Liturgical Readings for : Tuesday, 14th November, 2023
Tuesday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1
Optional Memorial of St Laurence O’Toole, bishop
Feast in the Dublin Diocese
FIRST READING
A reading from the book of Wisdom 2:23-3:9
In the eyes of the unwise, they did appear to die but they are in peace.
God did make man imperishable, he made him in the image of his own nature;
it was the devil’s envy that brought death into the world, as those who are his partners will discover.
But the souls of the virtuous are in the hands of God,
no torment shall ever touch them.
In the eyes of the unwise, they did appear to die
their going looked like a disaster, their leaving us, like annihilation;
but they are in peace.
If they experienced punishment as men see it,
their hope was rich with immortality; slight was their affliction,
great will their blessings be.
God has put them to the test and proved them worthy to be with him;
he has tested them like gold in a furnace, and accepted them as a holocaust.
When the time comes for his visitation they will shine out; as sparks run through the stubble, so will they.
They shall judge nations, rule over peoples, and the Lord will be their king for ever.
They who trust in him will understand the truth, those who are faithful will live with him in love;
for grace and mercy await those he has chosen.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 33: 2-3, 16-19,/ Rv:2
Response I will bless the Lord at all times.
1. I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise always on my lips;
in the Lord my soul shall make its boast. The humble shall hear and be glad. Response
2. The Lord turns his face against the wicked to destroy their remembrance from the earth.
The Lord turns his eyes to the just and his ears to their appeal. Response
3. They call and the Lord hears and rescues them in all their distress.
The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; those whose spirit is crushed he will save. Response
Gospel Acclamation Mt 4: 4
Alleluia, alleluia!
Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word
that comes from the mouth of God .
Alleluia!
Or Jn 14: 23
Alleluia, alleluia!
If anyone loves me he will keep my word,
and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him.
Alleluia!
GOSPEL
The Lord be with you And with your spirit.
A reading from the Gospel according to Luke 17:7-10 Glory to you, O Lord
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke 17:7-10
We are merely servants: we have done no more than our duty.
Jesus said to his disciples
‘Which of you, with a servant ploughing or minding sheep, would say to him when he returned from the fields, “Come and have your meal immediately”? Would he not be more likely to say, “Get my supper laid; make yourself tidy and wait on me while I eat and drink. You can eat and drink yourself afterwards”? Must he be grateful to the servant for doing what he was told? So with you: when you have done all you have been told to do, say,
“We are merely servants: we have done no more than our duty.”‘
The Gospel of the Lord Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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Gospel Reflection Tuesday, Thirty Second Week in Ordinary Time Luke 17:7-10
Jesus’ images and parables are always drawn from his own time, place and culture. In Jesus’ day, very wealthy people had many servants, and even reasonably well-off people had at least one servant. Jesus’ little parable simply reflects the reality that when such a servant had done his duty, he has no claim on his master’s gratitude and his master is under no obligation to thank him. Jesus seems to be suggesting that even after we have lived in the way God calls us to live, that in itself does not give us any claim on God. No matter how well we live, God is never in our debt. However, elsewhere Jesus makes clear that God does not relate to us as a master to his servants. God is more like the father in the parable of the prodigal son who lavishes his love on his undeserving son. That son certainly had no claim on his father, but he didn’t need to have any claim on him. His father gave to his son out of the enormous generosity of his love.
Similarly, although we never have a claim on God, we don’t need to have such a claim. God will always be more generous towards us than we are towards God. The first reading from the Book of Wisdom declares that, in eternity, ‘grace and mercy await’ those who have been faithful to God. Jesus has shown us that God’s grace and mercy awaits us in this life too, indeed, every day of our lives. We may always be ‘unworthy servants’, in the language of the gospel reading, even after we have lived well, but God does not ask us to be worthy before showering his grace and mercy upon us.
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The Scripture Readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd.
