A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

King Herod heard about Jesus, for his fame had become widespread, and people were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead; That is why mighty powers are at work in him.” Others were saying, “He is Elijah”; still others, “He is a prophet like any of the prophets.” But when Herod learned of it, he said, “It is John whom I beheaded. He has been raised up.”

King Herod seems certain he knows who Jesus is. Having beheaded John, Mark tells us that Herod was “deeply distressed,” so he must have felt that there would be grave consequences for his actions. In saying that John has been raised up from the dead, Herod professes a belief in the resurrection. Although he is aware that something extraordinary and supernatural is taking place, he scratches his head and is restlessly caught up in dramatic speculation, blinded to what is taking place before him in the coming of Jesus.

God, open my eyes to understand today’s Gospel. Herod, responsible for John the Baptist’s savage execution and blinded by sin, knew that something extraordinary was happening but couldn’t identify it. Give me the grace to get beyond my own blindness and recognize that it is You who are present throughout every moment of the day.

From today’s Responsorial Psalm: “The Lord is my light and my salvation. 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? Your presence, O LORD, I seek.”

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

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A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

“Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.”

Simeon speaks these words as he takes Jesus in his arms, who Mary and Joseph have brought to the temple in Jerusalem to present him in fulfillment of the law of the Lord. Luke says of Simeon: “It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.” After blessing Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, he prophesies Jesus’ role in salvation and the suffering that Mary would experience as a result “so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” The prophetess Anna also sees Jesus and, as Luke tells us, “gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.” These two holy people, Simeon and Anna, recognized through a life of faith and prayer that Jesus was the Messiah.

God, thank you for the gift of steadfast faith. Simeon and Anna waited a lifetime to see your Son, and when they did see him recognized the child Emmanuel. Help me understand that your way of revealing yourself in time doesn’t correspond to my expectation of what and when you reveal yourself to me. Eager always to say “my eyes have seen your salvation,” at times I wait for that moment to come and lose heart in the waiting. At other times, I know you are there and at the end of the day can say, like Simeon, “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace.” God, give me the grace today to live in the light of revelation.

Lord, strengthen my faith; I want to live in your light. As Carmelite priest Father Stinissen said, “To believe in Jesus Christ makes us look, to the eyes of unbelievers, like children who believe in fairy tales. Jesus was destined to be the fall and the rising of many. Some fall over him, and others are saved by him.”

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.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days. He spoke this openly. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

Along the way to Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” They tell Jesus that some people say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others one of the prophets. Then Jesus asks them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter says to him: “You are the Christ.” Seconds later, Peter rebukes Jesus for saying that he must suffer and die (and rise after three days), and Jesus says to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan.” I can only imagine how Peter felt—one minute in what must have been a mountaintop moment as he recognizes Jesus as the Messiah and the next minute brought right back down to earth: “You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

God, help me understand how to recognize my human limitations and to strive to think as you do. I’m not sure what it might mean to think as you do except to die to my limitations in this life so to rise with Christ. As Jesus says in Matthew about the conditions of discipleship: “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” To consider discipleship in this way echoes what Jesus says would follow his Passion and death: the resurrection. To think as you think, God, is to know that death does not have the final word. There is great joy in that—something Peter himself would come to see when he saw the empty tomb and encountered the risen Christ.

Lord, help me hear your voice today, teach me to offer you my “prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.” Throughout the day, let me hear you ask me, “Who do you say that I am?” I want to answer with complete trust: “You are the Christ.”

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

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A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

They said, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

Today’s Gospel shows Jesus in his hometown. The people see the miracles he performs, yet they doubt his divinity because they acknowledge only his ordinariness, that he is a carpenter and the son of Mary. Jesus, amazed at their lack of faith, says of them: “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” Mark tells us that Jesus was unable to perform any mighty deed there because of their lack of faith; that is, they took offense at Jesus and failed to get beyond Jesus’ ordinariness to see his divine identity. But unclean spirits like those from the Gospel from Monday do recognize it, saying: “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?” Having the benefit of the testimony of the risen Christ and the Eucharist (partaking of him body and blood, soul and divinity), I can ask the same question.

God, help me understand the nature of your Son. From the Profession of Faith, we pray: “For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.” Lord, give me the grace to know your Son and how he desires trust in him in order to perform mighty deeds in ordinary lives. “What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands!”

Mary, Mother of God, pray for me today that I recognize the divinity of your Son and trust in him to perform mighty deeds. You knew him as fully human and fully divine. Let me stop to think throughout the day of the ineffable love of Jesus, Son of the Most High God. “Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all my being, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.”

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

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So [Jesus] went in and said to them, “Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep.” And they ridiculed him.

Today’s Gospel tells two stories: first, Jesus is on his way to the house of Jarius, to heal his daughter who is dying; second, while on the way, a woman who had been suffering from bleeding for twelve years reached out to Jesus for healing. She touched the hem of Jesus’ garment and was immediately healed. Jesus told her she was healed because of her faith, and she went away rejoicing. In the first reading, Saint Paul encourages readers to fix their eyes on Jesus and endure the discipline of the cross. Paul uses Jesus as the ultimate example of perseverance and explains that the discipline we receive will produce a harvest of righteousness and peace. Despite people ridiculing him, Jesus demonstrates his power and ability to heal to the point of raising the dead to life. “Do not be afraid”; Jesus says, “just have faith.”

Lord, help me understand that when you speak, you bring creation itself into being. When you say to the child, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” she immediately gets up and walks around. The woman who touches your clothes is healed instantly because of her faith in reaching out for you. “Daughter, your faith has saved you,” says Jesus, “Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.” Grant me the grace, God, to go in peace today, knowing my life is in your hands. Strengthen my faith in you to avoid sin and let me trust that you “take away our infirmities and bear our diseases.” God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, give me new life today in you.

Lord, look to my needs today just as you cared for all who came to you while you walked the earth. Let me be mindful of you throughout the day, especially in the moments when I feel most alone. From the Responsorial Psalm, “They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.” Saint John Bosco, 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

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A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him. But Jesus would not permit him but told him instead, “Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.” Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus encounters a man possessed by many demons, who calls himself Legion because there are many unclean spirits within him. Jesus sends the unclean spirits into a herd of swine that immediately run down a steep bank and die. As people come out to see what happened, they see the possessed man sitting clothed and in his right mind. By telling the man to remain and tell his family what had happened rather than to go with Jesus on the boat, Jesus finds in this an opportunity for the man to show his family the Lord’s mercy. The result was that all who heard him proclaim what Jesus had done for him were filled with amazement. Jesus, help of the helpless, moves this man from a state of wretchedness and possession to health and sanity, all out of pity for him. Where are those areas of wretchedness within myself that disgust me, that isolate me from God and from others?

God, help me understand the nature of your mercy. Many of those who came to your Son sought him out and reached out to him for help. But the most helpless, the gravely ill, the possessed, the decrepit—even the dead—you restored to new life and health out of the free gift of your mercy. Let me invite you to see those areas of my life that wield a level of power over me—unclean desires, impure intentions, sinful habits. Let me bring those into your light through the Sacrament of Reconciliation and through a daily examination of conscience. Come, Lord Jesus, and heal me by your word; let me proclaim like the possessed man what the Lord out of his great mercy has done.

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of your mercy. Jesus, just as you went on foot and by boat to restore people to sanctity, the Church today brings you through its sacraments to people thirsting for the Eucharist and Reconciliation. From the Responsorial Psalm, we pray: “They will praise you, Lord, who long for 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

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A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

In teaching the Beatitudes, Jesus addresses his disciples and the crowds surrounding him. In Matthew’s Gospel, the Sermon on the Mount follows immediately after Jesus ministers to the multitudes following him “from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.” In teaching the Beatitudes, Jesus brings healing to the crowds, just as he healed the physical illnesses of everybody who came to him. Looking into the eyes of the people in the crowd, he must have seen those who were broken, in mourning, meek and humble; those who were wronged and sought justice; those who were merciful and pure and peaceful. And he experienced personally the same thing disciples experienced: insult and persecution because of his name. What he gave once, he still gives. To each of those whose eyes Jesus meets and who hear his words, through his great compassion Jesus gives us the Beatitudes.

God, help me understand the love you have for your people and for me. As the Son of God, you saw the pain and suffering that this world brings and experienced it firsthand. For each facet of that suffering, you bring not merely comforting words but the realization of what is hoped for in the coming of your kingdom. In faith, ours is the kingdom of heaven; comfort; inheritance; satisfaction; mercy; peace; and, one day the reward of seeing you face to face. As the Gospel acclamation says, “Rejoice and be glad; your reward will be great in heaven.”

Lord, let your gaze meet me today as I come to you to learn your love through the Beatitudes. Heal me of any particular illness or hinderance that keeps me from rejoicing and being glad in the life you have given me to come to know you. I know you love me. Lord, look kindly upon 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.

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A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”

In today’s Gospel reading, Mark describes a time in which Jesus and his disciples are out on a boat with other boats and a great storm comes upon them. The disciples are afraid and wake Jesus, asleep on a cushion, to save them. Jesus rebukes the wind and the waves, and the storm subsides. In response to Jesus’ question, “Do you not yet have faith?” they show amazement and awe at who this is that even wind and sea obey. In the first reading, Saint Paul describes the faith of Abraham when God called him to sojourn through a foreign country. He was able to do this, Paul says, not because he looked forward to his return home but because “he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and maker is God.” In what ways today can I look forward to the things not seen that have their realization in God?

God, help me understand just as Abraham began his faith journey when called by God, the disciples began theirs through the astounding realization that Jesus, who calmed the storm, is the Son of God. As a sojourner, an alien, a pilgrim on this earth who hopes for the realization of things not seen, in faith I journey toward “the city with foundations, whose architect and maker is God.”

Give me the grace, Lord, of seeing from afar the reward of faith, the place of everlasting life that you prepare for me. Let me remember throughout the day how you calmed the storm and spoke to the disciples: “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” Lord, today when faith wavers and hope in the realization of the unseen flickers, give me more faith! Saint Thomas Aquinas, 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

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A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

Jesus said to the crowds: “This is how it is with the Kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.”

The Gospel from today follows directly after where yesterday’s left off. Jesus goes on to tell two other parables about the Kingdom of God: one relates to the growth of seed planted in the ground; the other, to the smallest of seeds that becomes the largest of plants, the mustard seed. In both parables, the growth of the Kingdom of God benefits the one who spreads the seed. The growth of the seed, the kingdom, is a mystery to the sower. In either parable, the sower plants but God nurtures the growth to maturity.

God, help me understand as I am able to understand the mystery described in these parables. Saint Paul in the first reading encourages us to seek the Kingdom of God by doing his will: “You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised.” The result of that endurance, he says, is that “We are not among those who draw back and perish, but among those who have faith and will possess life.” Lord, let the little I do today in scattering seed be an act of delight and complete trust in you to bring into this reality the mysteries of the Kingdom. “Commit to the LORD your way,” the Responsorial Psalm says, “trust in him, and he will act.”

God, your Kingdom is to come and is here at this moment. I know you delight in me as I strive to grow closer to you. Let me know the joy today of active participation in your kingdom as I see it sprouting and growing of its own accord.

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

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A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

Jesus said to his disciples, “Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand? For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; nothing is secret except to come to light. Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear.” He also told them, “Take care what you hear. The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you, and still more will be given to you. To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus says two things that relate to the first reading from Saint Paul. First, he says that a lamp is to be placed on a lampstand; second, referring to spiritual capacity, he says, “To the one who has, more will be given.” Paul writes Timothy, encouraging him “not to be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God.” Through Paul’s imposition of hands in apostolic succession, Timothy is stirred into flame with a spirit of courage, power, love, and self-control. Through the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, that same power of the Holy Spirit is manifested whenever I give testimony to the Lord everywhere and at every opportunity. As the psalmist says, “Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.”

God, help me understand how to put the words of Scripture and the work of the Holy Spirit into practice today. I ask for today because tomorrow’s path is uncertain. Today I ask for abundant grace to receive all the gifts you wish to measure out to me so that I can measure it out in abundance to others. Saints Timothy, Titus, and Paul, pray for us!

Lord, teach me to do your will; I want to bring into your light all the obstacles that keep me from you—a difficult, scary thing to ask—in order to receive your grace more abundantly.

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

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