forgiveness

THE DAILY GOSPEL AND READINGS 27 MAY 2013

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    Monday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
    Lectionary: 347

    Reading 1 Sir 17:20-24

    To the penitent God provides a way back,
    he encourages those who are losing hope
    and has chosen for them the lot of truth.
    Return to him and give up sin,
    pray to the LORD and make your offenses few.
    Turn again to the Most High and away from your sin,
    hate intensely what he loathes,
    and know the justice and judgments of God,
    Stand firm in the way set before you,
    in prayer to the Most High God.
    Who in the nether world can glorify the Most High
    in place of the living who offer their praise?
    Dwell no longer in the error of the ungodly,
    but offer your praise before death.
    No more can the dead give praise
    than those who have never lived;
    You who are alive and well
    shall praise and glorify God in his mercies.
    How great the mercy of the LORD,
    his forgiveness of those who return to him!

    Responsorial Psalm PS 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7

    R. (11a) Let the just exult and rejoice in the Lord.
    Blessed is he whose fault is taken away,
    whose sin is covered.
    Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt,
    in whose spirit there is no guile.
    R. Let the just exult and rejoice in the Lord.
    Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
    my guilt I covered not.
    I said, “I confess my faults to the LORD,”
    and you took away the guilt of my sin.
    R. Let the just exult and rejoice in the Lord.
    For this shall every faithful man pray to you
    in time of stress.
    Though deep waters overflow,
    they shall not reach him.
    R. Let the just exult and rejoice in the Lord.
    You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me;
    with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round.
    R. Let the just exult and rejoice in the Lord.

    Gospel Mk 10:17-27

    As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up,
    knelt down before him, and asked him,
    “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
    Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good?
    No one is good but God alone.
    You know the commandments: You shall not kill;
    you shall not commit adultery;
    you shall not steal;
    you shall not bear false witness;
    you shall not defraud;
    honor your father and your mother.”
    He replied and said to him,
    “Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.”
    Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,
    “You are lacking in one thing.
    Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor
    and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
    At that statement, his face fell,
    and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
    Jesus looked around and said to his disciples,
    “How hard it is for those who have wealth
    to enter the Kingdom of God!”
    The disciples were amazed at his words.
    So Jesus again said to them in reply,
    “Children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God!
    It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
    than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.”
    They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves,
    “Then who can be saved?”
    Jesus looked at them and said,
    “For men it is impossible, but not for God.
    All things are possible for God.”

    Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

THE DAILY GOSPEL AND READINGS 23 MAY 2013

/ Michael J. Cunningham / Leave a comment

 

Thursday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 344

Reading 1 Sir 5:1-8

Rely not on your wealth;
say not: “I have the power.”
Rely not on your strength
in following the desires of your heart.
Say not: “Who can prevail against me?”
or, “Who will subdue me for my deeds?”
for God will surely exact the punishment.
Say not: “I have sinned, yet what has befallen me?”
for the Most High bides his time.
Of forgiveness be not overconfident,
adding sin upon sin.
Say not: “Great is his mercy;
my many sins he will forgive.”
For mercy and anger alike are with him;
upon the wicked alights his wrath.
Delay not your conversion to the LORD,
put it not off from day to day.
For suddenly his wrath flames forth;
at the time of vengeance you will be destroyed.
Rely not upon deceitful wrath,
for it will be no help on the day of wrath.

Responsorial Psalm PS 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6

R. (40:5a) Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

Gospel Mk 9:41-50

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink
because you belong to Christ,
amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.
“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,
it would be better for him if a great millstone
were put around his neck
and he were thrown into the sea.
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.
It is better for you to enter into life maimed
than with two hands to go into Gehenna,
into the unquenchable fire.
And if your foot causes you to sin, cut if off.
It is better for you to enter into life crippled
than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna.
And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.
Better for you to enter into the Kingdom of God with one eye
than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna,
where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.
“Everyone will be salted with fire.
Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid,
with what will you restore its flavor?
Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another.”

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner

The Wordless Search

/ Michael J. Cunningham / Leave a comment

 

Staring into the blackness, thoughts extinguish themselves,

              as embers to charcoal, invisible in the dark.

A soul prays the prayer of no words, pleading for signs,

              throwing out daily turbulence.

 

Out of the darkness, shapes emerge,

                first unrecognizable, then taking form.

Distractions, sins, temptations, possessions, desires, things of no import, golden calves,

                 all gathered up and gently carried to His door.

 

Returned goods welcomed with forgiveness and love,

                   and more journeys are made, back into dazzling darkness,

Searching for it which must be returned, each trip a little lighter,

                   in order to drink from the Chalice of peace and love again;

And to rest In Him.

 

 

 

Copyright 2013 Michael J. Cunningham