
« September 3 | September 5 »
DAILY MEDITATION
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Saint Paul heaps praise on the Christians that Colossae in the first reading, giving thanks for their faith in Christ and love of the Spirit. In the Gospel, Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law, and has to rebuke demons he expels from those among the crowds that pursue him.
Jesus reveals the healing and saving power of our God.
God wants each of us to know the joy of wholeness and goodness that comes with loving him. Jesus reveals his power to heal and to save in his compassionate response to both the sick and those trapped by evil. His embrace of the goodness he has to share impels him to share it with the whole world. He calls us to do the same in gratitude for the wholeness we know because of his love. Let us pray: Heavenly Father, your compassion and saving power is revealed Jesus, your Son. We trust that you will answer our prayer according to your will, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Wednesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 433
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Reading 1 Col1:1-8
Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
and Timothy our brother,
to the holy ones and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae:
grace to you and peace from God our Father.
We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
when we pray for you,
for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus
and the love that you have for all the holy ones
because of the hope reserved for you in heaven.
Of this you have already heard
through the word of truth, the Gospel, that has come to you.
Just as in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing,
so also among you,
from the day you heard it and came to know the grace of God in truth,
as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow slave,
who is a trustworthy minister of Christ on your behalf
and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 52:10, 11
- (10) I trust in the mercy of God for ever.
I, like a green olive tree
in the house of God,
Trust in the mercy of God
forever and ever.
R. I trust in the mercy of God for ever.
I will thank you always for what you have done,
and proclaim the goodness of your name
before your faithful ones.
R. I trust in the mercy of God for ever.
Alleluia Lk 4:18
- Alleluia, alleluia.
The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor
and to proclaim liberty to captives.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Lk 4:38-44
After Jesus left the synagogue, he entered the house of Simon.
Simon’s mother-in-law was afflicted with a severe fever,
and they interceded with him about her.
He stood over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her.
She got up immediately and waited on them.
At sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases brought them to him.
He laid his hands on each of them and cured them.
And demons also came out from many, shouting, “You are the Son of God.”
But he rebuked them and did not allow them to speak
because they knew that he was the Christ.
At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place.
The crowds went looking for him, and when they came to him,
they tried to prevent him from leaving them.
But he said to them, “To the other towns also
I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God,
because for this purpose I have been sent.”
And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
September 5, 2019
« September 4 | September 6 »
DAILY MEDITATION
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In the first reading, Paul prays for strength, endurance and patience for the Colossian as they journey in their new faith. In the Gospel, Jesus meets Simon Peter, James and John as he teaches the crowds. After helping them to catch an abundance of fish, Jesus calls them to leave their lives as fishermen and follow him.
Do not be afraid
Do not be afraid can be hard follow. After all, the unknown and the things beyond our control can be anxiety-inducing, if not downright scary. But the Good News is that we can pray for one another, as Paul dopes, and we can ask for ourselves for strength, endurance and patience. Faith and hope in Jesus can give us the courage to be not afraid. Let us pray: Father, open our hearts to better understand your presence, and help us to follow you more closely in all that we do. Amen.
Thursday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 434
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Reading 1 Col 1:9-14
Brothers and sisters:
From the day we heard about you, we do not cease praying for you
and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will
through all spiritual wisdom and understanding
to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord,
so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit
and growing in the knowledge of God,
strengthened with every power, in accord with his glorious might,
for all endurance and patience,
with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share
in the inheritance of the holy ones in light.
He delivered us from the power of darkness
and transferred us to the Kingdom of his beloved Son,
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 98:2-3ab, 3cd-4, 5-6
- (2) The Lord has made known his salvation.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
Alleluia Mt 4:19
- Alleluia, alleluia.
Come after me, says the Lord,
and I will make you fishers of men.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Lk 5:1-11
While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God,
he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.
He saw two boats there alongside the lake;
the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets.
Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon,
he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore.
Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,
“Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.”
Simon said in reply,
“Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing,
but at your command I will lower the nets.”
When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish
and their nets were tearing.
They signaled to their partners in the other boat
to come to help them.
They came and filled both boats
so that the boats were in danger of sinking.
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said,
“Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”
For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him
and all those with him,
and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
who were partners of Simon.
Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid;
from now on you will be catching men.”
When they brought their boats to the shore,
they left everything and followed him.
September 6, 2019
« September 5 | September 7 »
DAILY MEDITATION
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Today’s first reading from the letter to the Colossians delineates the supremacy of Christ. Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation… the head of the Body, the great reconciler. In the Gospel, Jesus explains that there is not need for fasting for they are in the presence of the bridegroom. He uses the parable of the new cloth and wineskins to illustrate his point.
Jesus models for us a new way of living.
Like new wine that cannot be put into old wineskins, we are invited by Jesus to a new way of life – a life conformed to him in mind and heart. Jesus reconciles all God through the blood of his cross, and that gift is one we are commanded to preach and share. By our lives, modeled after Jesus, we proclaim the Good News. Let us pray: Gracious God, please hear our prayers with your merciful and loving ear. We need you always. Amen.
Friday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 435
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Reading 1 Col 1:15-20
Brothers and sisters:
Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn of all creation.
For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth,
the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers;
all things were created through him and for him.
He is before all things,
and in him all things hold together.
He is the head of the Body, the Church.
He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in all things he himself might be preeminent.
For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell,
and through him to reconcile all things for him,
making peace by the Blood of his cross
through him, whether those on earth or those in heaven.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 100:1b-2, 3, 4, 5
- (2b) Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
R. Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.
Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
R. Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise;
Give thanks to him; bless his name.
R. Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.
For he is good,
the LORD, whose kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.
R. Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.
Alleluia Jn 8:12
- Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Lk 5:33-39
The scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus,
“The disciples of John the Baptist fast often and offer prayers,
and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same;
but yours eat and drink.”
Jesus answered them, “Can you make the wedding guests fast
while the bridegroom is with them?
But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
then they will fast in those days.”
And he also told them a parable.
“No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one.
Otherwise, he will tear the new
and the piece from it will not match the old cloak.
Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins.
Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins,
and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined.
Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins.
And no one who has been drinking old wine desires new,
for he says, ‘The old is good.'”
September 7, 2019
« September 6 | September 8 »
DAILY MEDITATION
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Saturday in honor of BVM.
In the first reading, Paul encourages the Colossians to persevere in faith, reminding them that they have been reconciled to God through Christ. In the Gospel, the Pharisees question Jesus’ followers for picking grain on the Sabbath: Jesus defends his followers’ actions.
The Son of man is lord of the Sabbath.
When the Pharisees question how Jesus’ followers observe the Sabbath, Jesus states that the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath. He calls them to a deeper understanding of their law and the deeper understanding of who he is. He calls us to the same. When we let Jesus tell us who he is, he can lead us to a place of true Sabbath rest. Let us pray: Gracious Father, you gave us your Son and our Savior and redeemer. In your mercy, hear the prayer we have offered today, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saturday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 436
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Reading 1 Col1:21-23
Brothers and sisters:
You once were alienated and hostile in mind because of evil deeds;
God has now reconciled you
in the fleshly Body of Christ through his death,
to present you holy, without blemish,
and irreproachable before him,
provided that you persevere in the faith,
firmly grounded, stable,
and not shifting from the hope of the Gospel that you heard,
which has been preached to every creature under heaven,
of which I, Paul, am a minister.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 54:3-4, 6 and 8
R.(6) God himself is my help.
O God, by your name save me,
and by your might defend my cause.
O God, hear my prayer;
hearken to the words of my mouth.
R. God himself is my help.
Behold, God is my helper;
the Lord sustains my life.
Freely will I offer you sacrifice;
I will praise your name, O LORD, for its goodness.
R. God himself is my help.
Alleluia Jn 14:6
- Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father except through me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Lk 6:1-5
While Jesus was going through a field of grain on a sabbath,
his disciples were picking the heads of grain,
rubbing them in their hands, and eating them.
Some Pharisees said,
“Why are you doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?”
Jesus said to them in reply,
“Have you not read what David did
when he and those who were with him were hungry?
How he went into the house of God, took the bread of offering,
which only the priests could lawfully eat,
ate of it, and shared it with his companions?”
Then he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”
September 8, 2019
« September 7 | September 9 »
DAILY MEDITATION
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In our first reading we learn that knowing God’s ways and plans comes only through the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. In today’s epistle, Paul urges Philemon to be merciful to his runaway slave, who serve Paul in prison, and accept him back not as a slave but as a brother. In the Gospel Jesus tells the crowds that is required to be his disciple: placing discipleship above relationships, possessions and their own lives.
To be a disciple we must carry our cross and follow him.
The cost of discipleship is real. To love Christ above family, self, possessions – this is difficult! And that is the cross we are to carry: the difficulty of prioritizing Christ when it would be easier not to. After all, what else is there? Only the cross. We carry our cross to become like the master who carried his cross to death, victory and redemption. Let us pray: Loving Father, in your wisdom please hear and answer our prayers this day. Amen.
Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 129
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Reading 1 Wis 9:13-18b
Who can know God’s counsel,
or who can conceive what the LORD intends?
For the deliberations of mortals are timid,
and unsure are our plans.
For the corruptible body burdens the soul
and the earthen shelter weighs down the mind that has many concerns.
And scarce do we guess the things on earth,
and what is within our grasp we find with difficulty;
but when things are in heaven, who can search them out?
Or who ever knew your counsel, except you had given wisdom
and sent your holy spirit from on high?
And thus were the paths of those on earth made straight.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14 and 17
- (1) In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
You turn man back to dust,
saying, “Return, O children of men.”
For a thousand years in your sight
are as yesterday, now that it is past,
or as a watch of the night.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
You make an end of them in their sleep;
the next morning they are like the changing grass,
Which at dawn springs up anew,
but by evening wilts and fades.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
And may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Reading 2 Phmn 9-10, 12-17
I, Paul, an old man,
and now also a prisoner for Christ Jesus,
urge you on behalf of my child Onesimus,
whose father I have become in my imprisonment;
I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you.
I should have liked to retain him for myself,
so that he might serve me on your behalf
in my imprisonment for the gospel,
but I did not want to do anything without your consent,
so that the good you do might not be forced but voluntary.
Perhaps this is why he was away from you for a while,
that you might have him back forever,
no longer as a slave
but more than a slave, a brother,
beloved especially to me, but even more so to you,
as a man and in the Lord.
So if you regard me as a partner, welcome him as you would me.
Alleluia Ps 119:135
- Alleluia, alleluia.
Let your face shine upon your servant;
and teach me your laws.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Lk 14:25-33
Great crowds were traveling with Jesus,
and he turned and addressed them,
“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother,
wife and children, brothers and sisters,
and even his own life,
he cannot be my disciple.
Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me
cannot be my disciple.
Which of you wishing to construct a tower
does not first sit down and calculate the cost
to see if there is enough for its completion?
Otherwise, after laying the foundation
and finding himself unable to finish the work
the onlookers should laugh at him and say,
‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’
Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down
and decide whether with ten thousand troops
he can successfully oppose another king
advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops?
But if not, while he is still far away,
he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms.
In the same way,
anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions
cannot be my disciple.”
