Give me life, O Lord"
Today Mass Reading
Today’s first reading and gospel reading set up an interesting comparison. In the passage from Maccabaeus, we hear the tragic fate that has fallen upon the holy city of Jerusalem and the Israelite people who reside there. Many of the Israelites have adopted Gentile custom and forgotten their Jewish heritage. By covering up their circumcision mark, sacrificing to idols, profaning the Sabbath, and, in general, abandoning the law which was their tradition and their sacred religion, the Israelites have given in to the ways of those who surround them. The king Antiochus Epiphanes wanted this; he wanted all people united under him and him alone. In this one kingdom, all had to sacrifice to the gods that he chose. It was a sort of nationalistic unity that he desired, with no room for the customs of those who worshiped the one true God. Those who kept the law were condemned to death, and yet, many preferred this to forgetting their God and his law. “Terrible affliction was upon Israel,” notes the last sentence of the passage. For the faithful Israelites living at this time, it must have been a time of questioning. Why the suffering? Why the challenge? Why so many abandoning the faith? Where is God in all of this?
Today Mass Reading
Today’s first reading and gospel reading set up an interesting comparison. In the passage from Maccabaeus, we hear the tragic fate that has fallen upon the holy city of Jerusalem and the Israelite people who reside there. Many of the Israelites have adopted Gentile custom and forgotten their Jewish heritage. By covering up their circumcision mark, sacrificing to idols, profaning the Sabbath, and, in general, abandoning the law which was their tradition and their sacred religion, the Israelites have given in to the ways of those who surround them. The king Antiochus Epiphanes wanted this; he wanted all people united under him and him alone. In this one kingdom, all had to sacrifice to the gods that he chose. It was a sort of nationalistic unity that he desired, with no room for the customs of those who worshiped the one true God. Those who kept the law were condemned to death, and yet, many preferred this to forgetting their God and his law. “Terrible affliction was upon Israel,” notes the last sentence of the passage. For the faithful Israelites living at this time, it must have been a time of questioning. Why the suffering? Why the challenge? Why so many abandoning the faith? Where is God in all of this?
By your Perseverance you will Secure your Lives."
Today's Mass Readings
As we reach toward the end of the liturgical year, the reading begin to focus our attention on the end times as well. Thus all of today's reading in some way or another prepare us for the eventuality of meeting Christ either in the second coming, or through our personal end, or welcoming Christ at Christmas time.
Today's Mass Readings
As we reach toward the end of the liturgical year, the reading begin to focus our attention on the end times as well. Thus all of today's reading in some way or another prepare us for the eventuality of meeting Christ either in the second coming, or through our personal end, or welcoming Christ at Christmas time.
Remember the Marvels the Lord has Done"
Today's Mass Readings
In today’s first reading we have seemingly dark, yet joyful song about the Passover – the night that God’s angel passed over the houses of the Hebrews because the blood of the lamb was on their doorposts – and the Exodus – the deliverance of God’s People from enslavement by the Egyptians.
Today's Mass Readings
In today’s first reading we have seemingly dark, yet joyful song about the Passover – the night that God’s angel passed over the houses of the Hebrews because the blood of the lamb was on their doorposts – and the Exodus – the deliverance of God’s People from enslavement by the Egyptians.
Whoever Seeks to Preserve His Life will Lose It"
Today's Mass Readings
The popular Left Behind series, which began as novels and became low-budget films, has made quite a lot out of the passage described in today’s reading from the Gospel of Luke. This is a perfect example of why we must be careful to read the Bible with the Church, and not follow the latest fad on the bestsellers list. According to the Left Behind series, at some point in the future Jesus will return, and those who are taken away will be the Christians who follow Christ, whereas those who are left behind are the ones who will be destroyed in God’s judgment, or perhaps given a second chance to repent and turn back to God during the great tribulation on earth.
Today's Mass Readings
The popular Left Behind series, which began as novels and became low-budget films, has made quite a lot out of the passage described in today’s reading from the Gospel of Luke. This is a perfect example of why we must be careful to read the Bible with the Church, and not follow the latest fad on the bestsellers list. According to the Left Behind series, at some point in the future Jesus will return, and those who are taken away will be the Christians who follow Christ, whereas those who are left behind are the ones who will be destroyed in God’s judgment, or perhaps given a second chance to repent and turn back to God during the great tribulation on earth.
The Kingdom of God is Among You"
Today's Mass Readings
“Light from light, true God from true God,” we pray when we recite the Creed each Sunday during Mass. This line from the Creed comes out of our first reading today from Wisdom. In Wisdom’s poetic language, we hear that wisdom “is the refulgence of eternal light, the spotless mirror of the power of God, the image of his goodness.” As Christians, we look at this beautiful description and recognize Jesus, who is the image of God’s goodness – light from light, true God from true God. This light imagery appears later as well: “For she is fairer than the sun and surpasses every constellation of the stars. Compared to light, she takes precedence…” Today’s passage from Wisdom ends by saying that wisdom reaches from end to end mightily and governs all things well.
Today's Mass Readings
“Light from light, true God from true God,” we pray when we recite the Creed each Sunday during Mass. This line from the Creed comes out of our first reading today from Wisdom. In Wisdom’s poetic language, we hear that wisdom “is the refulgence of eternal light, the spotless mirror of the power of God, the image of his goodness.” As Christians, we look at this beautiful description and recognize Jesus, who is the image of God’s goodness – light from light, true God from true God. This light imagery appears later as well: “For she is fairer than the sun and surpasses every constellation of the stars. Compared to light, she takes precedence…” Today’s passage from Wisdom ends by saying that wisdom reaches from end to end mightily and governs all things well.
O God, bring Judgment to the Earth"
Today's Mass Readings
For the sake of relevance, I’d like to concentrate on today’s first reading because the message it presents is particularly relevant to the contemporary American context. In today’s first reading we are once again confronted with the subject of just judgment. To the people of ancient Israel, as to many in our own, the rich and powerful seemed to be above the law. Indeed, regardless of one’s political affiliation, the statistics on our own criminal justice system bear out the sobering truth that the poor are more likely to receive harsher sentencing than the rich. Some things never change. The cry of the poor in today's psalm response, "Rise up, O God, bring judgment to the earth," is relevant even today.
Today's Mass Readings
For the sake of relevance, I’d like to concentrate on today’s first reading because the message it presents is particularly relevant to the contemporary American context. In today’s first reading we are once again confronted with the subject of just judgment. To the people of ancient Israel, as to many in our own, the rich and powerful seemed to be above the law. Indeed, regardless of one’s political affiliation, the statistics on our own criminal justice system bear out the sobering truth that the poor are more likely to receive harsher sentencing than the rich. Some things never change. The cry of the poor in today's psalm response, "Rise up, O God, bring judgment to the earth," is relevant even today.
We are Unprofitable Servants"
Today's Mass Readings
When we read the Gospel reading for today, we might be tempted to equate the master in Jesus’ parable with God. We might conclude that God’s attitude toward us, His servants, is that of the master; that we too should prepare His meal first and wait on God while He eats and drinks. This, however, is not Jesus’ point at all. God’s attitude toward us is already described in the first reading for today from the Book of Wisdom, and in the responsorial psalm, Psalm 34. Grace and mercy are with God’s holy ones, and His care is with them too (Wisdom 3:9). And further, “The Lord has eyes for the just, and ears for their cry….The Lord is close to the brokenhearted” (Psalm 34:16 and 19). Our God, the one true God, is a God of love and mercy.
Today's Mass Readings
When we read the Gospel reading for today, we might be tempted to equate the master in Jesus’ parable with God. We might conclude that God’s attitude toward us, His servants, is that of the master; that we too should prepare His meal first and wait on God while He eats and drinks. This, however, is not Jesus’ point at all. God’s attitude toward us is already described in the first reading for today from the Book of Wisdom, and in the responsorial psalm, Psalm 34. Grace and mercy are with God’s holy ones, and His care is with them too (Wisdom 3:9). And further, “The Lord has eyes for the just, and ears for their cry….The Lord is close to the brokenhearted” (Psalm 34:16 and 19). Our God, the one true God, is a God of love and mercy.
Guide me, Lord, along the Everlasting Way"
Today's Mass Readings
The readings for today are rich with several themes. Both the first reading from Wisdom and the Gospel from Luke mention sin. In wisdom here, “Because into a soul that plots evil, wisdom enters not, nor dwells she in a body under debt of sin. For the holy Spirit of discipline flees deceit and withdraws from senseless counsels; and when injustice occurs it is rebuked.” Jesus, meanwhile, notes that things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but “woe to the one through whom they occur.” And yet the message of this passage is not one of simple hellfire and damnation, rather, Jesus offers a command to correct those who sin and to forgive those who repent. This was a difficult task for the Apostles, just as it is a difficult task for us today. Hence the Apostles beg Jesus to increase their faith. Jesus responds by saying that faith the size of a mustard seed is already enough to do impressive things – like move a mulberry tree.
Today's Mass Readings
The readings for today are rich with several themes. Both the first reading from Wisdom and the Gospel from Luke mention sin. In wisdom here, “Because into a soul that plots evil, wisdom enters not, nor dwells she in a body under debt of sin. For the holy Spirit of discipline flees deceit and withdraws from senseless counsels; and when injustice occurs it is rebuked.” Jesus, meanwhile, notes that things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but “woe to the one through whom they occur.” And yet the message of this passage is not one of simple hellfire and damnation, rather, Jesus offers a command to correct those who sin and to forgive those who repent. This was a difficult task for the Apostles, just as it is a difficult task for us today. Hence the Apostles beg Jesus to increase their faith. Jesus responds by saying that faith the size of a mustard seed is already enough to do impressive things – like move a mulberry tree.
He is not God of the Dead but of the Living"
Today's Mass Readings
Clearly, the theme of today’s readings is life and death. Intertwined within those themes are the words of Jesus, “He is the not the God of dead but of the living” (Lk 20:37).
Today's Mass Readings
Clearly, the theme of today’s readings is life and death. Intertwined within those themes are the words of Jesus, “He is the not the God of dead but of the living” (Lk 20:37).
You Cannot Serve God and Mammon"
Today's Mass Readings
In the first reading for today, Paul lists many companions of his who have aided him in spreading the Gospel. It’s easy to think about St. Paul, sometimes, as an individual on his own traveling from place to place and bringing the Gentiles to Christianity in its very early stages. At the end of his letter to the Romans, Paul identifies with the Roman community (which he has not yet met) by making connections to those in the community. The list of names is staggering. Staggering not just because of how many there are, but also because of the Gentile names, the Jewish names, the women, the men. We see that almost immediately the Good News of Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection had universal, even cosmic significance. We see also how the Church, even from its earliest days, transcended national, linguistic, class, and gender boundaries.
Today's Mass Readings
In the first reading for today, Paul lists many companions of his who have aided him in spreading the Gospel. It’s easy to think about St. Paul, sometimes, as an individual on his own traveling from place to place and bringing the Gentiles to Christianity in its very early stages. At the end of his letter to the Romans, Paul identifies with the Roman community (which he has not yet met) by making connections to those in the community. The list of names is staggering. Staggering not just because of how many there are, but also because of the Gentile names, the Jewish names, the women, the men. We see that almost immediately the Good News of Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection had universal, even cosmic significance. We see also how the Church, even from its earliest days, transcended national, linguistic, class, and gender boundaries.
The Temple of God, which You Are, is Holy"
Today's Mass Readings
The readings for today are so appropriate to commemorate the dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome, which is the official church of the pope. Most people think St. Peter’s Basilica is the pope’s official basilica, but in reality the Lateran Basilica, which is where most of the previous popes before modern times lived, is actually the official basilica of the bishop of Rome, the pope.
Today's Mass Readings
The readings for today are so appropriate to commemorate the dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome, which is the official church of the pope. Most people think St. Peter’s Basilica is the pope’s official basilica, but in reality the Lateran Basilica, which is where most of the previous popes before modern times lived, is actually the official basilica of the bishop of Rome, the pope.
Whether We Live or Die, We are the Lord’s"
Today's Mass Readings
“For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord,” says Paul in today’s powerful first reading. We are the Lord’s. The gospel reflects a similar theme of belonging to God. Jesus uses two parables – one about a lost sheep, and the other about a lost coin.
Today's Mass Readings
“For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord,” says Paul in today’s powerful first reading. We are the Lord’s. The gospel reflects a similar theme of belonging to God. Jesus uses two parables – one about a lost sheep, and the other about a lost coin.
Love and Hate"
Today's Mass Readings
At first glance today’s readings appear perplexing. In the first reading, from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, we are told to “love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” Yet in the Gospel reading from Luke, Jesus tells the great crowds following him, “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.” What sense can be made of these seemingly opposite commands? Doesn’t the fourth commandment tell us to honor our mother and father? Didn’t Jesus tell us to love even our enemies? How can we honor our parents and love our enemies and yet hate the members of our own family? Can a Christian both love and hate?
With closer inspection, the answer to the paradox of today’s readings may be found in the passages themselves. However, without a proper understanding of love, the answer will elude us.
Today's Mass Readings
At first glance today’s readings appear perplexing. In the first reading, from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, we are told to “love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” Yet in the Gospel reading from Luke, Jesus tells the great crowds following him, “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.” What sense can be made of these seemingly opposite commands? Doesn’t the fourth commandment tell us to honor our mother and father? Didn’t Jesus tell us to love even our enemies? How can we honor our parents and love our enemies and yet hate the members of our own family? Can a Christian both love and hate?
With closer inspection, the answer to the paradox of today’s readings may be found in the passages themselves. However, without a proper understanding of love, the answer will elude us.
In You, O Lord, I have Found My Peace
Today's Mass Readings
In this passage from today’s Gospel reading taken from Luke’s Gospel, we find Jesus explaining the kingdom of God in an unexpected way. Often Jesus' hearers, ourselves included, have a false image of what the kingdom of God will be like. In this instance, one individual talks to Jesus about how blessed one would be to feast in the kingdom of God. The word for “blessed” here can also be translated as “happy,” and perhaps that is the best way to handle that word in this context. “How happy will be the one who gets to dine in the kingdom of God,” we might paraphrase.
Today's Mass Readings
In this passage from today’s Gospel reading taken from Luke’s Gospel, we find Jesus explaining the kingdom of God in an unexpected way. Often Jesus' hearers, ourselves included, have a false image of what the kingdom of God will be like. In this instance, one individual talks to Jesus about how blessed one would be to feast in the kingdom of God. The word for “blessed” here can also be translated as “happy,” and perhaps that is the best way to handle that word in this context. “How happy will be the one who gets to dine in the kingdom of God,” we might paraphrase.
The LORD Hears the Poor"
Today's Mass Readings
The gospel reading for today is a very challenging one – one we are likely to dismiss as unrealistic or try to explain away using a spiritual understanding. Could it be that Jesus really wants us to include such undesirables – the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind – at our dinners and lunches? How would we even go about doing such a thing? It’s such a foreign concept in our way of life, as it would have been for the Pharisee who was hosting Jesus.
Today's Mass Readings
The gospel reading for today is a very challenging one – one we are likely to dismiss as unrealistic or try to explain away using a spiritual understanding. Could it be that Jesus really wants us to include such undesirables – the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind – at our dinners and lunches? How would we even go about doing such a thing? It’s such a foreign concept in our way of life, as it would have been for the Pharisee who was hosting Jesus.
Today Salvation has Come to this House"
Sunday Mass Readings
In the first reading today, the author of the book of Wisodm says"
"But you spare all things, because they are yours,
O LORD and lover of souls,
for your imperishable spirit is in all things!
Therefore you rebuke offenders little by little,
warn them and remind them of the sins they are committing,
that they may abandon their wickedness and believe in you, O LORD!" (Wisdom 12:2)
Sunday Mass Readings
In the first reading today, the author of the book of Wisodm says"
"But you spare all things, because they are yours,
O LORD and lover of souls,
for your imperishable spirit is in all things!
Therefore you rebuke offenders little by little,
warn them and remind them of the sins they are committing,
that they may abandon their wickedness and believe in you, O LORD!" (Wisdom 12:2)
One Who Humbles Himself will be Exalted”
Today's Mass Readings
“Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted" (Lk 14:11).
In St. Luke’s Gospel, our Lord asks us to consider humility and it’s opposite – pride, the deadliest of the seven deadly sins. Why is it that we are called to humility? Isn’t pride a good thing? It seems that in all places we see pride held up as the ideal – pride in one’s country, pride in one’s achievements, pride in one’s status. Does this mean that we are called to fly under the radar? To not be noticed? In a certain sense, yes. But, as we learn in the Gospel today, when the time is right, we will be called forward. To respond to God’s call is not to be prideful, but rather to be truly humble.
Today's Mass Readings
“Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted" (Lk 14:11).
In St. Luke’s Gospel, our Lord asks us to consider humility and it’s opposite – pride, the deadliest of the seven deadly sins. Why is it that we are called to humility? Isn’t pride a good thing? It seems that in all places we see pride held up as the ideal – pride in one’s country, pride in one’s achievements, pride in one’s status. Does this mean that we are called to fly under the radar? To not be noticed? In a certain sense, yes. But, as we learn in the Gospel today, when the time is right, we will be called forward. To respond to God’s call is not to be prideful, but rather to be truly humble.
"The Lord is My Shepherd; There is Nothing I shall Want"
Today's Mass Readings
All of the readings for today, All Souls Day, which commemorates all of the faithful departed, work together to emphasize the connectedness of all these faithful souls in the Communion of Saints. In the first reading from the Book of Wisdom, we see a reflection of God’s eternal care for the souls of the just. Wisdom mentions how the foolish thought these souls were dead, since their bodies had in fact died, and yet these people who have died live on with God. “They are in peace,” Wisdom tells us, even those who went through Purgatory: “because God tried them and found them worthy of himself. As gold in the furnace, he proved them.”
Today's Mass Readings
All of the readings for today, All Souls Day, which commemorates all of the faithful departed, work together to emphasize the connectedness of all these faithful souls in the Communion of Saints. In the first reading from the Book of Wisdom, we see a reflection of God’s eternal care for the souls of the just. Wisdom mentions how the foolish thought these souls were dead, since their bodies had in fact died, and yet these people who have died live on with God. “They are in peace,” Wisdom tells us, even those who went through Purgatory: “because God tried them and found them worthy of himself. As gold in the furnace, he proved them.”
Lord, this is the People that Longs to See Your Face"
Today's Mass Readings
We are always surrounded by the saints, and today is one time in particular when we reflect on the fact that our Church includes both the living and the dead. Today’s readings give us a beautiful and complex picture of the saints.
Today's Mass Readings
We are always surrounded by the saints, and today is one time in particular when we reflect on the fact that our Church includes both the living and the dead. Today’s readings give us a beautiful and complex picture of the saints.
My hope, O Lord, is in Your Mercy"
Today's Mass Readings
Who among us will be saved? It is a question as relevant today as it was in Jesus’ own day. Despite the many easy formulas and quick-fix remedies presented in the popular media and on the shelves of our bookstores, the Cross is a stark reminder that salvation is no easy affair. There is no 30-day path to guaranteed holiness. St. Paul tells us in the first reading that “we do not know how to pray as we ought,” and Jesus teaches us in today’s Gospel that even those who eat and drink in the Lord’s company may be condemned as “evildoers.” Perhaps it was this realization that led the individual in today’s Gospel to ask, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?”
Today's Mass Readings
Who among us will be saved? It is a question as relevant today as it was in Jesus’ own day. Despite the many easy formulas and quick-fix remedies presented in the popular media and on the shelves of our bookstores, the Cross is a stark reminder that salvation is no easy affair. There is no 30-day path to guaranteed holiness. St. Paul tells us in the first reading that “we do not know how to pray as we ought,” and Jesus teaches us in today’s Gospel that even those who eat and drink in the Lord’s company may be condemned as “evildoers.” Perhaps it was this realization that led the individual in today’s Gospel to ask, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?”