Daily Gospel

Tuesday, September 3, 2024 | Luke 4:31-37

Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee.He taught them on the sabbath,and they were astonished at his teachingbecause he spoke with authority.In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon,and he cried out in a loud voice,"What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?Have you come to destroy us?I know who you are–the Holy One of God!"Jesus rebuked him and said, "Be quiet! Come out of him!"Then the demon threw the man down in front of themand came out of him without doing him any harm.They were all amazed and said to one another,"What is there about his word?For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits,and they come out."And news of him spread everywhere in the surrounding region.

Monday, September 2, 2024 | Luke 4:16-30

Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,and went according to his custominto the synagogue on the sabbath day.He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,because he has anointed meto bring glad tidings to the poor.He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captivesand recovery of sight to the blind,to let the oppressed go free,and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.Rolling up the scroll,he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.He said to them,“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”And all spoke highly of himand were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.They also asked, “Is this not the son of Joseph?”He said to them, “Surely you will quote me this proverb,‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say, ‘Do here in your native placethe things that we heard were done in Capernaum.’”And he said,“Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place.Indeed, I tell you,there were many widows in Israel in 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, September 1, 2024 | Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalemgathered around Jesus,they observed that some of his disciples ate their mealswith unclean, that is, unwashed, hands.—For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews,do not eat without carefully washing their hands,keeping the tradition of the elders.And on coming from the marketplacethey do not eat without purifying themselves.And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed,the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds. —So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him,"Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the eldersbut instead eat a meal with unclean hands?"He responded,"Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written:This people honors me with their lips,but their hearts are far from me;in vain do they worship me,teaching as doctrines human precepts.You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition."He summoned the crowd again and said to them,"Hear me, all of you, and understand.Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;but the things that come out from within are what defile."From within people, from their hearts,come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,adultery, greed, malice, deceit,licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.All these evils come from within and they defile."

Saturday, August 31, 2024 | Matthew 25:14-30

Jesus told his disciples this parable:"A man going on a journeycalled in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one–to each according to his ability.Then he went away.Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them,and made another five.Likewise, the one who received two made another two.But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the groundand buried his master's money.After a long timethe master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them.The one who had received five talentscame forward bringing the additional five.He said, 'Master, you gave me five talents.See, I have made five more.'His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant.Since you were faithful in small matters,I will give you great responsibilities.Come, share your master's joy.'Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said,'Master, you gave me two talents.See, I have made two more.'His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant.Since you were faithful in small matters,I will give you great responsibilities.Come, share your master's joy.'Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said,'Master, I knew you were a demanding person,harvesting where you did not plantand gathering where you did not scatter;so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground.Here it is back.'His master said to him in reply, 'You wicked, lazy servant!So you knew that I harvest where I did not plantand gather where I did not scatter?Should you not then have put my money in the bankso that I could have got it back with interest on my return?Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten.For to everyone who has,more will be given and he will grow rich;but from the one who has not,even what he has will be taken away.And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside,where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'"

Friday, August 30, 2024 | Matthew 25:1-13

Jesus told his disciples this parable:"The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virginswho took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.Five of them were foolish and five were wise.The foolish ones, when taking their lamps,brought no oil with them,but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.Since the bridegroom was long delayed,they all became drowsy and fell asleep.At midnight, there was a cry,'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.The foolish ones said to the wise,'Give us some of your oil,for our lamps are going out.'But the wise ones replied,'No, for there may not be enough for us and you.Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.'While they went off to buy it,the bridegroom cameand those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him.Then the door was locked.Afterwards the other virgins came and said,'Lord, Lord, open the door for us!'But he said in reply,'Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.'Therefore, stay awake,for you know neither the day nor the hour."

Thursday, August 29, 2024 | Mark 6:17-29

Herod was the one who had John the Baptist arrested and bound in prisonon account of Herodias,the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married.John had said to Herod,"It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."Herodias harbored a grudge against himand wanted to kill him but was unable to do so.Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man,and kept him in custody.When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed,yet he liked to listen to him.She had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday,gave a banquet for his courtiers,his military officers, and the leading men of Galilee.Herodias' own daughter came inand performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests.The king said to the girl,"Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you."He even swore many things to her,"I will grant you whatever you ask of me,even to half of my kingdom."She went out and said to her mother,"What shall I ask for?"She replied, "The head of John the Baptist."The girl hurried back to the king's presence and made her request,"I want you to give me at onceon a platter the head of John the Baptist."The king was deeply distressed,but because of his oaths and the guestshe did not wish to break his word to her.So he promptly dispatched an executioner with ordersto bring back his head.He went off and beheaded him in the prison.He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl.The girl in turn gave it to her mother.When his disciples heard about it,they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

Wednesday, August 28, 2024 | Matthew 23:27-32

Jesus said,“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside,but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth.Even so, on the outside you appear righteous,but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.You build the tombs of the prophetsand adorn the memorials of the righteous, and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors,we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’Thus you bear witness against yourselvesthat you are the children of those who murdered the prophets;now fill up what your ancestors measured out!”

Tuesday, August 27, 2024 | Matthew 23:23-26

Jesus said:“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin,and have neglected the weightier things of the law:judgment and mercy and fidelity.But these you should have done, without neglecting the others.Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.You cleanse the outside of cup and dish,but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence.Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup,so that the outside also may be clean.”

Monday, August 26, 2024 | Matthew 23:13-22

Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men.You do not enter yourselves,nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.You traverse sea and land to make one convert,and when that happens you make him a child of Gehennatwice as much as yourselves.“Woe to you, blind guides, who say,‘If one swears by the temple, it means nothing,but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.’Blind fools, which is greater, the gold,or the temple that made the gold sacred?And you say, ‘If one swears by the altar, it means nothing,but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.’You blind ones, which is greater, the gift,or the altar that makes the gift sacred?One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it;one who swears by the temple swears by itand by him who dwells in it;one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of Godand by him who is seated on it.”

Sunday, August 25, 2024 | John 6:60-69

Many of Jesus' disciples who were listening said,"This saying is hard; who can accept it?"Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this,he said to them, "Does this shock you?What if you were to see the Son of Man ascendingto where he was before?It is the spirit that gives life,while the flesh is of no avail.The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.But there are some of you who do not believe."Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believeand the one who would betray him.And he said,"For this reason I have told you that no one can come to meunless it is granted him by my Father."As a result of this,many of his disciples returned to their former way of lifeand no longer accompanied him.Jesus then said to the Twelve, "Do you also want to leave?"Simon Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go?You have the words of eternal life.We have come to believeand are convinced that you are the Holy One of God."