DAILY READINGS & REFLECTION
MAY 26, 2021
WEDNESDAY - MEMORIAL OF SAINT PHILIP NERI, PRIEST
FIRST READING
SIRACH 36:1, 4-5, 10-17 OR (PHILIPPIANS 4:4-9)
1 Have mercy upon us, O Lord, the God of all, and look upon us, 4 As in us thou hast been sanctified before them, so in them be thou magnified before us; 5 and let them know thee, as we have known that there is not God but thee, O Lord. 10 Crush the heads of the rulers of the enemy, who say, "There is no one but ourselves." 11 Gather all the tribes of Jacob, and give them their inheritance, as at the beginning. 12 Have mercy, O Lord, upon the people called by thy name, upon Israel, whom thou hast likened to a first-born son. 13 Have pity on the city of thy sanctuary, Jerusalem, the place of thy rest. 14 Fill Zion with the celebration of thy wondrous deeds, and thy temple with thy glory. 15 Bear witness to those whom thou didst create in the beginning, and fulfil the prophecies spoken in thy name. 16 Reward those who wait for thee, and let thy prophets be found trustworthy. 17 Hearken, O Lord, to the prayer of thy servants, according to the blessing of Aaron for thy people, and all who are on the earth will know that thou art the Lord, the God of the ages.
The Word of the Lord
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RESPONSORIAL PSALM
PSALMS 79:8-9, 11, 13 OR (PSALMS 34:2-11)
Response: Show us, O Lord, the light of thy kindness.
Do not remember against us the iniquities of our forefathers;
let thy compassion come speedily to meet us,
for we are brought very low.
R. Show us, O Lord, the light of thy kindness.
Help us, O God of our salvation,
for the glory of thy name;
deliver us, and forgive our sins,
for thy name's sake!
R. Show us, O Lord, the light of thy kindness.
Let the groans of the prisoners come before thee;
according to thy great power preserve those doomed to die!
Then we thy people, the flock of thy pasture,
will give thanks to thee for ever;
from generation to generation we will recount thy praise.
R. Show us, O Lord, the light of thy kindness.
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GOSPEL
Are you able to drink the cup that I drink?
MARK 10:32-45 OR (JOHN 17:20-26)
32 And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33 saying, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and deliver him to the Gentiles; 34 and they will mock him, and spit upon him, and scourge him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise." 35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him, and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." 36 And he said to them, "What do you want me to do for you?" 37 And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory." 38 But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" 39 And they said to him, "We are able." And Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; 40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared." 41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. 42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, "You know that those who are supposed to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
The Gospel of the Lord
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REFLECTION
DAILY QUOTE FROM THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS
The way to glory and honor, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Ponder how profound this is. They were conferring with him about glory. He intended to precede loftiness with humility and, only through humility, to ready the way for loftiness itself. For, of course, even those disciples who wanted to sit, the one on his right, the other on his left, were looking to glory (Matthew 20:20-23; Mark 10:35-40). They were on the lookout, but did not see by what way. In order that they might come to their homeland in due order, the Lord called them back to the narrow way. For the homeland is on high and the way to it is lowly. The homeland is life in Christ; the way is dying with Christ (Matthew 6:25; Mark 8:35; Luke 9:24; 17-33). The way is suffering with Christ; the goal is abiding with him eternally. Why do you seek the homeland if you are not seeking the way to it?"
(excerpt from TRACTATE ON JOHN 28.5.2.13)
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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.