The Daily Gospel 14th August 2009

August 14, 2009December 14, 2009 / Michael J. Cunningham / Leave a comment

Friday of the Nineteenth week in Ordinary Time

Book of Joshua 24:1-13.
Joshua gathered together all the tribes of Israel at Shechem, summoning their elders, their leaders, their judges and their officers. When they stood in ranks before God,
Joshua addressed all the people: “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: In times past your fathers, down to Terah, father of Abraham and Nahor, dwelt beyond the River and served other gods.
But I brought your father Abraham from the region beyond the River and led him through the entire land of Canaan. I made his descendants numerous, and gave him Isaac.
To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I assigned the mountain region of Seir in which to settle, while Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.
“Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and smote Egypt with the prodigies which I wrought in her midst.
Afterward I led you out of Egypt, and when you reached the sea, the Egyptians pursued your fathers to the Red Sea with chariots and horsemen.
Because they cried out to the LORD, he put darkness between your people and the Egyptians, upon whom he brought the sea so that it engulfed them. After you witnessed what I did to Egypt, and dwelt a long time in the desert,
I brought you into the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I delivered them into your power. You took possession of their land, and I destroyed them (the two kings of the Amorites) before you.
Then Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab, prepared to war against Israel. He summoned Balaam, son of Beor, to curse you;
but I would not listen to Balaam. On the contrary, he had to bless you, and I saved you from him.
Once you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho, the men of Jericho fought against you, but I delivered them also into your power.
And I sent the hornets ahead of you which drove them (the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites) out of your way; it was not your sword or your bow.
“I gave you a land which you had not tilled and cities which you had not built, to dwell in; you have eaten of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.

Psalms 136(135):1-3.16-18.21-22.24.
Praise the LORD, who is so good; God’s love endures forever;
Praise the God of gods; God’s love endures forever;
Praise the Lord of lords; God’s love endures forever;
Who led the people through the desert, God’s love endures forever;
Who struck down great kings, God’s love endures forever;
Slew powerful kings, God’s love endures forever;
And made their lands a heritage, God’s love endures forever;
A heritage for Israel, God’s servant, God’s love endures forever.
Freed us from our foes, God’s love endures forever;

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 19:3-12.
Some Pharisees approached him, and tested him, saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?”
He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’
and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?
So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate.”
They said to him, “Then why did Moses command that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss (her)?”
He said to them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery.”
(His) disciples said to him, “If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”
He answered, “Not all can accept (this) word, but only those to whom that is granted.
Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”

Commentary of the day : Roman Missal
“The two shall become one flesh”

The Daily Gospel 13th August 2009

August 13, 2009December 14, 2009 / Michael J. Cunningham / Leave a comment

Thursday of the Nineteenth week in Ordinary Time

Book of Joshua 3:7-10.11.13-17.
Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know I am with you, as I was with Moses.
Now command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant to come to a halt in the Jordan when they reach the edge of the waters.”
So Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the LORD, your God.”
He continued: “This is how you will know that there is a living God in your midst, who at your approach will dispossess the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites.
The ark of the covenant of the LORD of the whole earth will precede you into the Jordan.
When the soles of the feet of the priests carrying the ark of the LORD, the Lord of the whole earth, touch the water of the Jordan, it will cease to flow; for the water flowing down from upstream will halt in a solid bank.”
The people struck their tents to cross the Jordan, with the priests carrying the ark of the covenant ahead of them.
No sooner had these priestly bearers of the ark waded into the waters at the edge of the Jordan, which overflows all its banks during the entire season of the harvest,
than the waters flowing from upstream halted, backing up in a solid mass for a very great distance indeed, from Adam, a city in the direction of Zarethan; while those flowing downstream toward the Salt Sea of the Arabah disappeared entirely. Thus the people crossed over opposite Jericho.
While all Israel crossed over on dry ground, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD remained motionless on dry ground in the bed of the Jordan until the whole nation had completed the passage.

Psalms 114(113A):1-2.3-4.5-6.
When Israel came forth from Egypt, the house of Jacob from an alien people,
Judah became God’s holy place, Israel, God’s domain.
The sea beheld and fled; the Jordan turned back.
The mountains skipped like rams; the hills, like lambs of the flock.
Why was it, sea, that you fled? Jordan, that you turned back?
You mountains, that you skipped like rams? You hills, like lambs of the flock?

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 18:21-35.19:1.
Then Peter approaching asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.
That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants.
When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.
Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt.
At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’
Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan.
When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’
Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt.
Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair.
His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.
Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’
Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt.
So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”
When Jesus finished these words, he left Galilee and went to the district of Judea across the Jordan.

Commentary of the day : Saint Francis of Assisi
“Seventy-seven times”

The Daily Gospel 12 August 2009

August 12, 2009December 14, 2009 / Michael J. Cunningham / Leave a comment

Wednesday of the Nineteenth week in Ordinary Time

Book of Deuteronomy 34:1-12.
Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, the headland of Pisgah which faces Jericho, and the LORD showed him all the land-Gilead, and as far as Dan,
all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea,
the Negeb, the circuit of the Jordan with the lowlands at Jericho, city of palms, and as far as Zoar.
The LORD then said to him, “This is the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that I would give to their descendants. I have let you feast your eyes upon it, but you shall not cross over.”
So there, in the land of Moab, Moses, the servant of the LORD, died as the LORD had said;
and he was buried in the ravine opposite Beth-peor in the land of Moab, but to this day no one knows the place of his burial.
Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were undimmed and his vigor unabated.
For thirty days the Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab, till they had completed the period of grief and mourning for Moses.
Now Joshua, son of Nun, was filled with the spirit of wisdom, since Moses had laid his hands upon him; and so the Israelites gave him their obedience, thus carrying out the LORD’S command to Moses.
Since then no prophet has arisen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face.
He had no equal in all the signs and wonders the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh and all his servants and against all his land,
and for the might and the terrifying power that Moses exhibited in the sight of all Israel.

Psalms 66(65):1-3.5.8.16-17.
For the leader. A song; a psalm.
Shout joyfully to God, all you on earth; sing of his glorious name; give him glorious praise.
Say to God: “How awesome your deeds! Before your great strength your enemies cringe.
Come and see the works of God, awesome in the deeds done for us.
Bless our God, you peoples; loudly sound his praise,
Come and hear, all you who fear God, while I recount what has been done for me.
I called to the Lord with my mouth; praise was upon my tongue.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 18:15-20.
If your brother sins (against you), go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.
If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that ‘every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.’
If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.
Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Again, (amen,) I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

Commentary of the day : Saint Caesarius of Arles
“Whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”