Lectio Div Catholic Gospel

I, like a green olive tree in the house of God, Trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. I trust in the mercy of God for ever.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 4:38-44) today's readings).

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."

The day before the crowds go looking for Jesus, he cured Simon's mother-in-law and later cured sick people with various diseases. Jesus exorcized demons from many people, and the demons recognized who Jesus was, calling him the Son of God. Word must have spread quickly for the crowds to go looking for Jesus in a deserted place. In his actions, Jesus proclaims the Gospel and makes clear his purpose as the Son of God. The Gospel acclamation also spells out his purpose: "The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor and to proclaim liberty to captives."

God, deepen my understanding for the work your Son accomplished through his earthly mission and for his example of proclaiming the Gospel without counting the cost. "I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God," he said, "because for this purpose I have been sent." Give me the grace today and every day to understand the purpose you have for me as I give witness to Christ through my words and actions. I can't do this through my own will but through my hope and trust in your continuous outpouring of grace. "I trust in the mercy of God for ever." You are truly present in the Eucharist, Lord; let me come to you there.

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.

Take my yoke upon you, says the Lord, and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 14:1, 7-14) today's readings).

Jesus 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. A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him, and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say, 'Give your place to this man,' and then you would proceed with embarrassment to take the lowest place."

Jesus says this to guests present at a banquet of one of the leading Pharisees—an incisive teaching for all present who observe and hear him. Jesus witnesses the guests taking places of honor at the table and shares a parable with them about humility and the position you perceive yourself to hold. It ends with a consequence that is often disregarded: "For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted." In the first reading, Sirach speaks similar words to a beloved hearer: "My child, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts. Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favor with God." Jesus invites us to take up the yoke of humility, to learn from him in being humble of heart.

God, help me today to accept the invitation of Jesus to be meek and humble. At the same time, give me the opportunity today to be a means of your love to someone who may not be able to respond in kind. "Blessed indeed will you be, Jesus says, "because of their inability to repay you." Pour out generously the gifts of understanding and wisdom when I struggle or resist finding the purpose in the yoke Jesus invites me to take up. Seeing and receiving it is more than I can do on my own, and I depend on you to guide me. God, come to my assistance; Lord, make haste to help 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.

image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Banquet_in_the_House_of_Levi_by_Paolo_Veronese_-_Accademia_-_Venice_2016_(2).jpg

Before the LORD, for he comes, for he comes to rule the earth; He will rule the world with justice and the peoples with equity. The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 25:14-30) today's readings).

Jesus told his disciples this parable: "A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one–to each according to his ability. Then he went away."

In the parable of the talents, a master gives his three servants varying amounts of money (talents) to manage while he is away. Two of them generate a return on their investment of the talents; one of them does not. Jesus is not sharing investment advice in this parable but instead teaches the disciples to use the gifts God gave them faithfully so that they come at the end of their earthly life to full participation in the kingdom. Just as the master is happy to see a return on the talents from two of the servants, God is pleased to see the unique gifts he bestows on us used to their fullness. As good stewards of God's gifts, we see cumulative growth of them over time, so that Jesus concludes the parable, saying, "For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away."

Father in heaven, you are the giver of all good gifts. Give me the grace to use the gifts and talents you give me to their fullest. Make clear to me today what those gifts are and how I can use them to serve you. For the sake of your glory, I want to hear and do your will with full confidence in this life and one day enter into eternal life, hearing you say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."

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.

Light dawns for the just; and gladness, for the upright of heart. Be glad in the LORD, you just, and give thanks to his holy name. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 6:17-29) today's readings).

Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him.

Mark recounts the beheading of John the Baptist at the command of King Herod. Herod is "deeply distressed" when Herodias's daughter asks for John's head to be brought in on a platter. Nonetheless, Herod holds to the oaths he made and orders the executioner to murder John. Yet, Mark also tells us that Herod recognized John as a "righteous and holy man." He says this of Herod's relationship with John: "When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him." Something drew Herod to John, a faithful prophet who spoke the word of God. As John spoke the word, a light drew him toward it before turning away from it. Following it, Herod would have found out this: "Light dawns for the just; and gladness, for the upright of heart."

God, strengthen in me the desire to hear and respond with gladness of to your word. Herod freely chose to turn away from you as he exercised free will. Give me the grace to recognize your gift of free will, and help me be prudent in the opportunities you present so that I can use it. John the Baptist was martyred because he chose to witness to the truth. Guide me along the way, Lord, as I seek to be a witness to your truth. Saint John the Baptist, 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.

Jesus said to his disciples: "Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come."

If I take the wings of the dawn, if I settle at the farthest limits of the sea, Even there your hand shall guide me, and your right hand hold me fast. You have searched me and you know me, Lord.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 23:27-32, today's readings).

Jesus said, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men's bones and every kind of filth. Even so, on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing."

Jesus condemns the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy; they appear beautiful on the outside and in adorning the memorials of the righteous, whom their ancestors killed. Yet, on the inside they are filled with "dead men's bones and every kind of filth" as they mask the inner decay of immorality and sin. As Saint Paul shares the Gospel in the first reading, he conveys the spirit of love that the Father continuously pours out on us, encouraging and insisting that those who follow Christ "walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into his Kingdom of glory."

God, as Saint Paul gives thanks unceasingly in sharing and receiving your word—not the word of men but the word of God—I ask for the grace to do the same. The Gospel acclamation describes the divine outcome of nurturing and keeping the word immanent, of persisting in prayer as Saint Monica did: "Whoever keeps the word of Christ, the love of God is truly perfected in him." The words of Christ to the Pharisees—"inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing"—penetrate deep within to help me recognize when I lose sight of the word and turn away from you. Yet, Lord, in your goodness, even there you attend to me, and the psalmist's prayer is mine as I say: "Even there your hand shall guide me, and your right hand hold me fast." Saint Monica, 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.

O LORD, you have probed me and you know me; you know when I sit and when I stand; you understand my thoughts from afar. My journeys and my rest you scrutinize, with all my ways you are familiar. You have searched me and you know me, Lord.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 23:23-26, today's readings).

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean.”

Jesus addresses the scribes and Pharisees for taking advantage of their position to distort Mosaic law for self-serving purposes. In doing this, they also bring others into this dysfunction by setting an example. Jesus affirms this by calling them guides, but they are blind guides, neglecting more meaningful aspects of the law such as "judgment and mercy and fidelity." By contrast, in the first reading, Saint Paul describes the example the apostles set as they shared the Gospel with the people of Philippi: "Rather, we were gentle among you, as a nursing mother cares for her children. With such affection for you, we were determined to share with you not only the Gospel of God, but our very selves as well, so dearly beloved had you become to us." How does Christ call us to share "our very selves" in his mission of mercy?

God, you call me continuously to love as you love and to be merciful as you are merciful. Jesus commands the Pharisees to be attentive to the weightier things of the law: judgment and fidelity and mercy. You alone, Lord, are perfectly just and merciful. Give me the grace to work on this today as I strive to remain faithful to your will. The opportunity may not come again, or I may not recognize it at another time. Make clear to me today how you work with me in the way of interior sanctification, in the way of cleansing the inside of the cup so that the outside may also be clean.

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.

Sing to the LORD a new song of praise in the assembly of the faithful. Let Israel be glad in their maker, let the children of Zion rejoice in their king. The Lord takes delight in his people.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 23:13-22, today’s readings).

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves.”

Out of frustration but also out of love for the Father and those who hear him, Jesus criticizes the scribes and Pharisees for obstructing themselves and others from the path to God. “You do not enter [the Kingdom of heaven] yourselves,” Jesus says, “nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.” Jesus points out that these “blind guides” swear by the gold of the temple and the gift on the altar and believe that makes them obligated—all while neglecting to recognize what makes the temple and altar that make these things sacred. Jesus directs the gaze of the scribes and Pharisees beyond the constricting rituals that produce children of Gehenna to the perfect love and mercy of the Father enthroned in heaven and incarnate in his Son.

Father in heaven, redirect my gaze to you when I get caught up in hierarchies and orders of things that end up only keeping me from you. Let me hear the invitation to stay close to your Son, as I hear in the Gospel acclamation: “My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me.” As Jesus says, one is not obligated to or by the gold of the temple or the gift on the altar but by you who make all that is sacred. Give me the grace, Lord, to look to you and you alone and not what surrounds you, to go to you where I find you truly present—body and blood, soul and divinity—in the Eucharist.

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.

I am the way, the truth and the life, says the Lord; no one comes to the Father, except through me.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 13:22-30, today's readings).

"And people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God. For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last."

As Jesus passes through towns and villages, someone asks him, "Lord, will only a few people be saved?" He answers them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough." Jesus tells a parable where people knock on the door of the master's house and say to him, "Lord, open the door for us." He will say to them, Jesus tells the people, "I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!" If we are not strong enough, and we are not strong enough, Jesus supplies our strength even as he disciplines through trials. As Saint Paul says, "All discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it."

Father in heaven, even as I live in the midst of your discipline, I struggle to understand how and why it is necessary. Give me the grace to accept that any discipline I experience is a means of sanctifying me for the sake of your glory. When I discern your will and yet resist carrying it out, strengthen me to move forward not with earthly sight but with the sight of faith in your love and mercy. "I am the way, the truth and the life, says the Lord," the Gospel acclamation says, "no one comes to the Father, except through me." Make straight my path, Lord!

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.

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD, his God, Who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them. Praise the Lord, my soul!

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 22:34-40, today's readings).

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a scholar of the law, tested him by asking, "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to him, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."

The scholar who approaches Jesus does not ask out of a genuine desire but seeks to trap Jesus. Matthew tells us that the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, so the scholar goes to Jesus from a place of competitiveness and pride. Jesus answers with the Shema, a Jewish declaration of faith that is recited in the morning and evening. By responding this way, Jesus affirms the covenant between God and the Jewish people and their devotion to him. Jesus adds the commandment to love one's neighbor as oneself, and the two commandments are inseparable. In his genuine response to the scholar's test, Jesus is demonstrating just that: a loving relationship with God and with his neighbor.

Father in heaven, let me take to heart today's Gospel. Help me see what Jesus models as he responds to the scholar's insincerity. He doesn't criticize him for attempting to trick him but instead gives him what he asks for and adds even more. As I meet a similar tone in others, give me the grace to respond to them in the same way—sincerely and generously—meeting them where they are and bringing your grace to the interaction. Help me also, Lord, recognize when I am insincere with you and with others. "Teach me your paths, my God, guide me in your truth." Mary, Queen assumed into heaven, 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.