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The Lord our God is all righteous and almighty, and we should do well to remember who we are. It is in His love for us that He calls us His children after His own heart.

But let’s make no mistake, we should always bow in full reverence of Him and never think that we are equal to Him. It is He who alone who raises us up.

And when we have decided that we truly believe in Him and want to follow after Him, then there is no turning back. There are no half measures, for He has no half measures with us.

So let us worship, honor, and follow after Him, body, mind, and spirit. Amen.

Saint Jerome, Priest, Doctor pray for us….


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First reading
Job 9:1-13,14-16
How can man be in the right against God?

Job spoke to his friends:

Indeed, I know it is as you say:
    how can man be in the right against God?
If any were so rash as to challenge him for reasons,
    one in a thousand would be more than they could answer.
His heart is wise, and his strength is great:
    who then can successfully defy him?
He moves the mountains, though they do not know it;
    he throws them down when he is angry.
He shakes the earth, and moves it from its place,
    making all its pillars tremble.
The sun, at his command, forbears to rise,
    and on the stars he sets a seal.
He and no other stretched out the skies,
    and trampled the Sea’s tall waves.
The Bear, Orion too, are of his making,
    the Pleiades and the Mansions of the South.
His works are great, beyond all reckoning,
    his marvels, past all counting.
Were he to pass me, I should not see him,
    nor detect his stealthy movement.
Were he to snatch a prize, who could prevent him,
    or dare to say, ‘What are you doing?’

How dare I plead my cause, then,
    or choose arguments against him?
Suppose I am in the right, what use is my defence?
    For he whom I must sue is judge as well.
If he deigned to answer my citation,
    could I be sure that he would listen to my voice?



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Gospel
Luke 9:57-62
‘I will follow you wherever you go’

As Jesus and his disciples travelled along they met a man on the road who said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus answered, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’
    Another to whom he said, ‘Follow me’, replied, ‘Let me go and bury my father first.’ But he answered, ‘Leave the dead to bury their dead; your duty is to go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.’
    Another said, ‘I will follow you, sir, but first let me go and say goodbye to my people at home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’

Blessed are we to have God, our Heavenly Father, send His Holy angels to help us on our pilgrim journey back to Him.

It is through His great love that they help and minister to us, to light the way, and to guard us against evil and harm.

We should pray to them for guidance, to help us remain steadfast, to be holy as our Heavenly Father is holy.

May God be blessed forever in His angels and in His saints. Amen.

Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels pray for us…

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First reading
Daniel 7:9-10,13-14
His robe was white as snow

As I watched:

Thrones were set in place
and one of great age took his seat.
His robe was white as snow,
the hair of his head as pure as wool.
His throne was a blaze of flames,
its wheels were a burning fire.
A stream of fire poured out,
issuing from his presence.
A thousand thousand waited on him,
ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
A court was held
and the books were opened.

I gazed into the visions of the night.

And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven,
one like a son of man.
He came to the one of great age
and was led into his presence.
On him was conferred sovereignty,
glory and kingship,
and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants.
His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty
which shall never pass away,
nor will his empire ever be destroyed.



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Gospel
John 1:47-51
You will see heaven laid open, and the Son of Man

When Jesus saw Nathanael coming he said of him, ‘There is an Israelite who deserves the name, incapable of deceit.’ ‘How do you know me?’ said Nathanael. ‘Before Philip came to call you,’ said Jesus ‘I saw you under the fig tree.’ Nathanael answered, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel.’ Jesus replied, ‘You believe that just because I said: I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.’ And then he added ‘I tell you most solemnly, you will see heaven laid open and, above the Son of Man, the angels of God ascending and descending.’

In this world where we are geared towards self sufficiency,  we strive to provide for ourselves and for our family. It is easy to forget that all we have comes from the Lord our God.

How truly blessed are we if we possess such faith, that in all situations, whether in trials or tribulations we bless, honour and worship without reservation God our beloved Father, Jesus His Son and the Holy Spirit.

If we can do this then through His divine grace, we are powerful instruments of His grace in the world. We see others as fellow children of God our Father, and we work hand in hand for His glory as we minister to His flock. Amen

Saint Wenceslaus, Martyr,
Saints Laurence Ruiz and his Companions, Martyrs 
Pray for us…


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First reading
Job 1:6-22 ·
The Lord gave, the Lord has taken back: blessed be the name of the Lord

One day the Sons of God came to attend on the Lord, and among them was Satan. So the Lord said to Satan, ‘Where have you been?’ ‘Round the earth,’ he answered ‘roaming about.’ So the Lord asked him, ‘Did you notice my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth: a sound and honest man who fears God and shuns evil.’ ‘Yes,’ Satan said ‘but Job is not God-fearing for nothing, is he? Have you not put a wall round him and his house and all his domain? You have blessed all he undertakes, and his flocks throng the countryside. But stretch out your hand and lay a finger on his possessions: I warrant you, he will curse you to your face.’ ‘Very well,’ the Lord said to Satan ‘all he has is in your power. But keep your hands off his person.’ So Satan left the presence of the Lord.
    On the day when Job’s sons and daughters were at their meal and drinking wine at their eldest brother’s house, a messenger came to Job. ‘Your oxen’ he said ‘were at the plough, with the donkeys grazing at their side, when the Sabaeans swept down on them and carried them off. Your servants they put to the sword: I alone escaped to tell you.’ He had not finished speaking when another messenger arrived. ‘The fire of God’ he said ‘has fallen from the heavens and burnt up all your sheep, and your shepherds too: I alone escaped to tell you.’ He had not finished speaking when another messenger arrived. ‘The Chaldaeans,’ he said ‘three bands of them, have raided your camels and made off with them. Your servants they put to the sword: I alone escaped to tell you.’ He had not finished speaking when another messenger arrived. ‘Your sons and daughters’ he said ‘were at their meal and drinking wine at their eldest brother’s house, when suddenly from the wilderness a gale sprang up, and it battered all four corners of the house which fell in on the young people. They are dead: I alone escaped to tell you.’
    Job rose and tore his gown and shaved his head. Then falling to the ground he worshipped and said:

‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
naked I shall return.
The Lord gave, the Lord has taken back.
Blessed be the name of the Lord!’

In all this misfortune Job committed no sin nor offered any insult to God.



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Gospel
Luke 9:46-50
The least among you all is the greatest

An argument started between the disciples about which of them was the greatest. Jesus knew what thoughts were going through their minds, and he took a little child and set him by his side and then said to them, ‘Anyone who welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For the least among you all, that is the one who is great.’
    John spoke up. ‘Master,’ he said ‘we saw a man casting out devils in your name, and because he is not with us we tried to stop him.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘You must not stop him: anyone who is not against you is for you.’

Live life to the full in your carefree days of youth. Soon you will have to bear the responsibilities of adulthood.

In my experience, the best years of my life are those spent serving for the Lord, ministering to His flock. For there is no greater joy than to lay down one’s life and sacrifice for the greater good of His flock.

For our lives here are short, but if they are well lived in obedience to the Lord, our God, then we know that we will have life everlasting with and in Him. This world will pass away, but His word is everlasting. Amen.

Saints Cosmas and Damian, Martyrs pray for us…

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First reading
Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:8 ·
Remember your creator in the days of your youth


Rejoice in your youth, you who are young;
let your heart give you joy in your young days.
Follow the promptings of your heart
and the desires of your eyes.

But this you must know: for all these things God will bring you to judgement.

Cast worry from your heart,
shield your flesh from pain.

Yet youth, the age of dark hair, is vanity. And remember your creator in the days of your youth, before evil days come and the years approach when you say, ‘These give me no pleasure’, before sun and light and moon and stars grow dark, and the clouds return after the rain;

the day when those who keep the house tremble
and strong men are bowed;
when the women grind no longer at the mill,
because day is darkening at the windows
and the street doors are shut;
when the sound of the mill is faint,
when the voice of the bird is silenced,
and song notes are stilled,
when to go uphill is an ordeal
and a walk is something to dread.

Yet the almond tree is in flower,
the grasshopper is heavy with food
and the caper bush bears its fruit,

while man goes to his everlasting home. And the mourners are already walking to and fro in the street

before the silver cord has snapped,
or the golden lamp been broken,
or the pitcher shattered at the spring,
or the pulley cracked at the well,

or before the dust returns to the earth as it once came from it, and the breath to God who gave it.
    Vanity of vanities, the Preacher says. All is vanity.

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Gospel
Luke 9:43-45
They were afraid to ask him what he meant

At a time when everyone was full of admiration for all he did, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘For your part, you must have these words constantly in your mind: “The Son of Man is going to be handed over into the power of men.”’ But they did not understand him when he said this; it was hidden from them so that they should not see the meaning of it, and they were afraid to ask him about what he had just said.

What we have today will be gone tomorrow. The only thing that we can hold fast is our faith and the truth that Jesus, the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings, rules supreme.

By being obedient unto Him, we will survive all the changes in the world, for the world is constantly changing and evolving. But He is the only constant in our lives.

So let us discern always the will and word of the Lord for us individually. Knowing His word and will for us will mean that everything we do, we do for the Lord and will bear fruit for Him.

Blessed are we who put our faith on the rock, our Lord and God. Through His life, death, and resurrection, we have the joyful hope of eternal life in Him. Amen.


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First reading
Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 ·
There is a time for every occupation under heaven

There is a season for everything, a time for every occupation under heaven:

A time for giving birth,
    a time for dying;
    a time for planting,
    a time for uprooting what has been planted.

A time for killing,
    a time for healing;
    a time for knocking down,
    a time for building.

A time for tears,
    a time for laughter;
    a time for mourning,
    a time for dancing.

A time for throwing stones away,
    a time for gathering them up;
    a time for embracing,
    a time to refrain from embracing.

A time for searching,
    a time for losing;
    a time for keeping,
    a time for throwing away.

A time for tearing,
    a time for sewing;
    a time for keeping silent,
    a time for speaking.

A time for loving,
    a time for hating;
    a time for war,
    a time for peace.

What does a man gain for the efforts that he makes? I contemplate the task that God gives mankind to labour at. All that he does is apt for its time; but though he has permitted man to consider time in its wholeness, man cannot comprehend the work of God from beginning to end.



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Gospel
Luke 9:18-22
‘You are the Christ of God’

One day when Jesus was praying alone in the presence of his disciples he put this question to them, ‘Who do the crowds say I am?’ And they answered, ‘John the Baptist; others Elijah; and others say one of the ancient prophets come back to life.’ ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ It was Peter who spoke up. ‘The Christ of God’ he said. But he gave them strict orders not to tell anyone anything about this.
    ‘The Son of Man’ he said ‘is destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and to be put to death, and to be raised up on the third day.’

How would we know what is pleasing to the Lord, our God, if we do not hear His Word or His will for us, if we do not sit at His feet in His presence to dwell on His Word for us?

For only when we listen to His Word and will attentively will we recognize our fellow sisters and brothers, fellow children of God. And only then we will act virtuously and with justice for their greater good.

For hearing His Word and will for us, we become merciful and loving as He, our Lord, is loving and merciful. And only then we can truly declare that we are children of God, our Heavenly Father, so loved by Him. Amen.


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First reading
Proverbs 21:1-6,10-13
On wickedness and virtue


Like flowing water is the heart of the king in the hand of the Lord, who turns it where he pleases.

A man’s conduct may strike him as upright, the Lord, however, weighs the heart.

To act virtuously and with justice is more pleasing to the Lord than sacrifice.

Haughty eye, proud heart, lamp of the wicked, nothing but sin.

The hardworking man is thoughtful, and all is gain; too much haste, and all that comes of it is want.

To make a fortune with the help of a lying tongue, such the idle fantasy of those who look for death.

The wicked man’s soul is intent on evil, he looks on his neighbour with dislike.

When a mocker is punished, the ignorant man grows wiser, when a wise man is instructed he acquires more knowledge.

The Just One watches the house of the wicked: he hurls the wicked to destruction.

He who shuts his ear to the poor man’s cry shall himself plead and not be heard.


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Gospel
Luke 8:19-21
‘My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God’

The mother and the brothers of Jesus came looking for him, but they could not get to him because of the crowd. He was told, ‘Your mother and brothers are standing outside and want to see you.’ But he said in answer, ‘My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice.’

We are all uniquely loved by God, our heavenly Father. We are all His children and graced with very unique gifts. Together, we work to build His kingdom, for we are all one body in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

We have witnessed the fruitfulness of working together hand in hand. There’s just no feeling in the world that can describe the fullness we encounter through the ministry of healing, deliverance, and leading one and all to the encounter of Christ Jesus, who brings life to the full.

For He is the living water that fills us to the brim and over. He constantly seeks sinners out to make them whole, we too shall lead others to repentance and to the fullness of life in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Saint Matthew, Apostle, Evangelist – Feast 


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First reading
Ephesians 4:1-7,11-13 ·
We are all to come to unity, fully mature in the knowledge of the Son of God

I, the prisoner in the Lord, implore you to lead a life worthy of your vocation. Bear with one another charitably, in complete selflessness, gentleness and patience. Do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together. There is one Body, one Spirit, just as you were all called into one and the same hope when you were called. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God who is Father of all, over all, through all and within all.
    Each one of us, however, has been given his own share of grace, given as Christ allotted it. To some, his gift was that they should be apostles; to some, prophets; to some, evangelists; to some, pastors and teachers; so that the saints together make a unity in the work of service, building up the body of Christ. In this way we are all to come to unity in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God, until we become the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself.


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Gospel
Matthew 9:9-13
It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick

As Jesus was walking on, he saw a man named Matthew sitting by the customs house, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him.
    While he was at dinner in the house it happened that a number of tax collectors and sinners came to sit at the table with Jesus and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your master eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ When he heard this he replied, ‘It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. Go and learn the meaning of the words: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice. And indeed I did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners.’

We are children of God, our Heavenly Father, and so are children of the Resurrection. For our loving Father sent his only begotten son, Jesus, to die for our sins and to raise us up on the last day. Through him, we have hope for life eternal with him.

Therefore, as faithful children, we must always listen to his word and will for us so that we will always be fruitful for him.

For we listen to his voice, and we follow, and we lead everyone into his heavenly kingdom. Amen.

Saint Januarius, Bishop, Martyr pray for us…

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First reading
1 Corinthians 15:35-37,42-49 ·
The resurrected body is heavenly by nature

Someone may ask, ‘How are dead people raised, and what sort of body do they have when they come back?’ They are stupid questions. Whatever you sow in the ground has to die before it is given new life and the thing that you sow is not what is going to come; you sow a bare grain, say of wheat or something like that. It is the same with the resurrection of the dead: the thing that is sown is perishable but what is raised is imperishable; the thing that is sown is contemptible but what is raised is glorious; the thing that is sown is weak but what is raised is powerful; when it is sown it embodies the soul, when it is raised it embodies the spirit.
    If the soul has its own embodiment, so does the spirit have its own embodiment. The first man, Adam, as scripture says, became a living soul; but the last Adam has become a life-giving spirit. That is, first the one with the soul, not the spirit, and after that, the one with the spirit. The first man, being from the earth, is earthly by nature; the second man is from heaven. As this earthly man was, so are we on earth; and as the heavenly man is, so are we in heaven. And we, who have been modelled on the earthly man, will be modelled on the heavenly man.



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Gospel
Luke 8:4-15
The parable of the sower

With a large crowd gathering and people from every town finding their way to him, Jesus used this parable:
    ‘A sower went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell on the edge of the path and was trampled on; and the birds of the air ate it up. Some seed fell on rock, and when it came up it withered away, having no moisture. Some seed fell amongst thorns and the thorns grew with it and choked it. And some seed fell into rich soil and grew and produced its crop a hundredfold.’ Saying this he cried, ‘Listen, anyone who has ears to hear!’
    His disciples asked him what this parable might mean, and he said, ‘The mysteries of the kingdom of God are revealed to you; for the rest there are only parables, so that

they may see but not perceive,
listen but not understand.

‘This, then, is what the parable means: the seed is the word of God. Those on the edge of the path are people who have heard it, and then the devil comes and carries away the word from their hearts in case they should believe and be saved. Those on the rock are people who, when they first hear it, welcome the word with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of trial they give up. As for the part that fell into thorns, this is people who have heard, but as they go on their way they are choked by the worries and riches and pleasures of life and do not reach maturity. As for the part in the rich soil, this is people with a noble and generous heart who have heard the word and take it to themselves and yield a harvest through their perseverance.’

We must remember and share our own personal conversion stories of how we were once sinners, and through Christ Jesus, our Lord, were made whole once again after we repented and turned away from sin.

Like Saint Paul, we preach a resurrected Lord, one who died for our sins, was put to death, and was raised up by God, our Heavenly Father. Through His life, death, and resurrection, we have been saved, and therefore, we have hope for eternal life with Him. This is the good news we must share.

Today’s gospel reminds us that the Lord is full of mercy, love, and compassion. He looks not at our sins, but at the person that we can become through His grace. Being restored fully in His love, we can lead others into that same conversion. Amen.


Saint Robert Bellarmine, Bishop, Doctor , Saint Hildegard of Bingen, Virgin, Doctor pray for us…


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First reading
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
I preached what the others preach, and you all believed

Brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, the gospel that you received and in which you are firmly established; because the gospel will save you only if you keep believing exactly what I preached to you – believing anything else will not lead to anything.
    Well then, in the first place, I taught you what I had been taught myself, namely that Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the scriptures; that he was buried; and that he was raised to life on the third day, in accordance with the scriptures; that he appeared first to Cephas and secondly to the Twelve. Next he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died; then he appeared to James, and then to all the apostles; and last of all he appeared to me too; it was as though I was born when no one expected it.
    I am the least of the apostles; in fact, since I persecuted the Church of God, I hardly deserve the name apostle; but by God’s grace that is what I am, and the grace that he gave me has not been fruitless. On the contrary, I, or rather the grace of God that is with me, have worked harder than any of the others; but what matters is that I preach what they preach, and this is what you all believed.



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Gospel
Luke 7:36-50
Her many sins have been forgiven, or she would not have shown such great love

One of the Pharisees invited Jesus to a meal. When he arrived at the Pharisee’s house and took his place at table, a woman came in, who had a bad name in the town. She had heard he was dining with the Pharisee and had brought with her an alabaster jar of ointment. She waited behind him at his feet, weeping, and her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them away with her hair; then she covered his feet with kisses and anointed them with the ointment.
    When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would know who this woman is that is touching him and what a bad name she has.’ Then Jesus took him up and said, ‘Simon, I have something to say to you.’ ‘Speak, Master’ was the reply. ‘There was once a creditor who had two men in his debt; one owed him five hundred denarii, the other fifty. They were unable to pay, so he pardoned them both. Which of them will love him more?’ ‘The one who was pardoned more, I suppose’ answered Simon. Jesus said, ‘You are right.’
    Then he turned to the woman. ‘Simon,’ he said ‘you see this woman? I came into your house, and you poured no water over my feet, but she has poured out her tears over my feet and wiped them away with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but she has been covering my feet with kisses ever since I came in. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. For this reason I tell you that her sins, her many sins, must have been forgiven her, or she would not have shown such great love. It is the man who is forgiven little who shows little love.’ Then he said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ Those who were with him at table began to say to themselves, ‘Who is this man, that he even forgives sins?’ But he said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’

Are we still immature children in the faith, or are we adults living fully in the spirit, bringing our Lord’s peace, mercy, love, healing, and deliverance to all that we meet?

For we have been empowered from on high, and the manifestation of His grace upon us is our ministering to our sisters and brothers in love, that is, in the love of Christ Jesus, our Lord.

And so, that our light for Him shine brightly so that all may come to know Him. Amen.


Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs 
Pray for us…

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First reading
1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13
The supremacy of charity

Be ambitious for the higher gifts. And I am going to show you a way that is better than any of them.
    If I have all the eloquence of men or of angels, but speak without love, I am simply a gong booming or a cymbal clashing. If I have the gift of prophecy, understanding all the mysteries there are, and knowing everything, and if I have faith in all its fullness, to move mountains, but without love, then I am nothing at all. If I give away all that I possess, piece by piece, and if I even let them take my body to burn it, but am without love, it will do me no good whatever.
    Love is always patient and kind; it is never jealous; love is never boastful or conceited; it is never rude or selfish; it does not take offence, and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people’s sins but delights in the truth; it is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes.
    Love does not come to an end. But if there are gifts of prophecy, the time will come when they must fail; or the gift of languages, it will not continue for ever; and knowledge – for this, too, the time will come when it must fail. For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophesying is imperfect; but once perfection comes, all imperfect things will disappear. When I was a child, I used to talk like a child, and think like a child, and argue like a child, but now I am a man, all childish ways are put behind me. Now we are seeing a dim reflection in a mirror; but then we shall be seeing face to face. The knowledge that I have now is imperfect; but then I shall know as fully as I am known.
    In short, there are three things that last: faith, hope and love; and the greatest of these is love.




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Gospel
Luke 7:31-35
‘We played the pipes, and you wouldn’t dance’

Jesus said to the people:
    ‘What description can I find for the men of this generation? What are they like? They are like children shouting to one another while they sit in the market-place:

‘“We played the pipes for you,
and you wouldn’t dance;
we sang dirges,
and you wouldn’t cry.”

‘For John the Baptist comes, not eating bread, not drinking wine, and you say, “He is possessed.” The Son of Man comes, eating and drinking, and you say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” Yet Wisdom has been proved right by all her children.’

We are all uniquely chosen to be Christ’s light in the world. All of us have been endowed with different gifts to build His kingdom here on Earth.

We have been given Christ’s Holy Mother, Mary, to be our mother, and she is the spouse of the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, we turn to her for guidance and for her intercession so that we may be powerful witnesses of Christ Jesus, our Lord, her son, to bring healing, peace, mercy, love, and joy. Amen.

Our Lady of Sorrows pray for us…

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First reading
1 Corinthians 12:12-14,27-31
You together are Christ’s body: each of you a different part

Just as a human body, though it is made up of many parts, is a single unit because all these parts, though many, make one body, so it is with Christ. In the one Spirit we were all baptised, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as citizens, and one Spirit was given to us all to drink.
    Nor is the body to be identified with any one of its many parts. Now you together are Christ’s body; but each of you is a different part of it. In the Church, God has given the first place to apostles, the second to prophets, the third to teachers; after them, miracles, and after them the gift of healing; helpers, good leaders, those with many languages. Are all of them apostles, or all of them prophets, or all of them teachers? Do they all have the gift of miracles, or all have the gift of healing? Do all speak strange languages, and all interpret them? Be ambitious for the higher gifts.




Gospel
John 19:25-27
‘Woman, this is your son’

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. Seeing his mother and the disciple he loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother, ‘Woman, this is your son.’ Then to the disciple he said, ‘This is your mother.’ And from that moment the disciple made a place for her in his home.

“Love lifted on the cross for me: my Lord, my God, my salvation.

Behold the wood of the cross, behold the lamb that was slain.
Behold your king comes victorious, behold he has risen again.”

Today, we exalt the Holy Cross as we remember our dearest Lord who died for our sins to set us free so that we have life eternal with Him.

And so we honor you, Christ Jesus, our Lord, Savior of the world, for by your cross and resurrection, you have set us free. Amen Alleluia.



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First reading
Numbers 21:4-9 ·
If anyone was bitten by a serpent, he looked up at the bronze serpent and lived

On the way through the wilderness the people lost patience. They spoke against God and against Moses, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in this wilderness? For there is neither bread nor water here; we are sick of this unsatisfying food.’
    At this God sent fiery serpents among the people; their bite brought death to many in Israel. The people came and said to Moses, ‘We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Intercede for us with the Lord to save us from these serpents.’ Moses interceded for the people, and the Lord answered him, ‘Make a fiery serpent and put it on a standard. If anyone is bitten and looks at it, he shall live.’ So Moses fashioned a bronze serpent which he put on a standard, and if anyone was bitten by a serpent, he looked at the bronze serpent and lived.

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Gospel
John 3:13-17
God sent his Son so that through him the world might be saved

Jesus said to Nicodemus:

‘No one has gone up to heaven
except the one who came down from heaven,
the Son of Man who is in heaven;
and the Son of Man must be lifted up
as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.
Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost
but may have eternal life.
For God sent his Son into the world
not to condemn the world,
but so that through him the world might be saved.’

Our very being must be built upon the foundation of the rock that is Christ Jesus our Lord. For only then can we be fruitful for Him. For He is our integrity, and He shows us the way, the truth, and the life.

For through Him alone, we can receive the bread of life that unites us all, the living bread from heaven that rejuvenates our very soul, and we become one body in Him. For He is the vine and we are the branches. And through Him alone, we shall have life to the full.

So let us love one another as we love ourselves. For we are all children of God, our heavenly Father. Amen.

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First reading
1 Corinthians 10:14-22
We are a single body because we all share the one bread

My dear brothers, you must keep clear of idolatry. I say to you as sensible people: judge for yourselves what I am saying. The blessing-cup that we bless is a communion with the blood of Christ, and the bread that we break is a communion with the body of Christ. The fact that there is only one loaf means that, though there are many of us, we form a single body because we all have a share in this one loaf. Look at the other Israel, the race, where those who eat the sacrifices are in communion with the altar.
    Does this mean that the food sacrificed to idols has a real value, or that the idol itself is real? Not at all. It simply means that the sacrifices that they offer they sacrifice to demons who are not God. I have no desire to see you in communion with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot take your share at the table of the Lord and at the table of demons. Do we want to make the Lord angry; are we stronger than he is?


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Gospel
Luke 6:43-49
Whoever hears me builds his house on a rock

Jesus said to his disciples:
    ‘There is no sound tree that produces rotten fruit, nor again a rotten tree that produces sound fruit. For every tree can be told by its own fruit: people do not pick figs from thorns, nor gather grapes from brambles. A good man draws what is good from the store of goodness in his heart; a bad man draws what is bad from the store of badness. For a man’s words flow out of what fills his heart.
    ‘Why do you call me, “Lord, Lord” and not do what I say?
    ‘Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and acts on them – I will show you what he is like. He is like the man who when he built his house dug, and dug deep, and laid the foundations on rock; when the river was in flood it bore down on that house but could not shake it, it was so well built. But the one who listens and does nothing is like the man who built his house on soil, with no foundations: as soon as the river bore down on it, it collapsed; and what a ruin that house became!’

We are called to love one another with the extraordinary love received from God, our heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. For only when we love others with the love of God can we lead them to the one true God.

The true love found in our relationship with the Holy Trinity. Love alone can convert hearts. Love alone can open their eyes to the truth to be found in Jesus Christ alone. They will come to know the one true and living God, and their lives will be transformed from within.

Just as our Lord, Jesus Christ, died to forgive our sins, we too should die to ourselves so that others can be saved through our witness and so that is why we are called to love our enemies, to do good always, and to demonstrate the joy of the gospel. Amen.

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First reading
1 Corinthians 8:1-7,11-13
Your brethren may be weaker than you: do not lead them astray

Now about food sacrificed to idols. ‘We all have knowledge’; yes, that is so, but knowledge gives self-importance – it is love that makes the building grow. A man may imagine he understands something, but still not understand anything in the way that he ought to. But any man who loves God is known by him. Well then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: we know that idols do not really exist in the world and that there is no god but the One. And even if there were things called gods, either in the sky or on earth – where there certainly seem to be ‘gods’ and ‘lords’ in plenty – still for us there is one God, the Father, from whom all things come and for whom we exist; and there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things come and through whom we exist.
    Some people, however, do not have this knowledge. There are some who have been so long used to idols that they eat this food as though it really had been sacrificed to the idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled by it. In this way your knowledge could become the ruin of someone weak, of a brother for whom Christ died. By sinning in this way against your brothers, and injuring their weak consciences, it would be Christ against whom you sinned. That is why, since food can be the occasion of my brother’s downfall, I shall never eat meat again in case I am the cause of a brother’s downfall.


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Gospel
Luke 6:27-38
Love your enemies

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I say this to you who are listening: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who treat you badly. To the man who slaps you on one cheek, present the other cheek too; to the man who takes your cloak from you, do not refuse your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and do not ask for your property back from the man who robs you. Treat others as you would like them to treat you. If you love those who love you, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what thanks can you expect? For even sinners do that much. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same amount. Instead, love your enemies and do good, and lend without any hope of return. You will have a great reward, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.
    ‘Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves; grant pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap; because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back.’

No matter the state of our lives, whether single or married, we can give glory to God, our Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit by the way we live our lives for Him and for one another.

We give our all to build His kingdom and to serve His flock as disciples of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

If we want to be free from the ways of the world, we shall always put our Lord first and exercise corporal and spiritual acts of mercy for our fellow brothers and sisters in the world, so that together we will all be reunited in heaven. Amen.

Saint Peter Claver pray for us…

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First reading
1 Corinthians 7:25-31 ·
The world as we know it is passing away

About remaining celibate, I have no directions from the Lord but give my own opinion as one who, by the Lord’s mercy, has stayed faithful. Well then, I believe that in these present times of stress this is right: that it is good for a man to stay as he is. If you are tied to a wife, do not look for freedom; if you are free of a wife, then do not look for one. But if you marry, it is no sin, and it is not a sin for a young girl to get married. They will have their troubles, though, in their married life, and I should like to spare you that.
    Brothers, this is what I mean: our time is growing short. Those who have wives should live as though they had none, and those who mourn should live as though they had nothing to mourn for; those who are enjoying life should live as though there were nothing to laugh about; those whose life is buying things should live as though they had nothing of their own; and those who have to deal with the world should not become engrossed in it. I say this because the world as we know it is passing away.



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Gospel
Luke 6:20-26
Happy are you who are poor, who are hungry, who weep

Fixing his eyes on his disciples Jesus said:

‘How happy are you who are poor: yours is the kingdom of God.
Happy you who are hungry now: you shall be satisfied.
Happy you who weep now: you shall laugh.

Happy are you when people hate you, drive you out, abuse you, denounce your name as criminal, on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice when that day comes and dance for joy, for then your reward will be great in heaven. This was the way their ancestors treated the prophets.

‘But alas for you who are rich: you are having your consolation now.
Alas for you who have your fill now: you shall go hungry.
Alas for you who laugh now: you shall mourn and weep.

‘Alas for you when the world speaks well of you! This was the way their ancestors treated the false prophets.’

Today, as we celebrate the birth of our Blessed Mother Mary, we call to mind and dwell on the fact that from her birth to the time of her fiat, she is the one that was chosen to bring to fruition our salvation history.

For through her, the Lord, our God, was made flesh and dwelt among us. The Savior of the world was born, and there came forth a great light to dispel all the darkness of the earth.

Through his life, death, and resurrection, we became children of God, our Heavenly Father, and we have hope for eternal life with him.

Jesus is our Lord and our brother, and he has given to us a wonderful mother who constantly intercedes for us. Amen.

Dearest Mother party pray for us…

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First reading
Micah 5:1-4 ·
He will stand and feed his flock with the power of the Lord

The Lord says this:

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
the least of the clans of Judah, out of you will be born for me the one who is to rule over Israel;
his origin goes back to the distant past, to the days of old.
The Lord is therefore going to abandon them till the time when she who is to give birth gives birth.
Then the remnant of his brothers will come back
to the sons of Israel.
He will stand and feed his flock with the power of the Lord, with the majesty of the name of his God.
They will live secure, for from then on he will extend his power to the ends of the land.
He himself will be peace.

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Gospel
Matthew 1:1-16,18-23
The ancestry and conception of Jesus Christ

A genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham:

Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah, Tamar being their mother,
Perez was the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram was the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
Salmon was the father of Boaz, Rahab being his mother,
Boaz was the father of Obed, Ruth being his mother,
Obed was the father of Jesse;
and Jesse was the father of King David.

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,
Solomon was the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa,
Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,
Joram the father of Azariah,
Azariah was the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amon,
Amon the father of Josiah;
and Josiah was the father of Jechoniah and his brothers.
Then the deportation to Babylon took place.

After the deportation to Babylon:
Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud,
Abiud the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
Azor was the father of Zadok,
Zadok the father of Achim,
Achim the father of Eliud,
Eliud was the father of Eleazar,
Eleazar the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob;
and Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary;
of her was born Jesus who is called Christ.

This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph; being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfil the words spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son
and they will call him Emmanuel,

a name which means ‘God-is-with-us.’

We must be pure and holy as our Heavenly Father is holy. Even the tiniest speck of sin is heinous to our Lord, and so we must strive to remain steadfast and pure in His light.

We must make every effort, if we have sinned, to turn back fully to Him through the sacrament of reconciliation.

For only then, we shall continue to be His light in the world, to dispel all darkness, to deliver many of from evil spirits, and to heal.

There is no specific time or date to minister to those in need. The moment we are aware that someone is in need, say of healing, we should start laying hands and praying immediately.

For we see and follow as the Lord has done, He is always loving and merciful and seeks to heal and restore those in need. Amen.


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First reading
1 Corinthians 5:1-8
Get rid of the old yeast of evil and wickedness

I have been told as an undoubted fact that one of you is living with his father’s wife. This is a case of sexual immorality among you that must be unparalleled even among pagans. How can you be so proud of yourselves? You should be in mourning. A man who does a thing like that ought to have been expelled from the community. Though I am far away in body, I am with you in spirit, and have already condemned the man who did this thing as if I were actually present. When you are assembled together in the name of the Lord Jesus, and I am spiritually present with you, then with the power of our Lord Jesus he is to be handed over to Satan so that his sensual body may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.
    The pride that you take in yourselves is hardly to your credit. You must know how even a small amount of yeast is enough to leaven all the dough, so get rid of all the old yeast, and make yourselves into a completely new batch of bread, unleavened as you are meant to be. Christ, our passover, has been sacrificed; let us celebrate the feast, then, by getting rid of all the old yeast of evil and wickedness, having only the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.



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Gospel
Luke 6:6-11
Is it against the law on the sabbath to save life?

On the sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees were watching him to see if he would cure a man on the sabbath, hoping to find something to use against him. But he knew their thoughts; and he said to the man with the withered hand, ‘Stand up! Come out into the middle.’ And he came out and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, ‘I put it to you: is it against the law on the sabbath to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to destroy it?’ Then he looked round at them all and said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He did so, and his hand was better. But they were furious, and began to discuss the best way of dealing with Jesus.

One of the most important lessons to be learned in the first reading is that we bless whomever curses us, and that is the attitude of a disciple after Christ.

For if we curse, then we are doing the evil one’s work.

So we turn always to God our Heavenly Father, for know that we are taken care of and provided for. We will not go hungry, for He loves us so much that He will provide for all that we need.

So let us praise and glorify the Lord by our lives. Amen.

Saint Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa) pray for us…

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First reading
1 Corinthians 4:6-15 ·
What do you have that was not given to you?

Take Apollos and myself as an example and remember the maxim: ‘Keep to what is written.’ It is not for you, so full of your own importance, to go taking sides for one man against another. In any case, brother, has anybody given you some special right? What do you have that was not given to you? And if it was given, how can you boast as though it were not? Is it that you have everything you want – that you are rich already, in possession of your kingdom, with us left outside? Indeed I wish you were really kings, and we could be kings with you! But instead, it seems to me, God has put us apostles at the end of his parade, with the men sentenced to death; it is true – we have been put on show in front of the whole universe, angels as well as men. Here we are, fools for the sake of Christ, while you are the learned men in Christ; we have no power, but you are influential; you are celebrities, we are nobodies. To this day, we go without food and drink and clothes; we are beaten and have no homes; we work for our living with our own hands. When we are cursed, we answer with a blessing; when we are hounded, we put up with it; we are insulted and we answer politely. We are treated as the offal of the world, still to this day, the scum of the earth.
    I am saying all this not just to make you ashamed but to bring you, as my dearest children, to your senses. You might have thousands of guardians in Christ, but not more than one father and it was I who begot you in Christ Jesus by preaching the Good News.


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Gospel
Luke 6:1-5
The Son of Man is master of the sabbath

One sabbath Jesus happened to be taking a walk through the cornfields, and his disciples were picking ears of corn, rubbing them in their hands and eating them. Some of the Pharisees said, ‘Why are you doing something that is forbidden on the sabbath day?’ Jesus answered them, ‘So you have not read what David did when he and his followers were hungry – how he went into the house of God, took the loaves of offering and ate them and gave them to his followers, loaves which only the priests are allowed to eat?’ And he said to them, ‘The Son of Man is master of the sabbath.’

Will anyone looking at us or how we behave, whether in words or actions, know that we are Christians?

Are we conformed to Christ such that anyone who comes close to us can sense the presence of Christ in us? Will they see that we are humble, loving, and merciful, just as he was loving and merciful and came not to be served, but to serve?

If they can see Christ in us, then we are living the joy of the gospel, and we should continue to love and serve with joy in our hearts. Amen.

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First reading
1 Corinthians 4:1-5 ·
The Lord alone is our judge

People must think of us as Christ’s servants, stewards entrusted with the mysteries of God. What is expected of stewards is that each one should be found worthy of his trust. Not that it makes the slightest difference to me whether you, or indeed any human tribunal, find me worthy or not. I will not even pass judgement on myself. True, my conscience does not reproach me at all, but that does not prove that I am acquitted: the Lord alone is my judge. There must be no passing of premature judgement. Leave that until the Lord comes; he will light up all that is hidden in the dark and reveal the secret intentions of men’s hearts. Then will be the time for each one to have whatever praise he deserves, from God.

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Gospel
Luke 5:33-39
When the bridegroom is taken from them, then they will fast

The Pharisees and the scribes said to Jesus, ‘John’s disciples are always fasting and saying prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees too, but yours go on eating and drinking.’ Jesus replied, ‘Surely you cannot make the bridegroom’s attendants fast while the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come, the time for the bridegroom to be taken away from them; that will be the time when they will fast.’
    He also told them this parable, ‘No one tears a piece from a new cloak to put it on an old cloak; if he does, not only will he have torn the new one, but the piece taken from the new will not match the old.
    ‘And nobody puts new wine into old skins; if he does, the new wine will burst the skins and then run out, and the skins will be lost. No; new wine must be put into fresh skins. And nobody who has been drinking old wine wants new. “The old is good” he says.’

The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness. For indeed, all that we have or will ever have comes from the goodness of the Lord our God.

Unless we are prepared to leave everything behind to follow him, whether it’s our intellect or possessions; we shall always want. For when we empty ourselves of everything, the Lord can fill us to the brim and over with his graces. All that we will ever need comes from him.

To carry our cross and follow after him and to be fruitful it’s to glorify Him. For we shall gather all that He sends our way and lead them on the same pilgrim journey that we have embarked on, so that together we shall all be reunited in heaven. Amen.

Saint Gregory the Great, Pope, Doctor pray for us…

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First reading
1 Corinthians 3:18-23
The wisdom of the world is foolishness to God

Make no mistake about it: if any one of you thinks of himself as wise, in the ordinary sense of the word, then he must learn to be a fool before he really can be wise. Why? Because the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As scripture says: The Lord knows wise men’s thoughts: he knows how useless they are; or again: God is not convinced by the arguments of the wise. So there is nothing to boast about in anything human: Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life and death, the present and the future, are all your servants; but you belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God.


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Gospel
Luke 5:1-11
They left everything and followed him

Jesus was standing one day by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the crowd pressing round him listening to the word of God, when he caught sight of two boats close to the bank. The fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats – it was Simon’s – and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
    When he had finished speaking he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for a catch.’ ‘Master,’ Simon replied, ‘we worked hard all night long and caught nothing, but if you say so, I will pay out the nets.’ And when they had done this they netted such a huge number of fish that their nets began to tear, so they signalled to their companions in the other boat to come and help them; when these came, they filled the two boats to sinking point.
    When Simon Peter saw this he fell at the knees of Jesus saying, ‘Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man.’ For he and all his companions were completely overcome by the catch they had made; so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were Simon’s partners. But Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on it is men you will catch.’ Then, bringing their boats back to land, they left everything and followed him.

The question we should ask ourselves is: ever since Easter, have we been living a life renewed in Christ—Jesus, our resurrected Lord—and a renewed life in the Spirit that was bestowed upon us at Pentecost?

For if we are, then we would demonstrate the joy of the gospel that is life in the living Lord. As we walk about, looking for those the Lord sends our way to minister to, we will be recognized by our works in the Spirit, and no evil will befall us, for the evil spirits will stay clear of us.

Empowered by Jesus, our Lord, we will bring about deliverance, healing, peace, mercy, love, and joy—all for the glory of our Lord. Amen.

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First reading
1 Corinthians 2:10-16 ·
The Spirit reaches even the depths of God

The Spirit reaches the depths of everything, even the depths of God. After all, the depths of a man can only be known by his own spirit, not by any other man, and in the same way the depths of God can only be known by the Spirit of God. Now instead of the spirit of the world, we have received the Spirit that comes from God, to teach us to understand the gifts that he has given us. Therefore we teach, not in the way in which philosophy is taught, but in the way that the Spirit teaches us: we teach spiritual things spiritually. An unspiritual person is one who does not accept anything of the Spirit of God: he sees it all as nonsense; it is beyond his understanding because it can only be understood by means of the Spirit. A spiritual man, on the other hand, is able to judge the value of everything, and his own value is not to be judged by other men. As scripture says: Who can know the mind of the Lord, so who can teach him? But we are those who have the mind of Christ.


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Gospel
Luke 4:31-37
‘I know who you are: the Holy One of God’

Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath. And his teaching made a deep impression on them because he spoke with authority.
    In the synagogue there was a man who was possessed by the spirit of an unclean devil, and it shouted at the top of its voice, ‘Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God.’ But Jesus said sharply, ‘Be quiet! Come out of him!’ And the devil, throwing the man down in front of everyone, went out of him without hurting him at all. Astonishment seized them and they were all saying to one another, ‘What teaching! He gives orders to unclean spirits with authority and power and they come out.’ And reports of him went all through the surrounding countryside.