Daily Readings for September 10, 2017

1ST READING

We all have responsibilities. No one can live without them. What we have to ensure is that we keep them. If we do our part in any given situation, then we cannot be held responsible for the choices of others. If we set a bad example or fail to live out our responsibilities, then we will be held responsible, if not immediately then on the Day of Judgment.

Ezekiel 33:7-9

7 Thus says the Lord, You, son of man, I have appointed watchman for the house of Israel; when you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me. 8 If I tell the wicked, “O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way, the wicked shall die for his guilt, but I will hold you responsible for his death. 9 But if you warn the wicked, trying to turn him from his way, and he refuses to turn from his way, he shall die for his guilt, but you shall save yourself.

P S A L M

Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9

R: If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

1 Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord; let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us joyfully sing psalm to him. (R) 6 Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the Lord who made us. 7 For he is our God, and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides. (R) Oh, that today you would hear his voice: 8 “Harden not your hearts as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the desert, 9 where your fathers tempted me; they tested me though they had seen my works.” (R)

2ND READING

If we truly love, then we will not break the Commandments. People who argue that they are doing the loving thing but are disobeying the Commandments are mistaken. It is impossible to love in the true sense of the word and then break the Commandments. It is as simple as that. “Doing the loving thing” has become a catchphrase that people use to rationalize actions that are wrong but which they seemingly cannot help doing.

Romans 13:8-10

8 Brothers and sisters: Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this saying, namely “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.

GOSPEL

Jesus is not necessarily outlining a strict set of practices for correcting someone but He is saying that we need to take seriously any sinful act that we witness. In the Early Church, and to a certain extent still today, there are acts which cause automatic exclusion from the faith community. People were often banished from their homes and communities if they refused to repent and change their ways. This was done to protect the remaining members of the community.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

Matthew 18:15-20

15 Jesus said to his disciples: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you,  you have won over your brother. 16 If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that ‘every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector. 18 Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

Daily Readings for September 9, 2017

1ST READING

The Gospel truths and promises are the true Christian anchor. They ground us in our discipleship and remind us of who we are in relation to God. St. Paul encourages the Colossians to root themselves well in the Gospel. They live in a very pagan world that will pounce at any opportunity to win them back to paganism. The same is true today in that the Western world around us is virtually moving into a post-Christian phase that welcomes back the pagan idols of yesteryears.

Colossians 1:21-23

21 Brothers and sisters: You once were alienated and hostile in mind because of evil deeds 22 God has now reconciled in his fleshly Body of Christ through his death, to present you holy, without blemish, and irreproachable before him, 23 provided that you persevere in the faith, firmly grounded, stable, and not shifting from the hope of the Gospel that you heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, am a minister.

P S A L M

Psalm 54:3-4, 6, 8

R: God himself is my help.

1 [3] O God, by your name save me, and by your might defend my cause. 2 [4] O God, hear my prayer; hearken to the words of my mouth. (R) 4 [6] Behold, God is my helper; the Lord sustains my life. 6 [8] Freely will I offer you sacrifice; I will praise your name, O Lord, for its goodness. (R)

GOSPEL

Legalism, relying upon the Law for the sake of the Law and forgetting that it is in the service of the human person, will not do us well in the long term. This does not mean that we can pick and choose what laws we want to follow and ignore, but that we have to use our conscience on how to apply the Law in any given situation. This is why we need to develop our virtues, so that our consciences will be well-formed and, thus, capable of making wise judgments.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

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

Luke 6:1-5

1 While Jesus was going through a field of grain on a sabbath, his disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them. 2 Some Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?” 3 Jesus said to them in reply, “Have you not read what David did when he and those who were with him were hungry? 4 How he went into the house of God, took the bread of offering, which only the priests could lawfully eat, ate of it, and shared it with his companions.” 5 Then he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”

Daily Readings for September 8, 2017

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

1ST READING

We celebrate the birthday of Mary today, not because we know this was her true birth date but because we want to honor her life and example as the first follower of Jesus. Mary is sometimes called the First Christian by the Fathers of the Church because she received the fullness of the grace of salvation even before Christ was born. Her life is a great example of simplicity, trust and obedience.

Micah 5:1-4 (or Romans 8:28-30)

1 The Lord says: You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah too small to be among the clans of Judah, From you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; whose origin is from of old, from ancient times. 2 (Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when she who is to give birth has borne, and the rest of his brethren shall return to the children of Israel.) 3 He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock by the strength of the Lord, in the majestic name of the Lord, his God; And they shall remain, for now his greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth; 4 he shall be peace.

P S A L M

Psalm 13:6, 6

R: With delight I rejoice in the Lord.

5 [6] Though I trusted in your mercy, let my heart rejoice in your salvation. (R) Let me sing of the Lord, “He has been good to me.” (R)

GOSPEL

Mary’s role in salvation history is unique. There will never be anyone quite like her. Yet, even though she was extraordinarily filled with grace, we can easily relate to her. Her life has certain tragic dimensions to it, like watching her Son die on a cross. She probably did not grasp yet how Jesus was to be raised from the dead, so this would have been a particularly difficult moment for her, something that makes it a bit easier for us to relate to her.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Blessed are you, holy Virgin Mary, deserving of all praise; from you rose the sun of justice, Christ our God.

Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23

1 The Book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham became the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. 3 Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar. Perez became the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, 4 Ram the father of Amminadab. Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab. Boaz became the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth. Obed became the father of Jesse, 6 Jesse the father of David the king. David became the father of Solomon, whose mother had been the wife of Uriah. 7 Solomon became the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asaph. 8 Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Uzziah. 9 Uzziah became the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. 10 Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amos, Amos the father of Josiah. 11 Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the Babylonian exile. 12 After the Babylonian exile, Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 Zerubbabel the father of Abiud. Abiud became the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 Azor the father of Zadok. Zadok became the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, 15 Eliud the father of Eleazar. Eleazar became the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ. 18 Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. 20 Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. 21 She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.”

Daily Readings for September 7, 2017

1ST READING

It is important to reflect on the nature of conversion to the Gospel. Why? Because it can help us to focus on how best we can proclaim the Gospel to others, and how we can disciple them in the ways of Christ and His Gospel. This has to be at the heart of all our faith communities. If we are not growing in faith and there are no new people joining us, then we are a dying breed, awaiting our last days.

Colossians 1:9-14

9 Brothers and sisters: From the day we heard about you, we do not cease praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding 10 to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge of God, 11 strengthened with every power, in accord with his glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light. 13 He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

P S A L M

Psalm 98:2-3, 3-4, 5-6

R: The Lord has made known his salvation.

2 The Lord has made his salvation known: in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice. 3 He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel. (R) All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God. 4 Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands; break into song; sing praise. (R) 5 Sing praise to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and melodious song. 6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn sing joyfully before the King, the Lord. (R)

GOSPEL

We cannot live out the Gospel on our own. Even Jesus had to call others to Himself to help in His mission. As we reflect on the call of the first disciples, let us remember our own calling and why we responded to it. This is important in rekindling the fire in us when we first chose to follow Christ. Sometimes, if we forget to feed our faith with the spiritual food that it needs, it begins to die, and we along with it.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Come after me, says the Lord, and I will make you fishers of men.

Luke 5:1-11

1 While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. 2 He saw two boats there alongside the lake; the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. 4 After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” 5 Simon said in reply, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.” 6 When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. 7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them. They came and filled both boats so that they were in danger of sinking. 8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” 9 For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, 10 and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” 11 When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.

Daily Readings for September 6, 2017

1ST READING

A great way of praying is to give thanks for the marvelous things God has done in our lives. If you read the psalms, you will see that they constantly call to mind the wonders that God has done and their refrain is one of gratitude for these marvels. Let us follow in the spirit and tradition of the psalmist as we live with gratitude and service to God.

Colossians 1:1-8

1 Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 to the holy ones and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae: grace to you and peace from God our Father. 3 We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the holy ones 5 because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. Of this you have already heard through the word of truth, the Gospel, 6 that has come to you. Just as in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing, so also among you, from the day you heard it and came to know the grace of God in truth, 7 as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow slave, who is a trustworthy minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

P S A L M

Psalm 52:10, 11

R: I trust in the mercy of God forever.

8 [10] I, like a green olive tree in the house of God, trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. (R) 9 [11] I will thank you always for what you have done, and proclaim the goodness of your name before your faithful ones. (R)

GOSPEL

Jesus’ power to heal is an attractive asset — just as how healing Masses today can bring many people to a service. We have to learn from this. Some things attract people to God, but then we need a good follow-up so that they can be called to conversion and discipleship.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor and to proclaim liberty to captives.

Luke 4:38-44

38 After Jesus left the synagogue, he entered the house of Simon. Simon’s mother-in-law was afflicted with a severe fever, and they interceded with him about her. 39 He stood over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up immediately and waited on them. 40 At sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases brought them to him. He laid his hands on each of them and cured them. 41 And demons also came out from many, shouting, “You are the Son of God.” But he rebuked them and did not allow them to speak because they knew that he was the Christ. 42 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. 43 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.” 44 And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.