Jesus reminds his disciples to be ready and vigilant, always prepared to respond to God’s call.
Mass Readings – Tuesday of the 29th Week of the Year (B, #474)
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St. Pope John Paul II, pray for us!
Tag Archives: prepared
Study, Pray, Serve: 33rd Sunday of the Year
Let’s look at some of the themes that surface in the Mass readings for the 33rd Sunday of the Year.
1st Reading – Proverbs 31:10-13,19-20,30-31
- A worthy wife reveals her goodness through her service and care for others.
- “Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting; the woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
Psalm – 128:1-5
- “Blessed are those who fear the Lord.”
- Those who follow the Lord encounter domestic prosperity.
2nd Reading – 1st Thessalonians 5:1-6
- The day of the Lord will come suddenly, like a thief in the night.
- We stay alert and sober, not in darkness but as children of the light.
Gospel – Matthew 25:14-30
- Jesus tells of the parable of the master who gave three servants different amounts of wealth (talents) based on their ability.
- The master returns and praises two of the servants who did what they could with what they had; “since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities.”
- The servant who does nothing is chastised and turned out into the darkness.
Mass Readings – 33rd Sunday of the Year
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Study, Pray, Serve: 32nd Sunday of the Year
Here are some of the main themes that we discover in the Mass readings for the 32nd Sunday of the Year.
1st Reading – Wisdom 6:12-16
- Resplendent and unfading is wisdom for those who seek her in anticipation and vigil.
- Filled with the perfection of prudence, wisdom keeps us free from care.
Psalm – 63:2-8
- “My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.”
- We pine and thirst for God, whose kindness fills us with joy.
2nd Reading – 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18
- Our belief that Jesus died and rose offers us hope that all who have died in Christ will rise with him.
- The Lord, with a word of command, will reveal his majesty and power through the resurrection of Jesus.
Gospel – Matthew 25:1-13
- Jesus offers a parable about ten virgins – five wise and five foolish – who are waiting with oil lamps for the coming of the bridegroom.
- Those that are ready are welcomed to the feast; those who are unprepared will be shut out.
Mass Readings – 32nd Sunday of the Year (A)
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Daily Mass: Be ready, vigilant, and prepared. Catholic Inspiration
Using a parable, Jesus exhorts his disciples to be ready, vigilant, and prepared for the the coming and arrival of the Master.
Mass Readings – Tuesday of the 29th Week of the Year
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St. Anthony, Mary Claret, pray for us!
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Daily Mass: Steadfast vigilance in the Faith. Catholic Inspiration
Jesus offers a parable to remind us to be steadfast and alert, ready to respond at any moment to God’s call in our lives.
Mass Readings – Tuesday of the 29th Week of the Year
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19th Sunday of the Year – The treasure of faith
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Study: Recall a time when your faith was tested. How did you respond?
Pray: Are you or a loved one going through a difficult time right now? Pray for the wisdom and strength that comes from faith.
Serve: How can you help someone grow in their faith today? How can you help another grow closer to Jesus Christ?
Mass Readings – 19th Sunday of the Year
The readings focus on different aspects of faith this week:
- 1st Reading – The people put their faith in God at the time of the Passover
- Psalm – “Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.”
- 2nd Reading – The faith of Abraham inspires our faith
- Gospel – Be ready, vigilant and prepared for the treasures of heaven
When we stop and think about it, we are blessed in many, many ways: life, education, family, friendship, health, opportunity, and…faith. What a gift it is to know God and to be given the sacraments and teaching of the Church to help us encounter the Lord!
But sometimes we can take our gifts for granted. We start to assume that these blessings will always be there, that life will always be smooth and steady, or that if we do the right things then nothing bad will ever happen to us.
Today we are reminded that the gift of faith requires constant vigilance. We live each day, each moment, with the conviction that we are pilgrims passing through this world…with our eyes set on the Kingdom of Heaven. We foster our relationship with the Lord through daily prayer, frequent reception of the Sacraments, hearing the Word of God, and fellowship with one another.
May we foster our faith and be ready today…for the Lord will come, at an hour we do not expect.
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33rd Sunday of the Year – No One Knows the Hour
Study: Recall a couple of times in your life – when you were prepared and when you were caught off guard. How did if feel? What was the outcome?
Pray: Do you have unfinished business in your life? Take your challenges to prayer and ask the Lord for wisdom and courage.
Serve: Is there a broken or wounded relationship in your life? Perhaps you might make the first move to bring healing and reconciliation to the situation.
33rd Sunday of the Year Readings
The first reading and the Gospel today are direct and to the point: there will be hardship and distress. Tribulation is part of the journey. Get ready!
And yet we can sometimes get caught in the (mistaken) sentiment that because we follow Jesus Christ everything is suppose to be sunshine and daisies. On the contrary – our faith puts struggle front and center, reminding us that we are called to be ready and prepared for the unexpected. Because just in case you were hoping for some secret sign from the Bible when the world will end, Jesus offers one of my all-time favorite lines of Sacred Scripture:
“But of that day or hour, no one knows,
neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Mark 13:32)
No one knows the hour….this is a very big deal. Remember these points:
- Difficulty, hardship, tribulation, and suffering are part of life.
- The unexpected happens! Deal with it.
- And we do not know the hour when our lives will be over…
So how do we live? The answer is simple – TODAY we speak and act so that if the Lord called us right now we would be ready. TODAY we say:
- “I’m sorry.”
- “I forgive you.”
- “I love you.”
- “Can I help you?”
- “Can you help me?”
We live our lives one day at a time – we can’t go back and we can’t go forward – it is only in the present moment that we can do and say. Thus, if we stay shackled to the past we can’t live today, and if we keep putting off what is needed we are wasting the moment we have. TODAY is our opportunity to address any unfinished business, to right wrongs and tell the people in our lives how we feel about them. In other words, today we squeeze out every opportunity we have to love the Lord and one another…
…for of that day or hour, no one knows.
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Catholic Inspiration – Podcast Archives of Homilies & Talks- Daily Mass: Let the Lord enter!
- Daily Mass: We receive the Good News in our hearts
- Daily Mass: We strive for God's justice and peace
- Daily Mass: The family tree of Jesus as told by Matthew
- Daily Mass: Christ invites us to do the Father's will
- Daily Mass: Teach me your ways, O Lord
- Study, Pray, Serve: 4th Sunday of Advent
- 3rd Sunday of Advent: Christ fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah
- Daily Mass: Lord make us turn to you
- Our Lady of Guadalupe inspires us to magnify the Lord
Three Great Things 