In Christ For Christ Ministry, India: November 2013

Friday, November 29, 2013

Today's mass reading from the Bible November/30/2013 (Homily catholic church, Gospel word of God for the day)

First Reading: Romans 10: 9 - 18

9 because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved.
11 The scripture says, "No one who believes in him will be put to shame."
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and bestows his riches upon all who call upon him.
13 For, "every one who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved."
14 But how are men to call upon him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher?
15 And how can men preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news!"
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel; for Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?"
17 So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ.
18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have; for "Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world."

Psalms 19: 8 - 11

8 the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
9 the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever; the ordinances of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

Gospel Reading: Matthew 4: 18 - 22

18 As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.
19 And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."
20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him.
21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zeb'edee and John his brother, in the boat with Zeb'edee their father, mending their nets, and he called them.
22 Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Today's mass reading from the Bible November/29/2013 (Homily catholic church, Gospel word of God for the day)

First Reading: Sirach 44: 1, 10 - 15

1 Let us now praise famous men, and our fathers in their generations.
10 But these were men of mercy, whose righteous deeds have not been forgotten;
11 their prosperity will remain with their descendants, and their inheritance to their children's children.
12 Their descendants stand by the covenants; their children also, for their sake.
13 Their posterity will continue for ever, and their glory will not be blotted out.
14 Their bodies were buried in peace, and their name lives to all generations.
15 Peoples will declare their wisdom, and the congregation proclaims their praise.

Psalms 24: 1 - 6

1 The earth is the LORD's and the fulness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein;
2 for he has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers.
3 Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false, and does not swear deceitfully.
5 He will receive blessing from the LORD, and vindication from the God of his salvation.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. [Selah]

Gospel Reading: Mark 10: 17 - 21

17 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
18 And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.
19 You know the commandments: `Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'"
20 And he said to him, "Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth."
21 And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Today's mass reading from the Bible November/28/2013 (Homily catholic church, Gospel word of God for the day)

First Reading: Sirach 50: 22 - 24

22 And now bless the God of all, who in every way does great things; who exalts our days from birth, and deals with us according to his mercy.
23 May he give us gladness of heart, and grant that peace may be in our days in Israel, as in the days of old.
24 May he entrust to us his mercy! And let him deliver us in our days!

Psalms 138: 1 - 5

1 I give thee thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing thy praise;
2 I bow down toward thy holy temple and give thanks to thy name for thy steadfast love and thy faithfulness; for thou hast exalted above everything thy name and thy word.
3 On the day I called, thou didst answer me, my strength of soul thou didst increase.
4 All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, for they have heard the words of thy mouth;
5 and they shall sing of the ways of the LORD, for great is the glory of the LORD.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1: 3 - 9

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 I give thanks to God always for you because of the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus,
5 that in every way you were enriched in him with all speech and all knowledge
6 even as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you
7 so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ;
8 who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Gospel Reading: Luke 17: 11 - 19

11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Sama'ria and Galilee.
12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance
13 and lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us."
14 When he saw them he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went they were cleansed.
15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice;
16 and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan.
17 Then said Jesus, "Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?
18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?"
19 And he said to him, "Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well."

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Today's mass reading from the Bible November/27/2013 (Homily catholic church, Gospel word of God for the day)

First Reading: Daniel 5: 1 - 6, 13 - 14, 16 - 17, 23 - 28

1 King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his lords, with whom he drank.
2 Under the influence of the wine, he ordered the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar, his father, had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, to be brought in so that the king, his lords, his wives and his entertainers might drink from them.
3 When the gold and silver vessels taken from the house of God in Jerusalem had been brought in, and while the king, his lords, his wives and his entertainers were drinking
4 wine from them, they praised their gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.
5 Suddenly, opposite the lampstand, the fingers of a human hand appeared, writing on the plaster of the wall in the king's palace. When the king saw the wrist and hand that wrote,
6 his face blanched; his thoughts terrified him, his hip joints shook, and his knees knocked.
13 Then Daniel was brought into the presence of the king. The king asked him, "Are you the Daniel, the Jewish exile, whom my father, the king, brought from Judah?
14 I have heard that the spirit of God is in you, that you possess brilliant knowledge and extraordinary wisdom.
16 But I have heard that you can interpret dreams and solve difficulties; if you are able to read the writing and tell me what it means, you shall be clothed in purple, wear a gold collar about your neck, and be third in the government of the kingdom."
17 Daniel answered the king: "You may keep your gifts, or give your presents to someone else; but the writing I will read for you, O king, and tell you what it means.
23 you have rebelled against the Lord of heaven. You had the vessels of his temple brought before you, so that you and your nobles, your wives and your entertainers, might drink wine from them; and you praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, that neither see nor hear nor have intelligence. But the God in whose hand is your life breath and the whole course of your life, you did not glorify.
24 By him were the wrist and hand sent, and the writing set down.
25 "This is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, TEKEL, and PERES. These words mean:
26 MENE, God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it;
27 TEKEL, you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting;
28 PERES, your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians."

Daniel 3: 62 - 67

62 Sun and moon, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
63 Stars of heaven, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
64 Every shower and dew, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
65 All you winds, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
66 Fire and heat, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
67 Cold and chill, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.

Gospel Reading: Luke 21: 12 - 19

12 But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake.
13 This will be a time for you to bear testimony.
14 Settle it therefore in your minds, not to meditate beforehand how to answer;
15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.
16 You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and kinsmen and friends, and some of you they will put to death;
17 you will be hated by all for my name's sake.
18 But not a hair of your head will perish.
19 By your endurance you will gain your lives.

Monday, November 25, 2013

Today's mass reading from the Bible November/26/2013 (Homily catholic church, Gospel word of God for the day)

First Reading: Daniel 2: 31 - 45

31 "In your vision, O king, you saw a statue, very large and exceedingly bright, terrifying in appearance as it stood before you.
32 The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs bronze,
33 the legs iron, its feet partly iron and partly tile.
34 While you looked at the statue, a stone which was hewn from a mountain without a hand being put to it, struck its iron and tile feet, breaking them in pieces.
35 The iron, tile, bronze, silver, and gold all crumbled at once, fine as the chaff on the threshing floor in summer, and the wind blew them away without leaving a trace. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
36 "This was the dream; the interpretation we shall also give in the king's presence.
37 You, O king, are the king of kings; to you the God of heaven has given dominion and strength, power and glory;
38 men, wild beasts, and birds of the air, wherever they may dwell, he has handed over to you, making you ruler over them all; you are the head of gold.
39 Another kingdom shall take your place, inferior to yours, then a third kingdom, of bronze, which shall rule over the whole earth.
40 There shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron; it shall break in pieces and subdue all these others, just as iron breaks in pieces and crushes everything else.
41 The feet and toes you saw, partly of potter's tile and partly of iron, mean that it shall be a divided kingdom, but yet have some of the hardness of iron. As you saw the iron mixed with clay tile,
42 and the toes partly iron and partly tile, the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile.
43 The iron mixed with clay tile means that they shall seal their alliances by intermarriage, but they shall not stay united, any more than iron mixes with clay.
44 In the lifetime of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed or delivered up to another people; rather, it shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and put an end to them, and it shall stand forever.
45 That is the meaning of the stone you saw hewn from the mountain without a hand being put to it, which broke in pieces the tile, iron, bronze, silver, and gold. The great God has revealed to the king what shall be in the future; this is exactly what you dreamed, and its meaning is sure."

Daniel 3: 57 - 61

57 Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.
58 Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.
59 You heavens, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.
60 All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.
61 All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.

Gospel Reading: Luke 21: 5 - 11

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Today's mass reading from the Bible November/25/2013 (Homily catholic church, Gospel word of God for the day)

First Reading: Daniel 1: 1 - 6, 8 - 20

1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came and laid siege to Jerusalem.
2 The Lord handed over to him Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and some of the vessels of the temple of God, which he carried off to the land of Shinar, * and placed in the temple treasury of his god.
3 The king told Ashpenaz, his chief chamberlain, to bring in some of the Israelites of royal blood and of the nobility,
4 young men without any defect, handsome, intelligent and wise, quick to learn, and prudent in judgment, such as could take their place in the king's palace; they were to be taught the language and literature of the Chaldeans;
5 after three years' training they were to enter the king's service. The king allotted them a daily portion of food and wine from the royal table.
6 Among these were men of Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
8 But Daniel was resolved not to defile himself with the king's food or wine; so he begged the chief chamberlain to spare him this defilement.
9 Though God had given Daniel the favor and sympathy of the chief chamberlain,
10 he nevertheless said to Daniel, "I am afraid of my lord the king; it is he who allotted your food and drink. If he sees that you look wretched by comparison with the other young men of your age, you will endanger my life with the king."
11 Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief chamberlain had put in charge of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,
12 "Please test your servants for ten days. Give us vegetables to eat and water to drink.
13 Then see how we look in comparison with the other young men who eat from the royal table, and treat your servants according to what you see."
14 He acceded to this request, and tested them for ten days;
15 after ten days they looked healthier and better fed than any of the young men who ate from the royal table.
16 So the steward continued to take away the food and wine they were to receive, and gave them vegetables.
17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and proficiency in all literature and science, and to Daniel the understanding of all visions and dreams.
18 At the end of the time the king had specified for their preparation, the chief chamberlain brought them before Nebuchadnezzar.
19 When the king had spoken with all of them, none was found equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; and so they entered the king's service.
20 In any question of wisdom or prudence which the king put to them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his kingdom.

Daniel 3: 52 - 56

52 "Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever; And blessed is your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.
53 Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory, praiseworthy and glorious above all forever.
54 Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
55 Blessed are you who look into the depths from your throne upon the cherubim, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
56 Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven, praiseworthy and glorious forever.

Gospel Reading: Luke 21: 1 - 4

1 He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury;
2 and he saw a poor widow put in two copper coins.
3 And he said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them;
4 for they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all the living that she had."

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Today's mass reading from the Bible November/24/2013 (Homily catholic church, Gospel word of God for the day)

First Reading: 2 Samuel 5: 1 - 3

1 Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron, and said, "Behold, we are your bone and flesh.
2 In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you that led out and brought in Israel; and the LORD said to you, `You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.'"
3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron; and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel.

Psalms 122: 1 - 5

1 I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD!"
2 Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem!
3 Jerusalem, built as a city which is bound firmly together,
4 to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
5 There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David.

Second Reading: Colossians 1: 12 - 20

12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
13 He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation;
16 for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities all things were created through him and for him.
17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
19 For in him all the fulness of God was pleased to dwell,
20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Gospel Reading: Luke 23: 35 - 43

35 And the people stood by, watching; but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!"
36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him vinegar,
37 and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!"
38 There was also an inscription over him, "This is the King of the Jews."
39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!"
40 But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?
41 And we indeed justly; for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong."
42 And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
43 And he said to him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

Friday, November 22, 2013

Today's mass reading from the Bible November/23/2013 (Homily catholic church, Gospel word of God for the day)

First Reading: 1 Maccabees 6: 1 - 13

1 King Antiochus was going through the upper provinces when he heard that Elymais in Persia was a city famed for its wealth in silver and gold.
2 Its temple was very rich, containing golden shields, breastplates, and weapons left there by Alexander, the son of Philip, the Macedonian king who first reigned over the Greeks.
3 So he came and tried to take the city and plunder it, but he could not, because his plan became known to the men of the city
4 and they withstood him in battle. So he fled and in great grief departed from there to return to Babylon.
5 Then some one came to him in Persia and reported that the armies which had gone into the land of Judah had been routed;
6 that Lysias had gone first with a strong force, but had turned and fled before the Jews; that the Jews had grown strong from the arms, supplies, and abundant spoils which they had taken from the armies they had cut down;
7 that they had torn down the abomination which he had erected upon the altar in Jerusalem; and that they had surrounded the sanctuary with high walls as before, and also Bethzur, his city.
8 When the king heard this news, he was astounded and badly shaken. He took to his bed and became sick from grief, because things had not turned out for him as he had planned.
9 He lay there for many days, because deep grief continually gripped him, and he concluded that he was dying.
10 So he called all his friends and said to them, "Sleep departs from my eyes and I am downhearted with worry.
11 I said to myself, `To what distress I have come! And into what a great flood I now am plunged! For I was kind and beloved in my power.'
12 But now I remember the evils I did in Jerusalem. I seized all her vessels of silver and gold; and I sent to destroy the inhabitants of Judah without good reason.
13 I know that it is because of this that these evils have come upon me; and behold, I am perishing of deep grief in a strange land."

Psalms 9: 2 - 4, 6, 16, 19

2 I will be glad and exult in thee, I will sing praise to thy name, O Most High.
3 When my enemies turned back, they stumbled and perished before thee.
4 For thou hast maintained my just cause; thou hast sat on the throne giving righteous judgment.
6 The enemy have vanished in everlasting ruins; their cities thou hast rooted out; the very memory of them has perished.
16 The LORD has made himself known, he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. [Higgaion. Selah]
19 Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail; let the nations be judged before thee!

Gospel Reading: Luke 20: 27 - 40

27 There came to him some Sadducees, those who say that there is no resurrection,
28 and they asked him a question, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the wife and raise up children for his brother.
29 Now there were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and died without children;
30 and the second
31 and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died.
32 Afterward the woman also died.
33 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife."
34 And Jesus said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage;
35 but those who are accounted worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage,
36 for they cannot die any more, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.
37 But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.
38 Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living; for all live to him."
39 And some of the scribes answered, "Teacher, you have spoken well."
40 For they no longer dared to ask him any question.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Today's mass reading from the Bible November/22/2013 (Homily catholic church, Gospel word of God for the day)

First Reading: 1 Maccabees 4: 36 - 37, 52 - 59

36 Then said Judas and his brothers, "Behold, our enemies are crushed; let us go up to cleanse the sanctuary and dedicate it."
37 So all the army assembled and they went up to Mount Zion.
52 Early in the morning on the twentyfifth day of the ninth month, which is the month of Chislev, in the one hundred and fortyeighth year,
53 they rose and offered sacrifice, as the law directs, on the new altar of burnt offering which they had built.
54 At the very season and on the very day that the Gentiles had profaned it, it was dedicated with songs and harps and lutes and cymbals.
55 All the people fell on their faces and worshiped and blessed Heaven, who had prospered them.
56 So they celebrated the dedication of the altar for eight days, and offered burnt offerings with gladness; they offered a sacrifice of deliverance and praise.
57 They decorated the front of the temple with golden crowns and small shields; they restored the gates and the chambers for the priests, and furnished them with doors.
58 There was very great gladness among the people, and the reproach of the Gentiles was removed.
59 Then Judas and his brothers and all the assembly of Israel determined that every year at that season the days of dedication of the altar should be observed with gladness and joy for eight days, beginning with the twentyfifth day of the month of Chislev.

1 Chronicles 29: 10 - 12

10 Therefore David blessed the LORD in the presence of all the assembly; and David said: "Blessed art thou, O LORD, the God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.
11 Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.
12 Both riches and honor come from thee, and thou rulest over all. In thy hand are power and might; and in thy hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.

Gospel Reading: Luke 19: 45 - 48

45 And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold,
46 saying to them, "It is written, `My house shall be a house of prayer'; but you have made it a den of robbers."
47 And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people sought to destroy him;
48 but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people hung upon his words.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Today's mass reading from the Bible November/21/2013 (Homily catholic church, Gospel word of God for the day)

First Reading: 1 Maccabees 2: 15 - 29

15 Then the king's officers who were enforcing the apostasy came to the city of Modein to make them offer sacrifice.
16 Many from Israel came to them; and Mattathias and his sons were assembled.
17 Then the king's officers spoke to Mattathias as follows: "You are a leader, honored and great in this city, and supported by sons and brothers.
18 Now be the first to come and do what the king commands, as all the Gentiles and the men of Judah and those that are left in Jerusalem have done. Then you and your sons will be numbered among the friends of the king, and you and your sons will be honored with silver and gold and many gifts."
19 But Mattathias answered and said in a loud voice: "Even if all the nations that live under the rule of the king obey him, and have chosen to do his commandments, departing each one from the religion of his fathers,
20 yet I and my sons and my brothers will live by the covenant of our fathers.
21 Far be it from us to desert the law and the ordinances.
22 We will not obey the king's words by turning aside from our religion to the right hand or to the left."
23 When he had finished speaking these words, a Jew came forward in the sight of all to offer sacrifice upon the altar in Modein, according to the king's command.
24 When Mattathias saw it, be burned with zeal and his heart was stirred. He gave vent to righteous anger; he ran and killed him upon the altar.
25 At the same time he killed the king's officer who was forcing them to sacrifice, and he tore down the altar.
26 Thus he burned with zeal for the law, as Phinehas did against Zimri the son of Salu.
27 Then Mattathias cried out in the city with a loud voice, saying: "Let every one who is zealous for the law and supports the covenant come out with me!"
28 And he and his sons fled to the hills and left all that they had in the city.
29 Then many who were seeking righteousness and justice went down to the wilderness to dwell there,

Psalms 50: 1 - 2, 5 - 6, 14 - 15

1 The Mighty One, God the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.
5 "Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!"
6 The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge! [Selah]
14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High;
15 and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me."

Gospel Reading: Luke 19: 41 - 44

41 And when he drew near and saw the city he wept over it,
42 saying, "Would that even today you knew the things that make for peace! But now they are hid from your eyes.
43 For the days shall come upon you, when your enemies will cast up a bank about you and surround you, and hem you in on every side,
44 and dash you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another in you; because you did not know the time of your visitation."

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Today's mass reading from the Bible November/20/2013 (Homily catholic church, Gospel word of God for the day)

First Reading: 2 Maccabees 7: 1, 20 - 31

1 It happened also that seven brothers and their mother were arrested and were being compelled by the king, under torture with whips and cords, to partake of unlawful swine's flesh.
20 The mother was especially admirable and worthy of honorable memory. Though she saw her seven sons perish within a single day, she bore it with good courage because of her hope in the Lord.
21 She encouraged each of them in the language of their fathers. Filled with a noble spirit, she fired her woman's reasoning with a man's courage, and said to them,
22 "I do not know how you came into being in my womb. It was not I who gave you life and breath, nor I who set in order the elements within each of you.
23 Therefore the Creator of the world, who shaped the beginning of man and devised the origin of all things, will in his mercy give life and breath back to you again, since you now forget yourselves for the sake of his laws."
24 Antiochus felt that he was being treated with contempt, and he was suspicious of her reproachful tone. The youngest brother being still alive, Antiochus not only appealed to him in words, but promised with oaths that he would make him rich and enviable if he would turn from the ways of his fathers, and that he would take him for his friend and entrust him with public affairs.
25 Since the young man would not listen to him at all, the king called the mother to him and urged her to advise the youth to save himself.
26 After much urging on his part, she undertook to persuade her son.
27 But, leaning close to him, she spoke in their native tongue as follows, deriding the cruel tyrant: "My son, have pity on me. I carried you nine months in my womb, and nursed you for three years, and have reared you and brought you up to this point in your life, and have taken care of you.
28 I beseech you, my child, to look at the heaven and the earth and see everything that is in them, and recognize that God did not make them out of things that existed. Thus also mankind comes into being.
29 Do not fear this butcher, but prove worthy of your brothers. Accept death, so that in God's mercy I may get you back again with your brothers."
30 While she was still speaking, the young man said, "What are you waiting for? I will not obey the king's command, but I obey the command of the law that was given to our fathers through Moses.
31 But you, who have contrived all sorts of evil against the Hebrews, will certainly not escape the hands of God.

Psalms 17: 1, 5 - 6, 8, 15

1 Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!
5 My steps have held fast to thy paths, my feet have not slipped.
6 I call upon thee, for thou wilt answer me, O God; incline thy ear to me, hear my words.
8 Keep me as the apple of the eye; hide me in the shadow of thy wings,
15 As for me, I shall behold thy face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with beholding thy form.

Gospel Reading: Luke 19: 11 - 28

11 As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.
12 He said therefore, "A nobleman went into a far country to receive a kingdom and then return.
13 Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten pounds, and said to them, `Trade with these till I come.'
14 But his citizens hated him and sent an embassy after him, saying, `We do not want this man to reign over us.'
15 When he returned, having received the kingdom, he commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by trading.
16 The first came before him, saying, `Lord, your pound has made ten pounds more.'
17 And he said to him, `Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.'
18 And the second came, saying, `Lord, your pound has made five pounds.'
19 And he said to him, `And you are to be over five cities.'
20 Then another came, saying, `Lord, here is your pound, which I kept laid away in a napkin;
21 for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man; you take up what you did not lay down, and reap what you did not sow.'
22 He said to him, `I will condemn you out of your own mouth, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow?
23 Why then did you not put my money into the bank, and at my coming I should have collected it with interest?'
24 And he said to those who stood by, `Take the pound from him, and give it to him who has the ten pounds.'
25 (And they said to him, `Lord, he has ten pounds!')
26 `I tell you, that to every one who has will more be given; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
27 But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them before me.'"
28 And when he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

Monday, November 18, 2013

Today's mass reading from the Bible November/19/2013 (Homily catholic church, Gospel word of God for the day)

First Reading: 2 Maccabees 6: 18 - 31

18 Eleazar, one of the scribes in high position, a man now advanced in age and of noble presence, was being forced to open his mouth to eat swine's flesh.
19 But he, welcoming death with honor rather than life with pollution, went up to the rack of his own accord, spitting out the flesh,
20 as men ought to go who have the courage to refuse things that it is not right to taste, even for the natural love of life.
21 Those who were in charge of that unlawful sacrifice took the man aside, because of their long acquaintance with him, and privately urged him to bring meat of his own providing, proper for him to use, and pretend that he was eating the flesh of the sacrificial meal which had been commanded by the king,
22 so that by doing this he might be saved from death, and be treated kindly on account of his old friendship with them.
23 But making a high resolve, worthy of his years and the dignity of his old age and the gray hairs which he had reached with distinction and his excellent life even from childhood, and moreover according to the holy Godgiven law, he declared himself quickly, telling them to send him to Hades.
24 "Such pretense is not worthy of our time of life," he said, "lest many of the young should suppose that Eleazar in his ninetieth year has gone over to an alien religion,
25 and through my pretense, for the sake of living a brief moment longer, they should be led astray because of me, while I defile and disgrace my old age.
26 For even if for the present I should avoid the punishment of men, yet whether I live or die I shall not escape the hands of the Almighty.
27 Therefore, by manfully giving up my life now, I will show myself worthy of my old age
28 and leave to the young a noble example of how to die a good death willingly and nobly for the revered and holy laws." When he had said this, he went at once to the rack.
29 And those who a little before had acted toward him with good will now changed to ill will, because the words he had uttered were in their opinion sheer madness.
30 When he was about to die under the blows, he groaned aloud and said: "It is clear to the Lord in his holy knowledge that, though I might have been saved from death, I am enduring terrible sufferings in my body under this beating, but in my soul I am glad to suffer these things because I fear him."
31 So in this way he died, leaving in his death an example of nobility and a memorial of courage, not only to the young but to the great body of his nation.

Psalms 3: 2 - 7

2 many are saying of me, there is no help for him in God. [Selah]
3 But thou, O LORD, art a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
4 I cry aloud to the LORD, and he answers me from his holy hill. [Selah]
5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the LORD sustains me.
6 I am not afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me round about.
7 Arise, O LORD! Deliver me, O my God! For thou dost smite all my enemies on the cheek, thou dost break the teeth of the wicked.

Gospel Reading: Luke 19: 1 - 10

1 He entered Jericho and was passing through.
2 And there was a man named Zacchae'us; he was a chief tax collector, and rich.
3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature.
4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way.
5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchae'us, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today."
6 So he made haste and came down, and received him joyfully.
7 And when they saw it they all murmured, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner."
8 And Zacchae'us stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold."
9 And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.
10 For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost."

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Today's mass reading from the Bible November/18/2013 (Homily catholic church, Gospel word of God for the day)

First Reading: Acts 28: 11 - 16, 30 - 31

11 After three months we set sail in a ship which had wintered in the island, a ship of Alexandria, with the Twin Brothers as figurehead.
12 Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days.
13 And from there we made a circuit and arrived at Rhe'gium; and after one day a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Pute'oli.
14 There we found brethren, and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome.
15 And the brethren there, when they heard of us, came as far as the Forum of Ap'pius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them Paul thanked God and took courage.
16 And when we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier that guarded him.
30 And he lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him,
31 preaching the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ quite openly and unhindered.

Psalms 98: 1 - 6

1 O sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory.
2 The LORD has made known his victory, he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.
3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.
4 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
5 Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody!
6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD!

Gospel Reading: Matthew 14: 22 - 33

22 Then he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.
23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,
24 but the boat by this time was many furlongs distant from the land, beaten by the waves; for the wind was against them.
25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.
26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear.
27 But immediately he spoke to them, saying, "Take heart, it is I; have no fear."
28 And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water."
29 He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus;
30 but when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me."
31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, "O man of little faith, why did you doubt?"
32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Today's mass reading from the Bible November/17/2013 (Homily catholic church, Gospel word of God for the day)

First Reading: Malachi 3: 19 - 20

Psalms 98: 5 - 9

5 Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody!
6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD!
7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it!
8 Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together
9 before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.

Second Reading: 2 Thessalonian 3: 7 - 12

7 For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you,
8 we did not eat any one's bread without paying, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you.
9 It was not because we have not that right, but to give you in our conduct an example to imitate.
10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: If any one will not work, let him not eat.
11 For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work.
12 Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work in quietness and to earn their own living.

Gospel Reading: Luke 21: 5 - 19

5 And as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said,
6 "As for these things which you see, the days will come when there shall not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down."
7 And they asked him, "Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign when this is about to take place?"
8 And he said, "Take heed that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name, saying, `I am he!' and, `The time is at hand!' Do not go after them.
9 And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified; for this must first take place, but the end will not be at once."
10 Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom;
11 there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.
12 But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake.
13 This will be a time for you to bear testimony.
14 Settle it therefore in your minds, not to meditate beforehand how to answer;
15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.
16 You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and kinsmen and friends, and some of you they will put to death;
17 you will be hated by all for my name's sake.
18 But not a hair of your head will perish.
19 By your endurance you will gain your lives.

Friday, November 15, 2013

Today's mass reading from the Bible November/16/2013 (Homily catholic church, Gospel word of God for the day)

First Reading: Wisdom 18: 14 - 16; 19: 6 - 9

14 For while gentle silence enveloped all things, and night in its swift course was now half gone,
15 thy allpowerful word leaped from heaven, from the royal throne, into the midst of the land that was doomed, a stern warrior
16 carrying the sharp sword of thy authentic command, and stood and filled all things with death, and touched heaven while standing on the earth.
6 For the whole creation in its nature was fashioned anew, complying with thy commands, that thy children might be kept unharmed.
7 The cloud was seen overshadowing the camp, and dry land emerging where water had stood before, an unhindered way out of the Red Sea, and a grassy plain out of the raging waves,
8 where those protected by thy hand passed through as one nation, after gazing on marvelous wonders.
9 For they ranged like horses, and leaped like lambs, praising thee, O Lord, who didst deliver them.

Psalms 105: 2 - 3, 36 - 37, 42 - 43

2 Sing to him, sing praises to him, tell of all his wonderful works!
3 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!
36 He smote all the firstborn in their land, the first issue of all their strength.
37 Then he led forth Israel with silver and gold, and there was none among his tribes who stumbled.
42 For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham his servant.
43 So he led forth his people with joy, his chosen ones with singing.

Gospel Reading: Luke 18: 1 - 8

1 And he told them a parable, to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.
2 He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor regarded man;
3 and there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, `Vindicate me against my adversary.'
4 For a while he refused; but afterward he said to himself, `Though I neither fear God nor regard man,
5 yet because this widow bothers me, I will vindicate her, or she will wear me out by her continual coming.'"
6 And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says.
7 And will not God vindicate his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?
8 I tell you, he will vindicate them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Today's mass reading from the Bible November/15/2013 (Homily catholic church, Gospel word of God for the day)

First Reading: Wisdom 13: 1 - 9

1 For all men who were ignorant of God were foolish by nature; and they were unable from the good things that are seen to know him who exists, nor did they recognize the craftsman while paying heed to his works;
2 but they supposed that either fire or wind or swift air, or the circle of the stars, or turbulent water, or the luminaries of heaven were the gods that rule the world.
3 If through delight in the beauty of these things men assumed them to be gods, let them know how much better than these is their Lord, for the author of beauty created them.
4 And if men were amazed at their power and working, let them perceive from them how much more powerful is he who formed them.
5 For from the greatness and beauty of created things comes a corresponding perception of their Creator.
6 Yet these men are little to be blamed, for perhaps they go astray while seeking God and desiring to find him.
7 For as they live among his works they keep searching, and they trust in what they see, because the things that are seen are beautiful.
8 Yet again, not even they are to be excused;
9 for if they had the power to know so much that they could investigate the world, how did they fail to find sooner the Lord of these things?

Psalms 19: 2 - 5

2 Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard;
4 yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun,
5 which comes forth like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and like a strong man runs its course with joy.

Gospel Reading: Luke 17: 26 - 37

26 As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of man.
27 They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
28 Likewise as it was in the days of Lot they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built,
29 but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom fire and sulphur rained from heaven and destroyed them all
30 so will it be on the day when the Son of man is revealed.
31 On that day, let him who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away; and likewise let him who is in the field not turn back.
32 Remember Lot's wife.
33 Whoever seeks to gain his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it.
34 I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other left.
35 There will be two women grinding together; one will be taken and the other left."
37 And they said to him, "Where, Lord?" He said to them, "Where the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together."

- Saint Charles Borromeo

Let us fear lest the angered judge say to us: If you were the enlighteners of My Church, why have you closed your eyes? If you pretended to be shepherds of the flock, why have you suffered it to stray? Salt of the earth, you have lost your savor. Light of the world, they that sat in darkness and the shadow of death have never seen you shine. You were apostles; who, then, put your apostolic firmness to the test, since you have done nothing but seek to please men? You were the mouth of the Lord, and you have made that mouth dumb. If you allege in excuse that the burden was beyond your strength, why did you make it the object of your ambitious intrigues?

–- Saint Charles Borromeo

–- Saint Zachary from Luke 1: 68 - 79

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; because he hath visited and wrought the redemption of his people: And hath raised up an horn of salvation to us, in the house of David his servant: As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets, who are from the beginning: Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us: To perform mercy to our fathers, and to remember his holy testament, The oath, which he swore to Abraham our father, that he would grant to us, That being delivered from the hand of our enemies, we may serve him without fear, In holiness and justice before him, all our days. And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways: To give knowledge of salvation to his people, unto the remission of their sins: Through the bowels of the mercy of our God, in which the Orient from on high hath visited us: To enlighten them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death: to direct our feet into the way of peace.

–- Saint Zachary from Luke 1: 68 - 79

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Today's mass reading from the Bible November/14/2013 (Homily catholic church, Gospel word of God for the day)

First Reading: Wisdom 7: 22 - 30

22 for wisdom, the fashioner of all things, taught me. For in her there is a spirit that is intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, mobile, clear, unpolluted, distinct, invulnerable, loving the good, keen, irresistible,
23 beneficent, humane, steadfast, sure, free from anxiety, allpowerful, overseeing all, and penetrating through all spirits that are intelligent and pure and most subtle.
24 For wisdom is more mobile than any motion; because of her pureness she pervades and penetrates all things.
25 For she is a breath of the power of God, and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty; therefore nothing defiled gains entrance into her.
26 For she is a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God, and an image of his goodness.
27 Though she is but one, she can do all things, and while remaining in herself, she renews all things; in every generation she passes into holy souls and makes them friends of God, and prophets;
28 for God loves nothing so much as the man who lives with wisdom.
29 For she is more beautiful than the sun, and excels every constellation of the stars. Compared with the light she is found to be superior,
30 for it is succeeded by the night, but against wisdom evil does not prevail.
1 She reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other, and she orders all things well.

Psalms 119: 89 - 91, 130, 135, 175

89 For ever, O LORD, thy word is firmly fixed in the heavens.
90 Thy faithfulness endures to all generations; thou hast established the earth, and it stands fast.
91 By thy appointment they stand this day; for all things are thy servants.
130 The unfolding of thy words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.
135 Make thy face shine upon thy servant, and teach me thy statutes.
175 Let me live, that I may praise thee, and let thy ordinances help me.

Gospel Reading: Luke 17: 20 - 25

20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, he answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed;
21 nor will they say, `Lo, here it is!' or `There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you."
22 And he said to the disciples, "The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and you will not see it.
23 And they will say to you, `Lo, there!' or `Lo, here!' Do not go, do not follow them.
24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of man be in his day.
25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

- Saint Maximus the Confessor

The human nature of God's Son, not by itself but by its union with the Word, knew and showed forth in itself everything that pertains to God.

–- Saint Maximus the Confessor

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Today's mass reading from the Bible November/13/2013 (Homily catholic church, Gospel word of God for the day)

First Reading: Wisdom 6: 1 - 11

1 Listen therefore, O kings, and understand; learn, O judges of the ends of the earth.
2 Give ear, you that rule over multitudes, and boast of many nations.
3 For your dominion was given you from the Lord, and your sovereignty from the Most High, who will search out your works and inquire into your plans.
4 Because as servants of his kingdom you did not rule rightly, nor keep the law, nor walk according to the purpose of God,
5 he will come upon you terribly and swiftly, because severe judgment falls on those in high places.
6 For the lowliest man may be pardoned in mercy, but mighty men will be mightily tested.
7 For the Lord of all will not stand in awe of any one, nor show deference to greatness; because he himself made both small and great, and he takes thought for all alike.
8 But a strict inquiry is in store for the mighty.
9 To you then, O monarchs, my words are directed, that you may learn wisdom and not transgress.
10 For they will be made holy who observe holy things in holiness, and those who have been taught them will find a defense.
11 Therefore set your desire on my words; long for them, and you will be instructed.

Psalms 82: 3 - 4, 6 - 7

3 Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.
4 Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked."
6 I say, "You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you;
7 nevertheless, you shall die like men, and fall like any prince."

Gospel Reading: Luke 17: 11 - 19

Blessed John Duns Scotus

O Lord, our God, you have proclaimed yourself to be the first and last. Teach your servant to show by reason what he holds with faith most certain, that you are the most eminent, the first efficient cause and the last end.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Today's mass reading from the Bible November/12/2013 (Homily catholic church, Gospel word of God for the day)

First Reading: Wisdom 2: 23 - 24; 3: 1 - 9

23 for God created man for incorruption, and made him in the image of his own eternity,
24 but through the devil's envy death entered the world, and those who belong to his party experience it.
1 But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them.
2 In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their departure was thought to be an affliction,
3 and their going from us to be their destruction; but they are at peace.
4 For though in the sight of men they were punished, their hope is full of immortality.
5 Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good, because God tested them and found them worthy of himself;
6 like gold in the furnace he tried them, and like a sacrificial burnt offering he accepted them.
7 In the time of their visitation they will shine forth, and will run like sparks through the stubble.
8 They will govern nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord will reign over them for ever.
9 Those who trust in him will understand truth, and the faithful will abide with him in love, because grace and mercy are upon his elect, and he watches over his holy ones.

Psalms 34: 2 - 3, 16 - 19

2 My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and be glad.
3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!
16 The face of the LORD is against evildoers, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
17 When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the LORD delivers him out of them all.

Gospel Reading: Luke 17: 7 - 10

7 "Will any one of you, who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep, say to him when he has come in from the field, `Come at once and sit down at table'?
8 Will he not rather say to him, `Prepare supper for me, and gird yourself and serve me, till I eat and drink; and afterward you shall eat and drink'?
9 Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded?
10 So you also, when you have done all that is commanded you, say, `We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.'"

–- Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity

I think that in Heaven my mission will be to draw souls by helping them to go out of themselves in order to cling to God by a wholly simple and loving movement, and to keep them in this great silence within which will allow God to communicate Himself to them and to transform them into Himself.

–- Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Today's mass reading from the Bible November/11/2013 (Homily catholic church, Gospel word of God for the day)

First Reading: Wisdom 1: 1 - 7

1 Love righteousness, you rulers of the earth, think of the Lord with uprightness, and seek him with sincerity of heart;
2 because he is found by those who do not put him to the test, and manifests himself to those who do not distrust him.
3 For perverse thoughts separate men from God, and when his power is tested, it convicts the foolish;
4 because wisdom will not enter a deceitful soul, nor dwell in a body enslaved to sin.
5 For a holy and disciplined spirit will flee from deceit, and will rise and depart from foolish thoughts, and will be ashamed at the approach of unrighteousness.
6 For wisdom is a kindly spirit and will not free a blasphemer from the guilt of his words; because God is witness of his inmost feelings, and a true observer of his heart, and a hearer of his tongue.
7 Because the Spirit of the Lord has filled the world, and that which holds all things together knows what is said;

Psalms 139: 1 - 10

1 O LORD, thou hast searched me and known me!
2 Thou knowest when I sit down and when I rise up; thou discernest my thoughts from afar.
3 Thou searchest out my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
5 Thou dost beset me behind and before, and layest thy hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it.
7 Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, thou art there! If I make my bed in Sheol, thou art there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there thy hand shall lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

Gospel Reading: Luke 17: 1 - 6

1 And he said to his disciples, "Temptations to sin are sure to come; but woe to him by whom they come!
2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung round his neck and he were cast into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.
3 Take heed to yourselves; if your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him;
4 and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, and says, `I repent,' you must forgive him."
5 The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"
6 And the Lord said, "If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this sycamine tree, `Be rooted up, and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.

Saint Andrew Avellino

One cannot separate the most Holy Eucharist from the Passion of Jesus.

–- Saint Andrew Avellino

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Today's mass reading from the Bible November/10/2013 (Homily catholic church, Gospel word of God for the day)

First Reading: 2 Maccabees 7: 1 - 2, 9 - 14

1 It happened also that seven brothers and their mother were arrested and were being compelled by the king, under torture with whips and cords, to partake of unlawful swine's flesh.
2 One of them, acting as their spokesman, said, "What do you intend to ask and learn from us? For we are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our fathers."
9 And when he was at his last breath, he said, "You accursed wretch, you dismiss us from this present life, but the King of the universe will raise us up to an everlasting renewal of life, because we have died for his laws."
10 After him, the third was the victim of their sport. When it was demanded, he quickly put out his tongue and courageously stretched forth his hands,
11 and said nobly, "I got these from Heaven, and because of his laws I disdain them, and from him I hope to get them back again."
12 As a result the king himself and those with him were astonished at the young man's spirit, for he regarded his sufferings as nothing.
13 When he too had died, they maltreated and tortured the fourth in the same way.
14 And when he was near death, he said, "One cannot but choose to die at the hands of men and to cherish the hope that God gives of being raised again by him. But for you there will be no resurrection to life!"

Psalms 17: 1, 5 - 6, 8, 15

16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace,
17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

1	Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed on and triumph, as it did among you,
2	and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men; for not all have faith.
3	But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from evil.
4	And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things which we command.
5	May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.

Gospel Reading: Luke 20: 27 - 38

Friday, November 8, 2013

Today's mass reading from the Bible November/09/2013 (Homily catholic church, Gospel word of God for the day)

First Reading: Ezekiel 47: 1 - 2, 8 - 9, 12

1 Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east); and the water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar.
2 Then he brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me round on the outside to the outer gate, that faces toward the east; and the water was coming out on the south side.
8 And he said to me, "This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah; and when it enters the stagnant waters of the sea, the water will become fresh.
9 And wherever the river goes every living creature which swarms will live, and there will be very many fish; for this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes.
12 And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing."

Psalms 46: 2 - 3, 5 - 6, 8 - 9

2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. [Selah]
5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God will help her right early.
6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.
8 Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has wrought desolations in the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear, he burns the chariots with fire!

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 3: 9 - 11, 16 - 17

9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.
10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and another man is building upon it. Let each man take care how he builds upon it.
11 For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
16 Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?
17 If any one destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and that temple you are.

Gospel Reading: John 2: 13 - 22

13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the moneychangers at their business.
15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all, with the sheep and oxen, out of the temple; and he poured out the coins of the moneychangers and overturned their tables.
16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; you shall not make my Father's house a house of trade."
17 His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for thy house will consume me."
18 The Jews then said to him, "What sign have you to show us for doing this?"
19 Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."
20 The Jews then said, "It has taken fortysix years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?"
21 But he spoke of the temple of his body.
22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Today's mass reading from the Bible November/08/2013 (Homily catholic church, Gospel word of God for the day)

First Reading: Romans 15: 14 - 21

14 I myself am satisfied about you, my brethren, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another.
15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God
16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God.
18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has wrought through me to win obedience from the Gentiles, by word and deed,
19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that from Jerusalem and as far round as Illyr'icum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ,
20 thus making it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on another man's foundation,
21 but as it is written, "They shall see who have never been told of him, and they shall understand who have never heard of him."

Psalms 98: 1 - 4

1 He also said to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a steward, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his goods.
2 And he called him and said to him, `What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.'
3 And the steward said to himself, `What shall I do, since my master is taking the stewardship away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.
4 I have decided what to do, so that people may receive me into their houses when I am put out of the stewardship.'
5 So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, `How much do you owe my master?'
6 He said, `A hundred measures of oil.' And he said to him, `Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.'
7 Then he said to another, `And how much do you owe?' He said, `A hundred measures of wheat.' He said to him, `Take your bill, and write eighty.'
8 The master commended the dishonest steward for his shrewdness; for the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Today's mass reading from the Bible November/07/2013 (Homily catholic church, Gospel word of God for the day)

First Reading: Romans 14: 7 - 12

7 None of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself.
8 If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.
9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God;
11 for it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God."
12 So each of us shall give account of himself to God.

Psalms 27: 1, 4, 13 - 14

1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him.
2 And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them."
3 So he told them this parable:
4 "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninetynine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it?
5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, `Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.'
7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninetynine righteous persons who need no repentance.
8 "Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it?
9 And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, `Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost.'
10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Today's mass reading from the Bible November/06/2013 (Homily catholic church, Gospel word of God for the day)

First Reading: Romans 13: 8 - 10

8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor 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 any other commandment, are summed up in this sentence, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Psalms 112: 1 - 2, 4 - 5, 9

1 Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments!
2 His descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
4 Light rises in the darkness for the upright; the LORD is gracious, merciful, and righteous.
5 It is well with the man who deals generously and lends, who conducts his affairs with justice.
9 He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever; his horn is exalted in honor.

Gospel Reading: Luke 14: 25 - 33

25 Now great multitudes accompanied him; and he turned and said to them,
26 "If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?
29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him,
30 saying, `This man began to build, and was not able to finish.'
31 Or what king, going to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?
32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an embassy and asks terms of peace.
33 So therefore, whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

Monday, November 4, 2013

Today's mass reading from the Bible November/05/2013 (Homily catholic church, Gospel word of God for the day)

First Reading: Wisdom 3: 1 - 9

1 But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them.
2 In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their departure was thought to be an affliction,
3 and their going from us to be their destruction; but they are at peace.
4 For though in the sight of men they were punished, their hope is full of immortality.
5 Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good, because God tested them and found them worthy of himself;
6 like gold in the furnace he tried them, and like a sacrificial burnt offering he accepted them.
7 In the time of their visitation they will shine forth, and will run like sparks through the stubble.
8 They will govern nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord will reign over them for ever.
9 Those who trust in him will understand truth, and the faithful will abide with him in love, because grace and mercy are upon his elect, and he watches over his holy ones.

Psalms 23: 1 - 6

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want;
2 he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters;
3 he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies; thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Gospel Reading: John 6: 37 - 40

37 All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out.
38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me;
39 and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day.
40 For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Today's mass reading from the Bible November/04/2013 (Homily catholic church, Gospel word of God for the day)

First Reading: Romans 11: 29 - 36

29 For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.
30 Just as you were once disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience,
31 so they have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may receive mercy.
32 For God has consigned all men to disobedience, that he may have mercy upon all.
33 O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
34 "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?"
35 "Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?"
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory for ever. Amen.

Psalms 69: 30 - 31, 33 - 34, 36 - 37

30 I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.
31 This will please the LORD more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs.
33 For the LORD hears the needy, and does not despise his own that are in bonds.
34 Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and everything that moves therein.
36 the children of his servants shall inherit it, and those who love his name shall dwell in it.

Gospel Reading: Luke 14: 12 - 14

12 He said also to the man who had invited him, "When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your kinsmen or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and you be repaid.
13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind,
14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just."

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Today's mass reading from the Bible November/03/2013 (Homily catholic church, Gospel word of God for the day)

First Reading: Wisdom 11: 22 - 26

22 Because the whole world before thee is like a speck that tips the scales, and like a drop of morning dew that falls upon the ground.
23 But thou art merciful to all, for thou canst do all things, and thou dost overlook men's sins, that they may repent.
24 For thou lovest all things that exist, and hast loathing for none of the things which thou hast made, for thou wouldst not have made anything if thou hadst hated it.
25 How would anything have endured if thou hadst not willed it? Or how would anything not called forth by thee have been preserved?
26 Thou sparest all things, for they are thine, O Lord who lovest the living.
1 For thy immortal spirit is in all things.
2 Therefore thou dost correct little by little those who trespass, and dost remind and warn them of the things wherein they sin, that they may be freed from wickedness and put their trust in thee, O Lord.

Psalms 145: 1 - 2, 8 - 11, 13 - 14

1 I will extol thee, my God and King, and bless thy name for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless thee, and praise thy name for ever and ever.
8 The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 The LORD is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made.
10 All thy works shall give thanks to thee, O LORD, and all thy saints shall bless thee!
11 They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and tell of thy power,
13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endures throughout all generations. The LORD is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds.
14 The LORD upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down.

Second Reading: 2 Thessalonian 1: 11 - 12

11 To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his call, and may fulfil every good resolve and work of faith by his power,
12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling to meet him, we beg you, brethren,
2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or excited, either by spirit or by word, or by letter purporting to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

Gospel Reading: Luke 19: 1 - 10

Friday, November 1, 2013

Today's mass reading from the Bible November/02/2013 (Homily catholic church, Gospel word of God for the day)

First Reading: Wisdom 3: 1 - 9

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
4 One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.
7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me!
8 Thou hast said, "Seek ye my face." My heart says to thee, "Thy face, LORD, do I seek."
9 Hide not thy face from me. Turn not thy servant away in anger, thou who hast been my help. Cast me not off, forsake me not, O God of my salvation!
13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living!
14 Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; yea, wait for the LORD!

Second Reading: Romans 5: 5 - 11

5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.
6 While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die.
8 But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.
9 Since, therefore, we are now justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.
10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.
11 Not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received our reconciliation.

Gospel Reading: John 11: 17 - 27

17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Laz'arus had already been in the tomb four days.
18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off,
19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother.
20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary sat in the house.
21 Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
22 And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you."
23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
24 Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."
25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,
26 and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?"
27 She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world."

Today's mass reading from the Bible November/05/2013 (Homily catholic church, Gospel word of God for the day)

First Reading: Wisdom 3: 1 - 9