Daily Gospel

Sunday, September 3, 2023 | Matthew 16:21-27

Jesus began to show his disciplesthat he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatlyfrom the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,and be killed and on the third day be raised.Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him,"God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you."He turned and said to Peter,"Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."Then Jesus said to his disciples,"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,take up his cross, and follow me.For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.What profit would there be for one to gain the whole worldand forfeit his life?Or what can one give in exchange for his life?For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory,and then he will repay all according to his conduct."

Saturday, September 2, 2023 | 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, September 1, 2023 | 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 31, 2023 | Matthew 24:42-51

Jesus said to his disciples:"Stay awake!For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.Be sure of this: if the master of the househad known the hour of night when the thief was coming,he would have stayed awakeand not let his house be broken into.So too, you also must be prepared,for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come."Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant,whom the master has put in charge of his householdto distribute to them their food at the proper time?Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so.Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is long delayed,'and begins to beat his fellow servants,and eat and drink with drunkards,the servant's master will come on an unexpected dayand at an unknown hour and will punish him severelyand assign him a place with the hypocrites,where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."

Wednesday, August 30, 2023 | Matthew 22:27-32

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 29, 2023 | 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.

Monday, August 28, 2023 | 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 27, 2023 | Matthew 16:13-19

Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi andhe asked his disciples,"Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"Simon Peter said in reply,"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."Jesus said to him in reply,"Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.And so I say to you, you are Peter,and upon this rock I will build my church,and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

Saturday, August 26, 2023 | Matthew 23:1-12

Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying,"The scribes and the Phariseeshave taken their seat on the chair of Moses.Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,but do not follow their example.For they preach but they do not practice.They tie up heavy burdens hard to carryand lay them on people's shoulders,but they will not lift a finger to move them.All their works are performed to be seen.They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.'As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.'You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.Call no one on earth your father;you have but one Father in heaven.Do not be called 'Master';you have but one master, the Christ.The greatest among you must be your servant.Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

Friday, August 25, 2023 | Matthew 22:34-40

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,they gathered together, and one of them,a scholar of the law, tested him by asking,"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?"He said to him,"You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart,with all your soul, and with all your mind.This is the greatest and the first commandment.The second is like it:You shall love your neighbor as yourself.The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."