Lectio Div Catholic Gospel

Although they go forth weeping, carrying the seed to be sown, They shall come back rejoicing, carrying their sheaves. Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 20:20-28, today's readings).

"Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."

The mother of James and John comes to Jesus and asks that her two sons be granted authority to sit at his side in his kingdom. Jesus questions them, knowing they are unaware of what this means. "You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?" They said to him, "We can." And then Jesus tells them that it is not his to give but for the ones for whom the Father has prepared. To be at the right hand of Jesus in his kingdom is to serve and give one's life, to die to this life so to rise to new life through Christ. As Saint Paul says in the first reading: "For we who live are constantly being given up to death for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh." So out of love, Jesus asks all of us: "Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?"

God, help me understand that true greatness does not mean success in the way the world defines it. The mother of James and John asked that Jesus command that they sit at his right and left in the kingdom. To command in that way, as Jesus said, is to "lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt." But it would not be this way, Jesus said, among them. Lord, give me the grace every day to serve others and "carry about in the body the dying of Jesus" but especially when in a position of authority to bring Christ's presence to others. Give me the opportunity today to do just that: to die to self to let Christ be manifested in me to others. Saint James, 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.

Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever; And blessed is your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages. Glory and praise for ever!

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 13:10-17, today's readings).

"But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."

The disciples ask Jesus why he speaks to the crowds in parables. He responds by telling them, "This is why I speak to them in parables, because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand." Jesus goes on to quote Isaiah, to show that the people who hear but do not understand fulfill his prophecy. In his compassion, Jesus fulfills Isaiah's prophecy as the one who heals them as they "see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts." Blessed are our eyes, Lord, when we see you and our ears when we hear you.

God, help me see, hear, and understand your will. As much as I try, I am afraid that I don't see and hear and understand you well enough and often enough to comprehend it. You said to Moses, "I am coming to you in a dense cloud so that the people may always have faith in you also." Give me the grace to trust in the work you do in my life and through me so that I can be a witness to your compassion to others. Saint Charbel, 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.

They tempted God in their hearts by demanding the food they craved. Yes, they spoke against God, saying, “Can God spread a table in the desert?” The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 13:1-98, today's readings).

"Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

The Gospel acclamation spells out the parable that Jesus shares with the crowd: "The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower; all who come to him will live for ever." Christ, the sower, walks continuously among the soil of our souls, sowing the word of God. He walks among thorns, among our well-worn paths, among the rocky ground of hardened hearts where scorching heat withers roots. But some seed falls on rich soil, and from that the word of God produces more abundant fruit than we can possibly make grow by our own doing. God loved us first and, as he did for the Israelites, rains down bread from heaven "so that you may know that I, the LORD, am your God.”

God, help me appreciate the parable Jesus shares with the crowd from a boat, an ancient Christian symbol for the Church. The last words of the parable give me hope, Lord, that your word will find a spot of rich soil softened by your gift of love. "But some seed fell on rich soil" sounds like an epilogue to a dark story that ends in hope, where lush vegetation begins to spring up and spread in a scorched and lifeless desert. Move my heart, Lord, to hear what my ears ought to hear as my soul trusts in you and the hundredfold fruits of your Spirit. Saint Bridget, 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.

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The LORD is a warrior, LORD is his name! Pharaoh's chariots and army he hurled into the sea; the elite of his officers were submerged in the Red Sea. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 12:38-42, today's readings).

"Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and there is something greater than Jonah here."

Jesus responds to the Pharisees who are seeking a sign by saying that "an evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign." The ultimate word of the Father, Jesus, tells them that no sign will be given to the people because he stands before them as the one whom all the signs point to. And then Jesus draws on the story of Jonah to give them a sign: just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale, so will Jesus be at his burial, resurrection, and second coming. The people of Nineveh, Jesus says, will rise in judgment against this generation because they responded to Jonah's message in faith. The greater message Jesus brings is an invitation to genuine repentance and faith.

God, help me be aware of when I go looking for unmistakable signs that you are at work in my life. The quest to piece together occurrences into what appears to be a meaningful expression is to look for fulfillment of your plans. Sometimes events confirm that but at other times the signs point to an outcome that could not have been predicted. Strengthen my faith, Lord, to move forward today and every day in confidence that your will is actively guiding me as I seek to understand it and respond to it. The Gospel acclamation is a gentle reminder that I need not go far to find that Christ is present: "If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts." Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, 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.

One who walks blamelessly and does justice; who thinks the truth in his heart and slanders not with his tongue. He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 10:38-42, today's readings).

Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me." The Lord said to her in reply, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her."

Jesus visits the home of Martha and Mary. Martha welcomes him and is busy with preparing things and serving, while Mary simply sits at Jesus' feet, listening to him teach. Martha frustration becomes clear when she says to Jesus, "Lord, do you not care" and asks him to tell Mary to help her. Jesus gently responds, addressing Martha's anxiety and worry. At the same time, he gestures to Mary, who has chosen "the better part," focusing on his words—something that will not be taken away from her.

God, in the events of the day, help me see Jesus present with Martha and Mary. Each of them lovingly serves Jesus, but the better part is a calling Mary responds to that he always invites us to take up. If there were no Marthas in the world, I would lack the example of service and practical expression of love. If there were no Marys, I would lose sight of the vitality of spiritual depth and contemplation. In my own life, give me the grace to develop each part—love in service and love in contemplative listening. Help me today choose the better part as you make your presence known. Be with me, 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.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever; Who remembered us in our abjection, for his mercy endures forever; And freed us from our foes, for his mercy endures forever. His mercy endures forever.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 12:14-21, today's readings).

The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place. Many people followed him, and he cured them all, but he warned them not to make him known.

In today's Gospel, Jesus withdraws from the Pharisees who seek to kill him. In the first reading from Exodus, we hear how the Israelites flee from Egypt and slavery under Pharaoh to the desert. Under the scrutiny of the Pharisees, Jesus answers their questions about what is lawful to do on the sabbath. The disciples pick the heads of grain on the sabbath, and Jesus cures a man with a withered hand on the sabbath. So Jesus flees from them because they seek to kill him, and it is not yet his time. In flight from them, Jesus continues to do what he has been doing in his earthly mission: teaching, healing, fulfilling all of the Old Testament prophecies, and establishing his Church.

God, help me consider the works Jesus did on earth to prepare all who hear and follow him for eternal life. I read in the Gospel acclamation: "God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation." Just as Jesus understood and accomplished your will, strengthen me to do the same. As Jesus responded to the Pharisees by withdrawing from them, I have by this the example that doing your will sometimes means retreating from hostility to continue to serve you elsewhere. Give me, Lord, a heart able to discern your will, aware that at all times through Christ you entrust to me your message of reconciliation. Blessed Virgin Mary, 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.

How shall I make a return to the LORD for all the good he has done for me? The cup of salvation I will take up, and I will call upon the name of the LORD. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 12:1-8, today’s readings).

“I say to you, something greater than the temple is here. If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned these innocent men. For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.”

The Pharisees criticize the disciples for picking the heads of grain on the sabbath and then eating them. Jesus tells the Pharisees about the time when David and his companions ate the consecrated bread to show that human need can take precedence over Mosaic law. With his authority and the new covenant he brings as the Lord of the sabbath, Jesus makes clear to the Pharisees that he is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. The mercy of God is something greater than the temple.

God, help me learn what Jesus desired that the Pharisees should know in his call for mercy over sacrifice. You know my every need and would not withhold from me what you freely give. The psalmist sings, “I am your servant, the son of your handmaid; you have loosed my bonds.” Your gift of freedom is an innate gift; through obedience to your will, Jesus shows the way to experience it in its fullness. Father in heaven, guide me in the way of your Son.

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.

Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name; make known among the nations his deeds. Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought, his portents, and the judgments he has uttered. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 11:28-30, today's readings).

Jesus said: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

Jesus invites everyone who labors and is burdened to come to him. The labor and the burden of each of us is unique and known only to the Lord. Yet, to each person, Jesus invites us to take his yoke upon us and learn from him. In his meekness and humility, he adds no weight of sin and suffering but instead relieves us of it. What might it mean that a yoke is easy? As an actual yoke that pairs two animals, a yoke that is easy conforms to the shape of the neck and shoulders and allows freedom of movement while carrying the burden. The yoke that Jesus invites us to take upon us does the same: it is shaped uniquely to each person so that we choose freely to walk with Christ as we labor to become more like him.

God, help me understand that to labor and be burdened is a reality of this life and that, realistically, there is no escape from it. When I face the difficulties of the day and the certainty of its burdens, help me remember the first words of Jesus in today's Gospel as a way to take to heart what follows: "Come to me." Twice, Jesus makes clear what his purpose is in inviting me to come to him. He says, "I will give you rest." Stay with me, Lord. Give me the grace to find rest for myself as you make your presence known.

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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