Daily Readings for August 17, 2015

1ST READING

Once settled in the Promised Land, the trust of the people in God seemed to diminish. The constant threat and danger of life in the desert was over. The people became complacent about their faith as they increased in wealth and comfort. It will be the same story again and again, following renewals in the life of the Church. We see it today as more people give in to materialism and forsake their faith in exchange for earthly pleasure.

Judges 2:11-19

11 The children of Israel offended the Lord by serving the Baals. 12 Abandoning the Lord, the God of their fathers, who led them out of the land of Egypt, they followed the other gods of the various nations around them, and by their worship of these gods provoked the Lord. 13 Because they had thus abandoned him and served Baal and the Ashtaroth, 14 the anger of the Lord flared up against Israel, and he delivered them over to plunderers who despoiled them. He allowed them to fall into the power of their enemies round about whom they were no longer able to withstand. 15 Whatever they undertook, the Lord turned into disaster for them, as in his warning he had sworn he would do, till they were in great distress. 16 Even when the Lord raised up judges to deliver them from the power of their despoilers, 17 they did not listen to their judges, but abandoned themselves to the worship of other gods. They were quick to stray from the way their fathers had taken, and did not follow their example of obedience to the commandments of the Lord. 18 Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, he would be with the judge and save them from the power of their enemies as long as the judge lived; it was thus the Lord took pity on their distressful cries of affliction under their oppressors. 19 But when the judge died, they would relapse and do worse than their ancestors, following other gods in service and worship, relinquishing none of their evil practices or stubborn conduct.

P S A L M

Psalm 106:34-35, 36-37, 39-40, 43-44

R: Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

34 They did not exterminate the peoples, as the Lord had commanded them, 35 but mingled with the nations and learned their works. (R) 36 They served their idols, which became a snare for them. 37 They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons. (R) 39 They became defiled by their works, and wanton in their crimes. 40 And the Lord grew angry with his people, and abhorred his inheritance. (R) 43 Many times did he rescue them, but they embittered him with their counsels. 44 Yet he had regard for their affliction when he heard their cry. (R)

GOSPEL

Goodness is the basis of human flourishing. Friendship, for example — where would we be without friendship? It is at the heart of our humanity as we are fundamentally communal creatures. We cannot reach our full potential if we are isolated from others. You might like to consider the good things in life: friendship with God, beauty, play, knowledge, life and practical reason.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 19:16-22

16 A young man approached Jesus and said, “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?” 17 He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 He asked him, “Which ones?” And Jesus replied, “You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; 19 honor your father and your mother; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

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Daily Readings for August 16, 2015

1ST READING

Today, wisdom is ignored and emotions rule arguments. Emotive arguments will not help us find the truth. The truth is an objective fact that carries across all situations and all people. On the other hand, emotive arguments rely on single instances from individuals. Sometimes they will get it right, but more often than not, self-interest will distort the truth.

Proverbs 9:1-6

1 Wisdom has built her house, she has set up her seven columns; 2 she has dressed her meat, mixed her wine, yes, she has spread her table. 3 She has sent out her maidens; she calls from the heights out over the city: 4 “Let whoever is simple turn in here; to the one who lacks understanding, she says, 5 Come, eat of my food, and drink of the wine I have mixed! 6 Forsake foolishness that you may live; advance in the way of understanding.

P S A L M

Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

R: Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

1 [2] I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall be ever in my mouth. 2 [3] Let my soul glory in the Lord; the lowly will hear me and be glad. (R) 3 [4] Glorify the Lord with me, let us together extol his name. 4 [5] I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. (R) 5 [6] Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame. 6 [7] When the poor one called out, the Lord heard, and from all his distress he saved him. (R)

2ND READING

St. Paul encourages the use of wisdom in our lives. We need to seek the truth and not just rely on how we “feel” about a particular situation. The individualistic nature of society today sees opinions as sources of truth. Our feelings can be wrong in assessing of a certain situation. The truth rests in the person of God, the author of all good. Let us seek His wisdom and instruction when making moral decisions.

Ephesians 5:15-20

15 Brothers and sisters: Watch carefully how you live, not as foolish persons but as wise, 16 making the most of the opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore, do not continue in ignorance, but try to understand what is the will of the Lord. 18 And do not get drunk on wine, in which lies debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and playing to the Lord in your hearts, 20 giving thanks always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.

GOSPEL

Jesus declares that He is the Bread of Life who came down from heaven. This is a difficult text to understand unless you believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Let us pray for a deeper understanding of the Eucharist as we seek to grow in our faith.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him, says the Lord.

John 6:51-58

51 Jesus said to the crowds: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” 52 The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.”

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Daily Readings for August 15, 2015

Solemnity of the Assumption of the 

Blessed Virgin Mary

1ST READING

Mary is the model disciple of Jesus. She is an example of how we are to follow Christ. Just as Mary brought Christ into the world, so are we called to bring Christ to our world. Let us allow Christ to live within us so that others will come to know Him as they see Him in us. Who in your world needs to know Jesus?

Revelation 11:19; 12:1-6, 10

19 God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple. 12:1 A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems. 4 Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth. 5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and his throne. 6 The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have salvation and power come, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed One.”

P S A L M

Psalm 45:10, 11, 12, 16

R: The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.

9 [10] The queen takes her place at your right hand in gold of Ophir. (R) 10 [11] Hear, O daughter, and see; turn your ear, forget your people and your father’s house. (R) 11 [12] So shall the king desire your beauty; for he is your lord. (R) 15 [16] They are borne in with gladness and joy; they enter the palace of the king. (R)

2ND READING

The doctrine of the Assumption teaches us that Mary is raised from death, and experiences the fullness of heaven through the death and resurrection of her Son, Jesus. The Assumption also prefigures our destiny. We shall follow in Mary’s footsteps. Because of Jesus, we too shall be raised from death and experience the fullness of heaven.

1 Corinthians 15:20-27

20 Brothers and sisters: Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through man, the resurrection of the dead came also through man. 22 For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, 23 but each one in proper order: Christ the first fruits, then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ; 24 then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death, 27 for “he subjected everything under his feet.

  

GOSPEL

Mary’s “Magnificat” is also our song. We rejoice in what the Lord has done for Mary by choosing her to be the Mother of God. We can also rejoice because of our trust in God’s promise that, one day, we too will be with Him and experience with Mary the joy of eternal life. The blessings of Mary are as true today as they ever have been and ever will be. Why? Because they are based on the goodness of God to us, and He does not change.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Mary is taken up to heaven; a chorus of angels exults.

Luke 1:39-56

39 Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, 40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 cried out in a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” 46 And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; 47 my spirit rejoices in God my Savior 48 for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: 49 the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name. 50 He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. 51He has shown the strength of his arm, and has scattered the proud in their conceit. 52 He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he has sent away empty. 54 He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, 55 the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever.” 56 Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

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Daily Readings for August 14, 2015

1ST READING

 

We celebrate today the feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe, a Franciscan who suffered greatly at the hands of both Communists and the Nazis. He died in the place of a fellow prisoner in a German concentration camp during World War II. The man he saved survived the war and lived a long life with his family.  Maximilian is an example of generosity as he willingly gave his life out of love. Perhaps none of us will have this opportunity but we will all have the chance to give generously to others in many different ways.

 

Joshua 24:1-13

1 Joshua gathered together all the tribes of Israel at Shechem, summoning their elders, their leaders, their judges and their officers. When they stood in ranks before God, 2 Joshua addressed all the people: “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: In times past your fathers, down to Terah, father of Abraham and Nahor, dwelt beyond the River and served other gods. 3 But I brought your father Abraham from the region beyond the River and led him through the entire land of Canaan. I made his descendants numerous, and gave him Isaac. 4 To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I assigned the mountain region of Seir in which to settle, while Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. 5 “Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and smote Egypt with the prodigies which I wrought in her midst. 6 Afterward I led you out of Egypt, and when you reached the sea, the Egyptians pursued your fathers to the Red Sea with chariots and horsemen. 7 Because they cried out to the Lord, he put darkness between your people and the Egyptians, upon whom he brought the sea so that it engulfed them. After you witnessed what I did to Egypt, and dwelt a long time in the desert, 8 I brought you into the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I delivered them into your power. You took possession of their land, and I destroyed them the two kings of the Amorites before you. 9 Then Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab, prepared to war against Israel. He summoned Balaam, son of Beor, to curse you; 10 but I would not listen to Balaam. On the contrary, he had to bless you, and I saved you from him. 11 Once you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho, the men of Jericho fought against you, but I delivered them also into your power. 12 And I sent the hornets ahead of you that drove them (the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites) out of your way; it was not your sword or your bow. 13 “I gave you a land which you had not tilled and cities that you had not built, to dwell in; you have eaten of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.”

 

P S A L M

 

Psalm 136:1-3, 16-18, 21-22, 24

R: His mercy endures forever.

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever; 2 Give thanks to the God of gods, for his mercy endures forever; 3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his mercy endures forever. (R) 16 Who led his people through the wilderness, for his mercy endures forever; 17 who smote great kings, for his mercy endures forever; 18 and slew powerful kings, for his mercy endures forever. (R) 21 And made their land a heritage, for his mercy endures forever; 22 the heritage of Israel his servant, for his mercy endures forever; 24 and freed us from our foes, for his mercy endures forever. (R)

GOSPEL

 

Jesus affirms that celibacy is a gift for a chosen few in the Church. It is a discipline that priests and religious choose in order to make themselves available for the service of God’s Kingdom. Celibacy is also a sign of contradiction in a world seemingly obsessed with sex, to the point that it has become a commodity to be traded. Sex is not merely a commodity; it is a part of a person’s identity and uniqueness as a human being. It is one of the most precious gifts we have.

 

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Receive the word of God, not as the word of men, but, as it truly is, the word of God.

Matthew 19:3-12

3 Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?” 4 He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female 5 and said, For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh.   Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate.” 7 They said to him, “Then why did Moses command that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss her?” 8 He said to them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery.” 10 His disciples said to him, “If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11 He answered, “Not all can accept this word, but only those to whom that is granted. 12 Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”

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Daily Readings for August 13, 2015

1ST READING

God assured Joshua that the blessings He gave to Moses also rest on him, so that the people will recognize him as their leader. Joshua performed his own version of the parting of the Red Sea in the River Jordan. This act helped the people see that Joshua was following Moses’ footsteps and was the leader appointed by God.

Joshua 3:7-10, 11, 13-17

7 Then Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know I am with you, as I was with Moses. 8 Now command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant to come to a halt in the Jordan when you reach the edge of the waters.” 9 So Joshua said to the children of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord, your God.” 10 “This is how you will know that there is a living God in your midst, who at your approach will dispossess the Canaanites. 11 The ark of the covenant of the Lord of the whole earth will precede you into the Jordan. 13 When the soles of the feet of the priests carrying the ark of the Lord, the Lord of the whole earth, touch the water of the Jordan, it will cease to flow; for the water flowing down from upstream will halt in a solid bank.” 14 The people struck their tents to cross the Jordan, with the priests carrying the ark of the covenant ahead of them. 15 No sooner had these priestly bearers of the ark waded into the waters at the edge of the Jordan, which overflows all its banks during the entire season of the harvest, 16 than the waters flowing from upstream halted, backing up in a solid mass for a very great distance indeed, from Adam, a city in the direction of Zarethan; while those flowing downstream toward the Salt Sea of the Arabah disappeared entirely. Thus the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 While all Israel crossed over on dry ground, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord remained motionless on dry ground in the bed of the Jordan until the whole nation had completed the passage.

P S A L M

Psalm 114:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

R: Alleluia!

1 When Israel came forth from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of alien tongue, 2 Judah became his sanctuary, Israel his domain. (R) 3 The sea beheld and fled; Jordan turned back. 4 The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like the lambs of the flock. (R) 5 Why is it, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn back? 6 You mountains, that you skip like rams? You hills, like the lambs of the flock? (R)

GOSPEL

We need to pass on forgiveness to others. We have received the forgiveness of God for our sins; we now have a responsibility to forgive those who sin against us. We are being hypocrites if we are not willing to forgive, whether the debt is large or small, serious or incidental. It is usually the incidental matters that fester over long periods and then become the reason for broken relationships.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Let your countenance shine upon your servant and teach me your statutes.

Matthew 18:21-19:1

21 Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. 23 That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. 25 Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. 26 At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’ 27 Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. 28 When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ 29 Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ 30 But he refused. Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison until he paid back the debt. 31 Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. 32 His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. 33 Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ 34 Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. 35 So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.” 19:1 When Jesus finished these words, he left Galilee and went to the district of Judea across the Jordan. 

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