Daily Gospel

After Jesus had spoken,a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home.He entered and reclined at table to eat.The Pharisee was amazed to seethat he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal.The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees!Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish,inside you are filled with plunder and evil.You fools!Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?But as to what is within, give alms,and behold, everything will be clean for you.”

While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them,“This generation is an evil generation;it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,except the sign of Jonah.Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,so will the Son of Man be to this generation.At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generationand she will condemn them,because she came from the ends of the earthto hear the wisdom of Solomon,and there is something greater than Solomon here.At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it,because at the preaching of Jonah they repented,and there is something greater than Jonah here.”

Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and elders of the people in parables, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a kingwho gave a wedding feast for his son. He dispatched his servantsto summon the invited guests to the feast,but they refused to come.A second time he sent other servants, saying,'Tell those invited: "Behold, I have prepared my banquet,my calves and fattened cattle are killed,and everything is ready; come to the feast."'Some ignored the invitation and went away,one to his farm, another to his business. The rest laid hold of his servants,mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged and sent his troops,destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, 'The feast is ready,but those who were invited were not worthy to come. Go out, therefore, into the main roadsand invite to the feast whomever you find.'The servants went out into the streetsand gathered all they found, bad and good alike,and the hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to meet the guests,he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. The king said to him, 'My friend, how is itthat you came in here without a wedding garment?'But he was reduced to silence.Then the king said to his attendants, 'Bind his hands and feet,and cast him into the darkness outside,where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'Many are invited, but few are chosen."

While Jesus was speaking,a woman from the crowd called out and said to him,“Blessed is the womb that carried youand the breasts at which you nursed.”He replied, “Rather, blessed are thosewho hear the word of God and observe it.”

When Jesus had driven out a demon, some of the crowd said:“By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons,he drives out demons.”Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven.But he knew their thoughts and said to them,“Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid wasteand house will fall against house.And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons.If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul,by whom do your own people drive them out?Therefore they will be your judges.But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons,then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.When a strong man fully armed guards his palace,his possessions are safe.But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him,he takes away the armor on which he reliedand distributes the spoils.Whoever is not with me is against me,and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
“When an unclean spirit goes out of someone,it roams through arid regions searching for restbut, finding none, it says,‘I shall return to my home from which I came.’But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order.Then it goes and brings back seven other spiritsmore wicked than itself who move in and dwell there,and the last condition of that man is worse than the first.”

Jesus said to his disciples:“Suppose one of you has a friendto whom he goes at midnight and says,‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journeyand I have nothing to offer him,’and he says in reply from within,‘Do not bother me; the door has already been lockedand my children and I are already in bed.I cannot get up to give you anything.’I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loavesbecause of their friendship,he will get up to give him whatever he needsbecause of his persistence.
“And I tell you, ask and you will receive;seek and you will find;knock and the door will be opened to you.For everyone who asks, receives;and the one who seeks, finds;and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.What father  among you would hand his son a snakewhen he asks for a fish?Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?If you then, who are wicked,know how to give good gifts to your children,how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spiritto those who ask him?”

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,one of his disciples said to him,"Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."He said to them, "When you pray, say:Father, hallowed be your name,your Kingdom come.Give us each day our daily breadand forgive us our sinsfor we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,and do not subject us to the final test."

Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.She had a sister named Marywho sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,“Lord, do you not carethat my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply,“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better partand it will not be taken from her.”

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said,“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law?How do you read it?”He said in reply,“You shall love the Lord, your God,with all your heart,with all your being,with all your strength,and with all your mind,and your neighbor as yourself.”He replied to him, “You have answered correctly;do this and you will live.”
But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”Jesus replied, “A man fell victim to robbersas he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.A priest happened to be going down that road,but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.Likewise a Levite came to the place,and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.But a Samaritan traveler who came upon himwas moved with compassion at the sight.He approached the victim,poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.Then he lifted him up on his own animal,took him to an inn, and cared for him.The next day he took out two silver coinsand gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction,‘Take care of him.If you spend more than what I have given you,I shall repay you on my way back.’Which of these three, in your opinion,was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?”He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.”Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:"Hear another parable.There was a landowner who planted a vineyard,put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.When vintage time drew near,he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat,another they killed, and a third they stoned. Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones,but they treated them in the same way. Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking,'They will respect my son.'But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another,'This is the heir.Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.'They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?"They answered him,"He will put those wretched men to a wretched deathand lease his vineyard to other tenantswho will give him the produce at the proper times." Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures:The stone that the builders rejectedhas become the cornerstone;by the Lord has this been done,and it is wonderful in our eyes?Therefore, I say to you,the kingdom of God will be taken away from youand given to a people that will produce its fruit."