Daily Readings for October 6, 2018

1st READING

Job admits that suffering remains a mystery to him. He has remained faithful to God through all of his trials and, in the end, he is blessed with even more children and wealth than he had before. As we reflect on Job’s faithfulness, let us also pray that we may be able to stand  firm in the midst of suffering.

Job 42:1-3, 5-6, 12-17

1 Job answered the Lord and said: 2 I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be hindered. 3 I have dealt with great things that I do not understand; things too wonderful for me, which I cannot know. 5 I had heard of you by word of mouth, but now my eye has seen you. 6 Therefore I disown what I have said, and repent in dust and ashes. 12 Thus the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his earlier ones. For he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she-asses. 13 And he had seven sons and three daughters, 14 of whom he called the first Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. 15 In all the land no other women were as beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers. 16 After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; and he saw his children, his grandchildren, and even his great-grandchildren. 17 Then Job died, old and full of years.

P S A L M 

Psalm 119:66, 71, 75, 91, 125, 130

R: Lord, let your face shine on me.

66 Teach me wisdom and knowledge, for in your commands I trust. (R) 71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn your statutes. (R) 75 I know, O Lord, that your ordinances are just, and in your faithfulness you have afflicted me. (R) 91 According to your ordinances they still stand firm: all things serve you. (R) 125 I am your servant; give me discernment that I may know your decrees. (R) 130 The revelation of your words sheds light, giving understanding to the simple. (R)

GOSPEL 

Let us rejoice at the marvelous deeds God has done for us and glorify Him. We are privileged to be a part of the Church and to witness the amazing grace and power of the Holy Spirit at work in us. May we express our gratitude by responding generously to the call of evangelization.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION 

Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom. 

Luke 10:17-24

17 The seventy-two disciples returned rejoicing, and said to Jesus, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.” 18 Jesus said, “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky. 19 Behold, I have given you the power ‘to tread upon serpents’ and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” 21 At that very moment he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. 22 All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.” 23 Turning to the disciples in private he said, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. 24 For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”

Daily Readings for October 5, 2018

1st READING 

God reminds Job about His greatness and superiority. Job acknowledges this and apologizes for speaking out of turn, and then promises not to make the same mistake again. The discussions between Job and his friends, and between God and Job, present the question of suffering before us. There is no clear explanation for suffering. Reflecting on the Book of Job, however,  leads to a lively discussion about suffering.

Job 38:1, 12-21; 40:3-5

1 The Lord addressed Job out of the storm and said: 12 Have you ever in your lifetime commanded the morning and shown the dawn its place 13 for taking hold of the ends of the earth, till the wicked are shaken from its surface? 14 The earth is changed as is clay by the seal, and dyed as though it were a garment; 15 but from the wicked the light is withheld, and the arm of pride is shattered. 16 Have you entered into the sources of the sea, or walked about in the depths of the abyss? 17 Have the gates of death been shown to you, or have you seen the gates of darkness? 18 Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth? Tell me, if you know all: 19 which is the way to the dwelling place of light, and where is the abode of darkness, 20 that you may take them to their boundaries and set them on their homeward paths? 21 You know, because you were born before them, and the number of your years is great! 40:3 Then Job answered the Lord and said: 4 Behold, I am of little account; what can I answer you? I put my hand over my mouth. 5 Though I have spoken once, I will not do so again; though twice, I will do so no more.

P S A L M 

Psalm 139:1-3, 7-8, 9-10, 13-14

R: Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.

1 O Lord, you have probed me and you know me; 2 you know when I sit and when I stand; you understand my thoughts from afar. 3 My journeys and my rest you scrutinize, with all my ways you are familiar. (R) 7 Where can I go from your spirit? From your presence where can I flee? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I sink to the netherworld, you are present there. (R) 9 If I take the wings of the dawn, if I settle at the farthest limits of the sea, 10 even there your hand shall guide me, and your right hand hold me fast. (R) 13 Truly you have formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. 14 I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made; wonderful are your works. (R)

GOSPEL 

Repentance is essential to a life of discipleship. We are sinners and we need to clear away sin in order to be filled with God’s grace and gifts. Let us look at our hearts, and see what we need to overcome to grow in holiness. Let us pray for the grace to avoid sin.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION 

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

Luke 10:13-16

13 Jesus said to them, “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And as for you, Capernaum, ‘Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the netherworld.’ 16 Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”

Daily Readings for October 4, 2018

Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, religious

1st READING

Job appeals to his friends who goad him into complaining against God instead of comforting him. Job affrms that their intention is hopeless and that he wishes this moment could be recorded in stone as a sign of his faithfulness and commitment to God. Let us pray that, like Job, we will persevere in the face of temptation.

Job 19:21-27

21 Job said: Pity me, pity me, O you my friends, for the hand of God has struck me! 22 Why do you hound me as though you were divine, and insatiably prey upon me? 23 Oh, would that my words were written down! Would that they were inscribed in a record: 24 That with an iron chisel and with lead they were cut in the rock forever! 25 But as for me, I know that my Vindicator lives, and that he will at last stand forth upon the dust; 26 [27] whom I myself shall see: my own eyes, not another’s, shall behold him, 27 [26] and from my flesh I shall see God; my inmost being is consumed with longing.

P S AL M 

Psalm 27:7-8, 8-9, 13-14

R: I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.

Hear, O Lord, the sound of my call; have pity on me, and answer me. 8 Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks. (R) Your presence, O Lord, I seek. 9 Hide not your face from me; do not in anger repel your servant. You are my helper: cast me not off. (R) 13 I believe that I shall see the bounty of the Lord in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the Lord with courage; be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord. (R)

GOSPEL 

Jesus laments the shortage of willing workers to bring in the harvest. This is always the case when it comes to the work of evangelization. The Church needs more men and women to help accomplish its mission. Are we ready to volunteer for this ministry? We have a responsibility to share in the Church’s mission by virtue of our baptism.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION 

The Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel.

Luke 10:1-12

1 Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. 2 He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. 3 Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. 4 Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. 5 Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ 6 If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his payment. Do not move about from one house to another. 8 Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, 9 cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.’ 10 Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you, go out into the streets and say, 11 ‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet, even that we shake off against you.’ Yet know this: the Kingdom of God is at hand. 12 I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town.”

Daily Readings for October 3, 2018

1st READING

There is a  fine line between extreme humility and despair. The difference is the state of our hearts. The saints exercised extreme humility to express their unworthiness before God. This comes from the truth of who we are in front of God’s majesty. Despair originates in our distrust in God. Let us maintain a positive view towards His works, no matter how we may feel about them.

Job 9:1-12, 14-16

1 Job answered his friends and said: 2 I know well that it is so; but how can a man be justified before God? 3 Should one wish to contend with him, he could not answer him once in a thousand times. 4 God is wise in heart and mighty in strength; who has withstood him and remained unscathed? 5 He removes the mountains before they know it; he overturns them in his anger. 6 He shakes the earth out of its place, and the pillars beneath it tremble. 7 He commands the sun, and it rises not; he seals up the stars. 8 He alone stretches out the heavens and treads upon the crests of the sea. 9 He made the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south; 10 He does great things past finding out, marvelous things beyond reckoning. 11 Should he come near me, I see him not; should he pass by, I am not aware of him; 12 should he seize me forcibly, who can say him nay? Who can say to him, “What are you doing?” 14 How much less shall I give him any answer, or choose out arguments against him! 15 Even though I were right, I could not answer him, but should rather beg for what was due me. 16 If I appealed to him and he answered my call, I could not believe that he would hearken to my words.

P S A L M 

Psalm 88:10-11, 12-13, 14-15

R: Let my prayer come before you, Lord.

9 [10] Daily I call upon you, O Lord; to you I stretch out my hands. 10 [11] Will you work wonders for the dead? Will the shades arise to give you thanks? (R) 11 [12] Do they declare your mercy in the grave, your faithfulness among those who have perished? 12 [13] Are your wonders made known in the darkness, or your justice in the land of oblivion? (R) 13 [14] But I, O Lord, cry out to you; with my morning prayer I wait upon you. 14 [15] Why, O Lord, do you reject me; why hide from me your face? (R)

GOSPEL 

We live in this life as mortal beings. We can never be sure of the next moment. But with God, everything is absolute and without contingency. Let us stand before Him and acknowledge our indebtedness to His love. Let us pray for the courage and strength to use our gifts and talents. Humility is not a sign of weakness — through it, we can become the pillars of the Church. 

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

I consider all things so much rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in him.

Luke 9:57-62

57 As Jesus and his disciples were proceeding on their journey someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” 59 And to another he said, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” 60 But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.” 61 And another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home.” 62 Jesus answered him, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.”

Daily Readings for October 2, 2018

Memorial of the Guardian Angels

1st READING

We need guardian angels to protect us from evil. The Lord recognized that His people, as they travelled in the desert to the Promised Land, needed protection from their enemies. He sent an angel to go before them. This is what our guardian angels do — they go before us in order to shield us from the attacks of the evil one. Let us pray for the grace to avoid temptation, and walk in the path of truth and righteousness.

Exodus 23:20-23 (or Job 3:1-3, 11-17, 20-23)

20 Thus says the Lord: “See, I am sending an angel before you, to guard you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared. 21 Be attentive to him and heed his voice. Do not rebel against him, for he will not forgive your sin. My authority resides in him. 22 If you heed his voice and carry out all I tell you, I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes. 23 My angel will go before you and bring you to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites; and I will wipe them out.”

P S A L M 

Psalm 91:1-2, 3-4, 4-6, 10-11 (or Psalm 88:2-3, 4-5, 6, 7-8)

R: The Lord has put angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways.

1 You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, 2 say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” (R) 3 For he will rescue you from the snare of the fowler, from the destroying pestilence. 4 With his pinions he will cover you, and under his wings you shall take refuge. (R) His faithfulness is a buckler and a shield. 5 You shall not fear the terror of the night nor the arrow that flies by day; 6 nor the pestilence that roams in darkness nor the devastating plague at noon. (R) 10 No evil shall befall you, nor shall affliction come near your tent, 11 for to his angels he has given command about you, that they guard you in all your ways. (R) 

GOSPEL 

Little children trust in their guardian angels. They innately trust their parents and those who they believe have their best interests at heart. Like children, let us also believe and trust in the angels that God sends to protect and guide us in our earthly pilgrimage. Let us humbly accept that we need His help and protection.

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.”