DAILY READINGS & REFLECTION

JUNE 1, 2023

THURSDAY - MEMORIAL OF SAINT JUSTIN, MARTYR

FIRST READING

SIRACH 42:15-25 OR (1 CORINTHIANS 1:18-25)

15 I will now call to mind the works of the Lord, and will declare what I have seen. By the words of the Lord his works are done. 16 The sun looks down on everything with its light, and the work of the Lord is full of his glory. 17 The Lord has not enabled his holy ones to recount all his marvelous works, which the Lord the Almighty has established that the universe may stand firm in his glory. 18 He searches out the abyss, and the hearts of men, and considers their crafty devices. For the Most High knows all that may be known, and he looks into the signs of the age. 19 He declares what has been and what is to be, and he reveals the tracks of hidden things. 20 No thought escapes him, and not one word is hidden from him. 21 He has ordained the splendors of his wisdom, and he is from everlasting and to everlasting. Nothing can be added or taken away, and he needs no one to be his counselor. 22 How greatly to be desired are all his works, and how sparkling they are to see! 23 All these things live and remain for ever for every need, and are all obedient. 24 All things are twofold, one opposite the other, and he has made nothing incomplete. 25 One confirms the good things of the other, and who can have enough of beholding his glory?

The Word of the Lord
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RESPONSORIAL PSALM

PSALMS 32(33):2-9 OR (PSALMS 34:2-9)

Response: By the word of the Lord the heavens were made.

Praise the LORD with the lyre,
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!
Sing to him a new song,
play skilfully on the strings, with loud shouts.

R. By the word of the Lord the heavens were made.

For the word of the LORD is upright;
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.

R. By the word of the Lord the heavens were made.

By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
and all their host by the breath of his mouth.
He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle;
he put the deeps in storehouses.

R. By the word of the Lord the heavens were made.

Let all the earth fear the LORD,
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!
For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood forth.

R. By the word of the Lord the heavens were made.
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GOSPEL

What do you want me to do for you?

MARK 10:46-52 OR (MATTHEW 5:13-19)

46 And they came to Jericho; and as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great multitude, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 48 And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" 49 And Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart; rise, he is calling you." 50 And throwing off his mantle he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" And the blind man said to him, "Master, let me receive my sight." 52 And Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.

The Gospel of the Lord
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REFLECTION

DAILY QUOTE FROM THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS

Your Word will enlighten and save me, by Clement of Alexandria, 150-215 A.D.

"The commandment of the Lord shines clearly, enlightening the eyes. Receive Christ, receive power to see, receive your light, that you may plainly recognize both God and man. More delightful than gold and precious stones, more desirable than honey and the honeycomb is the Word that has enlightened us (Psalm 19:10). How could he not be desirable, who illumined minds buried in darkness, and endowed with clear vision 'the light-bearing eyes' of the soul? ... Sing his praises, then, Lord, and make known to me your Father, who is God. Your Word will save me, your song instruct me. I have gone astray in my search for God; but now that you light my path, Lord, I find God through you, and receive the Father from you, I become co-heir with you, since you were not ashamed to own me as your brother. Let us, then, shake off forgetfulness of truth, shake off the mist of ignorance and darkness that dims our eyes, and contemplate the true God, after first raising this song of praise to him: 'All hail, O light!' For upon us buried in darkness, imprisoned in the shadow of death, a heavenly light has shone, a light of a clarity surpassing the sun's, and of a sweetness exceeding any this earthly life can offer."

(excerpt from EXHORTATION TO THE GREEKS 11.8)
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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.