Daily Readings for August 17, 2018

1st READING

Ezekiel reminds the people of Israel how they have forsaken the Lord for worldly acclaim and pleasures. This displeases the Lord and He allows the people to experience the consequences of their actions – defeat in battle followed by exile. This is the result of ignoring God’s grace and relying on their own faulty wisdom. Let us trust in the Lord to direct and guide us in all things.

Ezekiel 16:59-63 (or Ezekiel 16:1-15, 60, 63)

59 Thus says the Lord: I will deal with you according to what you have done, you who despised your oath, breaking a covenant. 60 Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you when you were a girl, and I will set up an everlasting covenant with you. 61 Then you shall remember your conduct and be ashamed when I take your sisters, those older and younger than you, and give them to you as daughters, even though I am not bound by my covenant with you. 62 For I will re-establish my covenant with you, that you may know that I am the Lord, 63 that you may remember and be covered with confusion, and that you may be utterly silenced for shame when I pardon you for all you have done, says the Lord God.

P S A L M 

Isaiah 12:2-3, 4, 5-6

R: You have turned from your anger.

2 God indeed is my savior; I am confident and unafraid. My strength and my courage is the Lord, and he has been my savior. 3 With joy you will draw water at the fountain of salvation. (R) 4 Give thanks to the Lord, acclaim his name; among the nations make known his deeds, proclaim how exalted is his name. (R) 5 Sing praise to the Lord for his glorious achievement; let this be known throughout all the earth. 6 Shout with exultation, O city of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel! (R)

GOSPEL 

The sanctity of marriage is an essential aspect of the Church’s moral teaching. The Church teaches us to take responsibility for our sexuality and all that stems from it. Children have a right to a mother and father — they are blessings from the Lord. Our sexuality is just like any other human appetite — eating, drinking, playing, working, etc. We need to be responsible in our expression of our sexuality and honor the gift that it is, and not treat it like a commodity to be bought and sold.

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.”

Daily Readings for August 16, 2018

1st READING

In today’s reading, Ezekiel prophesies the exile of the people of Israel. Prophetic actions are powerful — the visual aspect provides what words fail to describe. It is an example of the saying, “A picture paints a thousand words.” Let us be mindful of this — when we fail to follow God’s will, we leave ourselves vulnerable to our enemies. Israel was conquered by another nation; in our case, we are plagued by temptation and sin.

Ezekiel 12:1-12

1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 Son of man, you live in the midst of a rebellious house; they have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious house. 3 Now, son of man, during the day while they are looking on, prepare your baggage as though for exile, and again while they are looking on, migrate from where you live to another place; perhaps they will see that they are a rebellious house. 4 You shall bring out your baggage like an exile in the daytime while they are looking on; in the evening, again while they are looking on, you shall go out like one of those driven into exile; 5 while they look on, dig a hole in the wall and pass through it; 6 while they look on, shoulder the burden and set out in the darkness; cover your face that you may not see the land, for I have made you a sign for the house of Israel. 7 I did as I was told. During the day I brought out my baggage as though it were that of an exile, and at evening I dug a hole through the wall with my hand and, while they looked on, set out in the darkness, shouldering my burden. 8 Then, in the morning, the word of the Lord came to me: 9 Son of man, did not the house of Israel, that rebellious house, ask you what you were doing? 10 Tell them: Thus says the Lord God: This oracle concerns Jerusalem and the whole house of Israel within it. 11 I am a sign for you: as I have done, so shall it be done to them; as captives they shall go into exile. 12 The prince who is among them shall shoulder his burden and set out in darkness, going through a hole that he has dug in the wall, and covering his face lest he be seen by anyone.

P S A L M 

Psalm 78:56-57, 58-59, 61-62

R: Do not forget the works of the Lord!

56 They tempted and rebelled against God the Most High, and kept not his decrees. 57 They turned back and were faithless like their fathers; they recoiled like a treacherous bow. (R) 58 They angered him with their high places and with their idols roused his jealousy. 59 God heard and was enraged and utterly rejected Israel. (R) 61 And he surrendered his strength into captivity, his glory into the hands of the foe. 62 He abandoned his people to the sword and was enraged against his inheritance. (R)

GOSPEL 

Forgiveness is an important aspect of our faith. The dynamic in the Scriptures, and what is made explicit in the Lord’s Prayer, is that God forgives our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Forgiveness gains its power from its universality — we cannot be selective in forgiving.

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 him 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.   

Daily Readings for August 15, 2018

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary 

1st READING

As we honor the Blessed Virgin Mary for her role in our salvation history, we remember her simple faith and trust in God’s promises that led her to become the Mother of God. She is the first disciple of Jesus — a woman who willingly became a co-progenitor of the Gospel, an instrument of God’s grace. Let us thank Mary for her generosity of heart and spirit.

Revelations 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

In the Assumption, we believe that Mary has already received the gift of salvation. For us, we await the Second Coming of Jesus and the end of this world. Let us persevere in Christ’s call for us. Let us ask Mary to intercede for us, that God may give us the graces we need to be disciples of her Son, Jesus.

1 Corinthians 15:20-27

20 Brothers and sisters: Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits 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 firstfruits; 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 has received an abundance of grace from God. She is blessed with extraordinary graces she needs for her unique role as mother of Jesus. Through Mary, we know that God gives us the grace — all the grace — we need to follow His call.

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. 51 He 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 help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, 55 the promise he made to fathers, to Abraham and his children forever.” 56 Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

Daily Readings for August 14, 2018

Memorial of St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe, priest and martyr 

1st READING

Today’s reading is a prophetic act. The image of Ezekiel eating the sweet scroll is a metaphor for reading and listening to the Word of God. For men and women of faith, the Word of God is sweet because it reveals the truth to us. Let us pray that, like Ezekiel, we may experience the sweetness of God’s Word.

Ezekiel 2:8-3:4

8 The Lord God said to me: As for you, son of man, obey me when I speak to you: be not rebellious like this house of rebellion, but open your mouth and eat what I shall give you. 9 It was then I saw a hand stretched out to me, in which was a written scroll 10 which he unrolled before me. It was covered with writing front and back, and written on it was lamentation and wailing and woe! 3:1 He said to me: Son of man, eat what is before you; eat this scroll, then go, speak to the house of Israel. 2 So I opened my mouth and he gave me the scroll to eat. 3 Son of man, he then said to me, feed your belly and fill your stomach with this scroll I am giving you. I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. He said: 4 Son of man, go now to the house of Israel, and speak my words to them.

P S A L M 

Psalm 119:14, 24, 72, 103, 111, 131

R: How sweet to my taste is your promise!

14 In the way of your decrees I rejoice, as much as in all riches. (R) 24 Yes, your decrees are my delight; they are my counselors. (R) 72 The law of your mouth is to me more precious than thousands of gold and silver pieces. (R) 103 How sweet to my palate are your promises, sweeter than honey to my mouth! (R) 111 Your decrees are my inheritance forever; the joy of my heart they are. (R) 131 I gasp with open mouth in my yearning for your commands. (R)

GOSPEL 

Jesus uses a child to describe the nature of our faith. Like a child who completely trusts his parents, so too must we trust in God’s promises. Let us surrender to Him any unbelief we may have. May God strengthen our faith, and deepen our trust in Him, and free us from doubts about the Gospel.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

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

Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14

1 The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” 2 He called a child over, placed it in their midst 3 and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me. 10 See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father. [11] 11 12 What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? 13 And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. 14 In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.”

Daily Readings for August 13, 2018

1st READING  

Most of the prophets have a vision of God’s glory during their ministry. His calling for the prophets to serve is difficult and may seem a thankless task. They need the inspiration to respond to the call. What better way to do this than to give them a glimpse of the glory of God. Let us pray that we may also see and share in God’s glory.

Ezekiel 1:2-5, 24-28

2 On the fifth day of the fourth month of the fifth year, that is, of King Jehoiachin’s exile, 3 the word of the Lord came to the priest Ezekiel, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar. There the hand of the Lord came upon me. 4 As I looked, a storm wind came from the North, a huge cloud with flashing fire enveloped in brightness, from the midst of which (the midst of the fire) something gleamed like electrum. 5 Within it were figures resembling four living creatures that looked like this: their form was human. 24 Then I heard the sound of their wings, like the roaring of mighty waters, like the voice of the Almighty. When they moved, the sound of the tumult was like the din of an army. And when they stood still, they lowered their wings. 25-26 Above the firmament over their heads something like a throne could be seen, looking like sapphire. Upon it was seated, up above, one who had the appearance of a man. 27 Upward from what resembled his waist I saw what gleamed like electrum; downward from what resembled his waist I saw what looked like fire; he was surrounded with splendor. 28 Like the bow which appears in the clouds on a rainy day was the splendor that surrounded him. Such was the vision of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.

P S A L M 

Psalm 148:1-2, 11-12, 13, 14

R: Heaven and earth are filled with your glory.

1 Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights; 2 Praise him, all you his angels, praise him, all you his hosts. (R) 11 Let the kings of the earth and all peoples, the princes and all the judges of the earth, 12 young men too, and maidens, old men and boys, 13 praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven. (R) 14 And he has lifted up the horn of his people. Be this his praise from all his faithful ones, from the children of Israel, the people close to him. Alleluia. (R)

GOSPEL

Jesus’ miracle in today’s Gospel remains a mystery. He believes that as a Jew, He should be exempt from paying temple tax. But He agrees to pay it just the same with the coin He asked Peter to get from the first fish he catches. Why did the money for the tax come from the mouth of a fish? Perhaps there are some aspects of Jesus’ ministry that we may never understand. May the Holy Spirit continue to enlighten us and help us to accept the mysteries of our faith.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

God has called you through the Gospel to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 17:22-27

22 As Jesus and his disciples were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men, 23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were overwhelmed with grief. 24 When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax approached Peter and said, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?” 25 “Yes,” he said. When he came into the house, before he had time to speak, Jesus asked him, “What is your opinion, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take tolls or census tax? From their subjects or from foreigners?” 26 When he said, “From foreigners,” Jesus said to him, “Then the subjects are exempt. 27 But that we may not offend them, go to the sea, drop in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up. Open its mouth and you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax. Give that to them for me and for you.”