DAILY READINGS & REFLECTION
SEPTEMBER 17, 2025
WEDNESDAY OF THE TWENTY-FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
(FEAST OF THE SACRED STIGMATA OF SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI)
(OPTIONAL MEMORIAL OF SAINT ROBERT BELLARMINE, BISHOP AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH / SAINT HILDEGARD OF BINGEN, VIRGIN AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH)
FIRST READING
1 TIMOTHY 3:14-16 OR (WISDOM 7:7-10, 15-16 / SONG OF SONGS 8:6-7 / GALATIANS 6:14-18)
14 Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, 15 if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. 16 Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.
The Word of the Lord
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RESPONSORIAL PSALM
PSALMS 110(111):1-6 OR (PSALMS 19:8-11 / PSALMS 45:11-12, 14-17 / GALATIANS 2:16, 20. PHILIPPIANS 1:20-21)
Response: How great are the works of the Lord!
Praise the LORD!
I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
Great are the works of the LORD,
studied by all who have pleasure in them.
R. How great are the works of the Lord!
Full of honor and majesty is his work,
and his righteousness endures for ever.
He has caused his wonderful works to be remembered;
the LORD is gracious and merciful.
R. How great are the works of the Lord!
He provides food for those who fear him;
he is ever mindful of his covenant.
He has shown his people the power of his works,
in giving them the heritage of the nations.
R. How great are the works of the Lord!
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GOSPEL
How shall I compare this generation?
LUKE 7:31-35 OR (MATTHEW 7:21-29 / MATTHEW 25:1-13 / LUKE 9:23-26)
31 "To what then shall I compare the men of this generation, and what are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the market place and calling to one another, `We piped to you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not weep.' 33 For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine; and you say, `He has a demon.' 34 The Son of man has come eating and drinking; and you say, `Behold, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' 35 Yet wisdom is justified by all her children."
The Gospel of the Lord
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REFLECTION
DAILY QUOTE FROM THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS
The song and dances of the prophets, by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.
"'Therefore, wisdom is justified by all her children.' He fittingly says 'by all,' because justice is preserved around all. In order that an acceptance of the faithful may happen, a rejection of the unbelieving must occur. Very many Greeks say this, Wisdom is justified by all her works, because the duty of justice is to preserve the measure around the merit of each. It aptly says, We have piped to you, and you have not danced. Moses sang a song when he stopped the flow in the Red Sea for the crossing of the Jews (Exodus 15:1-18), and the same waves encircled the horses of the Egyptians and, falling back, drowned their riders. Isaiah sang a song of his beloveds vineyard (Isaiah 5:1-7), signifying that the people who before had been fruitful with abundant virtues would be desolate through shameful acts. The Hebrews sang a song when the soles of their feet grew moist at the touch of the bedewing flame, and while all burned within and without, the harmless fire caressed them alone and did not scorch (Daniel 3:19-25). Habakkuk also learned to assuage universal grief with a song and prophesied that the sweet passion of the Lord would happen for the faithful (Habakkuk 3:13). The prophets sang songs with spiritual measures, resounding with prophecies of universal salvation. The prophets wept, softening the hard hearts of the Jews with sorrowful lamentations" (Isaiah 46:12).
(excerpt from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 6.6-7)
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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.