Daily Gospel

Saturday, March 9, 2024 | Luke 18:9-14

Jesus addressed this parableto those who were convinced of their own righteousnessand despised everyone else.“Two people went up to the temple area to pray;one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity —greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector.I fast twice a week,and I pay tithes on my whole income.’But the tax collector stood off at a distanceand would not even raise his eyes to heavenbut beat his breast and prayed,‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former;for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Friday, March 8, 2024 | Mark 12:28-34

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,"Which is the first of all the commandments?"Jesus replied, "The first is this:Hear, O Israel!The Lord our God is Lord alone!You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,with all your soul,with all your mind,and with all your strength.The second is this:You shall love your neighbor as yourself.There is no other commandment greater than these."The scribe said to him, "Well said, teacher.You are right in saying,He is One and there is no other than he.And to love him with all your heart,with all your understanding,with all your strength,and to love your neighbor as yourselfis worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,he said to him,"You are not far from the Kingdom of God."And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Thursday, March 7, 2024 | Luke 11:14-23

Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute,and when the demon had gone out,the mute man spoke and the crowds were amazed.Some of them 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."

Wednesday, March 6, 2024 | Matthew 5:17-19

Jesus said to his disciples:“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letterwill pass from the law,until all things have taken place.Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandmentsand teaches others to do sowill be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.But whoever obeys and teaches these commandmentswill be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”

Tuesday, March 5, 2024 | Matthew 18:21-35

Peter approached Jesus and asked him,“Lord, if my brother sins against me,how often must I forgive him?As many as seven times?”Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a kingwho decided to settle accounts with his servants.When he began the accounting,a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.Since he had no way of paying it back,his master ordered him to be sold,along with his wife, his children, and all his property,in payment of the debt.At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’Moved with compassion the master of that servantlet him go and forgave him the loan.When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servantswho owed him a much smaller amount.He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,‘Pay back what you owe.’Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’But he refused.Instead, he had him put in prisonuntil he paid back the debt.Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,they were deeply disturbed, and went to their masterand reported the whole affair.His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant!I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,as I had pity on you?’Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturersuntil he should pay back the whole debt.So will my heavenly Father do to you,unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”

Monday, March 4, 2024 | Luke 4:24-30

Jesus said to the people in the synagogue at Nazareth:“Amen, I say to you,no prophet is accepted in his own native place.Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israelin the days of Elijahwhen the sky was closed for three and a half yearsand a severe famine spread over the entire land.It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.Again, there were many lepers in Israelduring the time of Elisha the prophet;yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”When the people in the synagogue heard this,they were all filled with fury.They rose up, drove him out of the town,and led him to the brow of the hillon which their town had been built,to hurl him down headlong.But he passed through the midst of them and went away.

Sunday, March 3, 2024 | John 2:13-25

Since the Passover of the Jews was near,Jesus went up to Jerusalem.He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money changers seated there.He made a whip out of cordsand drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money changersand overturned their tables, and to those who sold doves he said,“Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.”His disciples recalled the words of Scripture, Zeal for your house will consume me.At this the Jews answered and said to him,“What sign can you show us for doing this?”Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?”But he was speaking about the temple of his body.Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the Scripture and the word Jesus had spoken.
While he was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, many began to believe in his name when they saw the signs he was doing.But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, and did not need anyone to testify about human nature.He himself understood it well.

Saturday, March 2, 2024 | Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,"This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."So to them Jesus addressed this parable."A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father,'Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.'So the father divided the property between them.After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongingsand set off to a distant countrywhere he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.When he had freely spent everything,a severe famine struck that country,and he found himself in dire need.So he hired himself out to one of the local citizenswho sent him to his farm to tend the swine.And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed,but nobody gave him any.Coming to his senses he thought,'How many of my father's hired workershave more than enough food to eat,but here am I, dying from hunger.I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him,"Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.I no longer deserve to be called your son;treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers."'So he got up and went back to his father.While he was still a long way off,his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion.He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.His son said to him,'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you;I no longer deserve to be called your son.'But his father ordered his servants,'Quickly, bring the finest robe and put it on him;put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.Take the fattened calf and slaughter it.Then let us celebrate with a feast,because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again;he was lost, and has been found.'Then the celebration began.Now the older son had been out in the fieldand, on his way back, as he neared the house,he heard the sound of music and dancing.He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean.The servant said to him,'Your brother has returnedand your father has slaughtered the fattened calfbecause he has him back safe and sound.'He became angry,and when he refused to enter the house,his father came out and pleaded with him.He said to his father in reply,'Look, all these years I served youand not once did I disobey your orders;yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.But when your son returnswho swallowed up your property with prostitutes,for him you slaughter the fattened calf.'He said to him,'My son, you are here with me always;everything I have is yours.But now we must celebrate and rejoice,because your brother was dead and has come to life again;he was lost and has been found.'"

Friday, March 1, 2024 | Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46

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."When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables,they knew that he was speaking about them.And although they were attempting to arrest him,they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet.

Thursday, February 29, 2024 | Luke 16:19-31

Jesus said to the Pharisees:"There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linenand dined sumptuously each day.And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scrapsthat fell from the rich man's table.Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.When the poor man died,he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.The rich man also died and was buried,and from the netherworld, where he was in torment,he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far offand Lazarus at his side.And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me.Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue,for I am suffering torment in these flames.'Abraham replied, 'My child,remember that you received what was good during your lifetimewhile Lazarus likewise received what was bad;but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is establishedto prevent anyone from crossingwho might wish to go from our side to yoursor from your side to ours.'He said, 'Then I beg you, father, send himto my father's house,for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them,lest they too come to this place of torment.'But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets.Let them listen to them.'He said, 'Oh no, father Abraham,but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'Then Abraham said,'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets,neither will they be persuadedif someone should rise from the dead.'"