DAILY READINGS & REFLECTION
OCTOBER 16, 2024
WEDNESDAY OF THE TWENTY-EIGHTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
(OPTIONAL MEMORIAL OF SAINT MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE, VIRGIN / SAINT HEDWIG, RELIGIOUS)
FIRST READING
GALATIANS 5:18-25 OR (EPHESIANS 3:14-19 / SIRACH 26:1-4, 13-16)
18 But if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are plain: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.
The Word of the Lord
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RESPONSORIAL PSALM
PSALMS 1:1-4, 6 OR (PSALMS 23:1-6 / PSALMS 128:1-5)
Response: Those who follow thee, Lord, will have the light of life.
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
R. Those who follow thee, Lord, will have the light of life.
He is like a tree
planted by streams of water,
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
R. Those who follow thee, Lord, will have the light of life.
The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
R. Those who follow thee, Lord, will have the light of life.
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GOSPEL
You load burdens hard to bear
LUKE 11:42-46 OR (MATTHEW 11:25-30 / MARK 3:31-35)
42 "But woe to you Pharisees! for you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 43 Woe to you Pharisees! for you love the best seat in the synagogues and salutations in the market places. 44 Woe to you! for you are like graves which are not seen, and men walk over them without knowing it." 45 One of the lawyers answered him, "Teacher, in saying this you reproach us also." 46 And he said, "Woe to you lawyers also! for you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.
The Gospel of the Lord
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REFLECTION
DAILY QUOTE FROM THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS
Binding heavy burdens on others, by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD)
"Just as the scribes and Pharisees wickedly sat upon the throne of Moses, so do some in the church who sit upon the ecclesiastical throne. There are some in the church who have the right understanding of the law and pass it on correctly. They say what each person needs to do, but they themselves do not do it. Some of them lay heavy burdens upon the shoulders of men, but they won't even lift a finger to help. These are the ones the Savior is talking about when he says, 'Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of God' (Matthew 5:19). There are others, however, who sit on the throne, who act before they speak and speak wisely, restraining those who are disordered. They place merciful burdens on the shoulders of others. They themselves are the first to lift the heavy burden, for the exhortation of other listeners. It is these of whom the Lord speaks when he says, 'He who does so and teaches others to do so, this man will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.'"
(excerpt from COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 9)
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Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1965, 1966 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.