Daily Gospel

Jesus said to his disciples:“I have come to set the earth on fire,and how I wish it were already blazing!There is a baptism with which I must be baptized,and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?No, I tell you, but rather division.From now on a household of five will be divided,three against two and two against three;a father will be divided against his sonand a son against his father, a mother against her daughterand a daughter against her mother,a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-lawand a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

Jesus said to his disciples: “Be sure of this:if the master of the house had known the hourwhen the thief was coming,he would not have let his house be broken into.You also must be prepared,for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
Then Peter said,“Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?”And the Lord replied,“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent stewardwhom the master will put in charge of his servantsto distribute the food allowance at the proper time?Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.Truly, I say to you, he will put himin charge of all his property.But if that servant says to himself,‘My master is delayed in coming,’and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants,to eat and drink and get drunk,then that servant’s master will comeon an unexpected day and at an unknown hourand will punish the servant severelyand assign him a place with the unfaithful.That servant who knew his master’s willbut did not make preparations nor act in accord with his willshall be beaten severely;and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s willbut acted in a way deserving of a severe beatingshall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”

Jesus said to his disciples: “Gird your loins and light your lampsand be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding,ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.Blessed are those servantswhom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself,have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.And should he come in the second or third watchand find them prepared in this way,blessed are those servants.”

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus,“Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.”He replied to him,“Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?”Then he said to the crowd,“Take care to guard against all greed,for though one may be rich,one’s life does not consist of possessions.”
Then he told them a parable.“There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.He asked himself, ‘What shall I do,for I do not have space to store my harvest?’And he said, ‘This is what I shall do:I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.There I shall store all my grain and other goodsand I shall say to myself, “Now as for you,you have so many good things stored up for many years,rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’But God said to him,‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himselfbut is not rich in what matters to God.”

The Pharisees went offand plotted how they might entrap Jesus in speech. They sent their disciples to him, with the Herodians, saying,"Teacher, we know that you are a truthful manand that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.And you are not concerned with anyone's opinion,for you do not regard a person's status.Tell us, then, what is your opinion:Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?" Knowing their malice, Jesus said,"Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? Show me the coin that pays the census tax." Then they handed him the Roman coin. He said to them, "Whose image is this and whose inscription?" They replied, "Caesar's."At that he said to them,"Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesarand to God what belongs to God."

Jesus said to his disciples:  “I tell you,everyone who acknowledges me before othersthe Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God.But whoever denies me before otherswill be denied before the angels of God.
“Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven,but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spiritwill not be forgiven.When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities,do not worry about how or what your defense will beor about what you are to say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say.”

At that time:So many people were crowding together that they were trampling one another underfoot.Jesus began to speak, first to his disciples,“Beware of the leaven–that is, the hypocrisy–of the Pharisees.
“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed,nor secret that will not be known.Therefore whatever you have said in the darknesswill be heard in the light,and what you have whispered behind closed doorswill be proclaimed on the housetops.I tell you, my friends,do not be afraid of those who kill the bodybut after that can do no more.I shall show you whom to fear.Be afraid of the one who after killinghas the power to cast into Gehenna;yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins?Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.Even the hairs of your head have all been counted.Do not be afraid.You are worth more than many sparrows.”

The Lord said:“Woe to you who build the memorials of the prophets whom your fathers killed.Consequently, you bear witness and give consentto the deeds of your ancestors,for they killed them and you do the building.Therefore, the wisdom of God said,‘I will send to them prophets and Apostles;some of them they will kill and persecute’in order that this generation might be chargedwith the blood of all the prophetsshed since the foundation of the world,from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariahwho died between the altar and the temple building.Yes, I tell you, this generation will be charged with their blood!Woe to you, scholars of the law!You have taken away the key of knowledge.You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter.”When Jesus left, the scribes and Phariseesbegan to act with hostility toward himand to interrogate him about many things,for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say.

The Lord said:“Woe to you Pharisees!You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb,but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God.These you should have done, without overlooking the others.Woe to you Pharisees!You love the seat of honor in synagoguesand greetings in marketplaces.  Woe to you!You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk.”
Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply,“Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too.”And he said, “Woe also to you scholars of the law!You impose on people burdens hard to carry,but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.”

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.”