Daily Reflection | Gospel Reading | RVA

13TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
St. Maria Goretti, virgin & martyr
Psalter: Week 1 / (Green/Red)

Ps 119:2, 10, 20, 30, 40, 131
One does not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes
from the mouth of God.

1^st Reading: Am 8:4-6, 9-12

Hear this, you, who trample on the needy, to do away with the weak of the land. You who say, “When will the new moon or the Sabbath feast be over that we may open the store and sell our grain? Let us lower the measure and raise the price; let us cheat and tamper with the scales, and even sell the refuse with the whole grain. We will buy up the poor for money and the needy for a pair of sandals.”

Yahweh says, “On that day, I will make the sun go down at noon; and darken the earth in broad daylight.

I will turn your festivals into mourning and all your singing into wailing. Everyone will mourn, covered with sackcloth; and every head will be shaved. I will make them mourn, as for an only son, and bring their day to a bitter end.”

Yahweh says, “Days are coming when I will send famine upon the land; not hunger for bread or thirst for water, but for hearing the word of Yahweh. Men will stagger from sea to sea, wander to and fro, from north to east, searching for the word of Yahweh; but they will not find it.

Gospel: Mt 9:9-13

 As Jesus moved on from there, he saw a man named Matthew, at his seat in the custom-house; and he said to him, “Follow me!” And Matthew got up and followed him. Now it happened, while Jesus was at table in Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners joined Jesus and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why is it, that your master eats with sinners and tax collectors?”

When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people do not need a doctor, but sick people do. Go, and find out what this means: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Reflections

What I want is mercy,
not sacrifice

Pope Francis’ papal motto, “miserando atque eligendo” is based on St. Bede’s homily on the feast day of St. Matthew. St. Bede writes that upon seeing him with compassion, Jesus calls Matthew to follow him.

God’s mercy is the central theme of Pope Francis’ papacy. In Evangelii Gaudium he articulated his vision for the church, that it be a place “where mercy is freely given.” Elsewhere he explains that mercy is the very definition of God. Though the Jubilee Year of Mercy is over, we pray we all witness to God’s mercy. As Christians

13TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
St. Anthony Zaccaria, priest
Psalter: Week 1 / (Green/White)

Ps 19:8, 9, 10, 11
The judgments of the Lord are true,
and all of them are just.

1^st Reading: Am 7:10-17

Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, then sent word to king Jeroboam of Israel, “Amos is conspiring against you in the very center of Israel; what he says goes too far. These are his very words: Jeroboam shall die by the sword and Israel shall be exiled from its land.”

Amaziah then said to Amos, “Off with you, seer, go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there by prophesying. But never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is a king’s Sanctuary and a national shrine.”

Amos replied to Amaziah, “I am not a prophet or one of the fellow prophets. I am a breeder of sheep and a dresser of sycamore trees. But Yahweh took me from shepherding the flock and said to me: Go, prophesy to my people Israel.

Now hear the word of Yahweh, you who say: No more prophecy against Israel, no more insults against the family of Isaac! This is what Yahweh says: Your wife shall be made a harlot in the city, your sons and daughters shall fall by the sword, your land shall be divided up and given to others, and you, yourself, shall die in a foreign land, for Israel shall be driven far from its land.”

Gospel: Mt 9:1-8

 Jesus got back into the boat, crossed the lake again, and came to his hometown. Here, they brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a bed. Jesus saw their faith and said to the paralytic, “Courage, my son! Your sins are forgiven.”

Some teachers of the law said within themselves, “This man insults God.” Jesus was aware of what they were thinking; and said, “Why have you such evil thoughts? Which is easier to say: ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? But that you may know, that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins,” he said to the paralyzed man, “Stand up! Take your stretcher and go home!” The man got up, and went home.

When the crowds saw this, they were filled with awe, and praised God for giving such power to human beings.

Reflections

Courage, my son!
Your sins are forgiven

As Jesus forgives the sins of a paralytic, the Pharisees accuse him of blasphemy, for God alone forgives sins. While the evil spirits recognized Jesus’ identity as God’s Son, the Pharisees did not. Then Jesus makes the paralytic walk which astonishes everyone.

Jesus, however, did not perform miracles to prove himself but to attend to the needs of the afflicted. How easily we are tempted to call attention to ourselves and our talents that others might admire us. Let us ask for the grace of humility that our good works point others to God, the source of all goodness.

13TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
St. Elizabeth of Portugal,
married woman, queen
Psalter: Week 1 / (Green/White)

Ps 50:7, 8-9, 10-11, 12-13, 16bc-17
To the upright I will show
 the saving power of God.

1^st Reading: Am 5:14-15, 21-24

Seek good and shun evil, that you may live. Then Yahweh, the God of hosts, as you have claimed, will be with you. Hate wickedness and love virtue, and let justice prevail in the courts; perhaps Yahweh, the God of hosts, will take pity on the remnant of Joseph.

“I hate, I reject your feasts, I take no pleasure when you assemble to offer me your burnt offerings. Your cereal offerings, I will not accept! Your offerings of fattened beasts, I will not look upon! Away with the noise of your chanting, away with your strumming on harps. But let justice run its course like water, and righteousness be like an ever-flowing river.

Gospel: Mt 8:28-34

 When Jesus reached Gadara, on the other side, he was met by two men, possessed by devils, who came out from the tombs. They were so fierce that no one dared to pass that way. They cried out, “Son of God, leave us alone! Have you come here to torment us before the time?”

Some distance away there was a large herd of pigs feeding. So the demons begged him, “If you drive us out, send us into that herd of pigs.” Jesus ordered them, “Go!” So the demons left the men and went into the pigs. The whole herd rushed down the cliff into the lake and was drowned.

The men in charge of the pigs ran off to the town, where they told the whole story; and also what had happened to the men possessed with the demons. The whole town went out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.

Reflections

let justice run its course like water, and righteousness be like an ever-flowing river

Amos is the prophet of social justice. He proclaims God’s indignation over the oppression of the weak and poor by the powerful and wealthy. He conveys God’s detestation of sacrifices and burnt offerings unaccompanied by a passion for justice. He expresses God’s rejection of our feasts and chanting detached from a concern for the poor and oppressed.

Amos invites us to integrate our sacramental life with a commitment to social justice, for sacramentality without a concern for the downtrodden leads to empty ritualism; advocacy for justice without a sacramental life can lead to moral activism.

Daily Reflection 2018

Bible Diary ® is a product of Claretian Publications, a division of Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc. (CCFI) which is a pastoral endeavor of the Claretian Missionaries in the Philippines that brings the Word of God to people from all walks of life. CCFI aims to promote integral evangelization and renewed spirituality that is geared towards empowerment and total liberation in response to the needs and challenges of the Church today.

CCFI is a member of Claret Publishing Group, a consortium of the publishing houses of the Claretian Missionaries all over the world: Bangalore, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Chennai, Colombo, Dar es Salaam, Lagos, Madrid, Macao, Manila, Owerry, São Paolo, Varsaw , Yaoundé.

Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57^th Edition) The New English Translation for the ROMAN MISSAL

With permission from the EPISCOPAL COMMISION ON LITURGY of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines

 

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Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc.
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FEAST OF ST. THOMAS, APOSTLE

Psalter: Proper / (Red)

Ps 117:1bc, 2
Go out to all the world
and tell the Good News.

1^st Reading: Eph 2:19-22

Now, you are no longer strangers or guests, but fellow citizens of the holy people: you are of the household of God. You are the house, whose foundations are the apostles and prophets, and whose cornerstone is Christ Jesus. In him, the whole structure is joined together, and rises, to be a holy temple, in the Lord. In him, you, too, are being built, to become the spiritual Sanctuary of God.

Gospel: Jn 20:24-29

 Thomas, the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he replied, “Until I have seen in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

Eight days later, the disciples were again inside the house and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; stretch out your hand, and put it into my side. Do not continue in your unbelief, but believe!”

Thomas said, “You are my Lord and my God.” Jesus replied, “You believe because you see me, don’t you? Happy are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

Reflections

Happy are those
who have not seen and yet have come to believe

It was not only Thomas who doubted the reports that Jesus had risen from the dead. The other disciples earlier refused to believe Mary Magdalene’s account of seeing the Risen Lord. The Jews till today believe in the universal resurrection of the dead at the End Time; hence, the disciples, having no notion of the individual resurrection, could not believe Jesus had risen — until he appeared to them.

Though not witnesses of the Risen Lord, blessed are those who believe that suffering, injustice or death do not have the last word. Blessed those who believe that Eternal Love will prevail.

Daily Reflection 2018

Bible Diary ® is a product of Claretian Publications, a division of Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc. (CCFI) which is a pastoral endeavor of the Claretian Missionaries in the Philippines that brings the Word of God to people from all walks of life. CCFI aims to promote integral evangelization and renewed spirituality that is geared towards empowerment and total liberation in response to the needs and challenges of the Church today.

CCFI is a member of Claret Publishing Group, a consortium of the publishing houses of the Claretian Missionaries all over the world: Bangalore, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Chennai, Colombo, Dar es Salaam, Lagos, Madrid, Macao, Manila, Owerry, São Paolo, Varsaw , Yaoundé.

Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57^th Edition) The New English Translation for the ROMAN MISSAL

With permission from the EPISCOPAL COMMISION ON LITURGY of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines

 

Bible Diary ® 2018
Copyright © 2O17 
Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc.
U.P. P.O. Box 4, Diliman,
1101 Quezon City, Philippines
Tel.: (63-2) 921-3984
Fax: (6352) 921-7429
Email: ccfi@claretianpublicationscom
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web: www.claretianph.com