Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Isaiah 55:1–3; Romans 8:35, 37–39; Matthew 14:13–21 Jesus withdraws to a deserted place. He wants to be alone. John the Baptist has been killed. Jesus needs silence. He needs time to grieve, to pray, to rest. But the crowds follow Him on foot from the towns. And when Jesus sees them, He does not say: Not now. Come tomorrow. This is my private time. Do you not see that I am tired? ...
Saturday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time, Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Jeremiah 26:11–16, 24 Today, Jeremiah is on trial. His crime? He has spoken against Jerusalem and against the temple. He has warned the people that if they do not repent, the city will fall. The priests and the prophets want him dead. They say: “This man deserves death.” But the officials of Judah defend Jeremiah. ...
Readings Here Friday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time - Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Priest Jeremiah 26:1–9 Today, Jeremiah stands in the temple of the Lord. And there, in the holiest place of his people, he speaks a dangerous word. Repent. Change your ways. Listen to the Lord. If not, this temple will become like Shiloh. Shiloh was once a sacred place. There, the Ark of the Covenant had rested. ...
Readings Here Thursday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time Jeremiah 18:1–6 Today, we hear one of those passages of the Bible that has inspired artists, poets, writers, and musicians. Jeremiah is sent to the house of the potter. There he sees a potter working at the wheel. The vessel he is shaping does not come out well. So the potter takes the same clay and forms it again into another vessel, as it seems good to him. ...
Readings Here Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus John 11:19–27 or Luke 10:38–42 Today, the Church remembers three people whom Jesus loved: Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. They appear in three Gospel scenes. In the Gospel of Luke, Martha and Mary welcome Jesus into their home. Martha serves. Mary sits at the feet of Jesus and listens to His word. Lazarus is not mentioned there. In the Gospel of John, all three appear in the great story of Lazarus being raised from the tomb. ...
Readings Here Tuesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time Jeremiah 14:17–22 Jeremiah lived in a time when people heard two opposite messages. Jeremiah warned them: the sword is coming, famine is coming, Jerusalem is in danger. But other prophets said: There will be no sword. There will be no famine. God will give lasting peace in this place. So the question was serious. How could ordinary people know which voice came from God? ...
Readings Here Monday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time Jeremiah 13:1–11 Today’s reading gives us one of Jeremiah’s strange symbolic actions. The Lord tells him to buy a linen loincloth. To wear it. Then to hide it in a cleft of the rock. After many days, he is told to return and take it back. But the cloth is ruined. It is good for nothing. Then the Lord explains: ...
Readings Here Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 1 Kings 3:5, 7–12; Romans 8:28–30; Matthew 13:44–52 Jesus gives us three images of the kingdom of heaven: a treasure hidden in a field, a merchant searching for fine pearls, and a net thrown into the sea, gathering fish of every kind. Who among us has never dreamed of finding a treasure? To find treasure, to win the lottery, to become rich suddenly — many people dream of this. ...
Readings Here Feast of Saint James, Apostle Matthew 20:20–28 At the beginning of the Gospel, James and John leave behind their father, their boat, and the family business. They follow Jesus. But Matthew tells us that their mother also appears on the journey. And it is she who makes the famous request: “Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your Kingdom.” ...
Readings Here Friday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time Jeremiah 3:14–17 The word “return” that we hear today means repent. It is a word familiar to most of us. It means: change your mind, change your direction, and return to the Lord. God’s call to repentance reveals His character. An indifferent god would not care about our behavior. But the God of the Bible is not indifferent. He cannot accept that His people misbehave, because He cares. ...