Liturgical Readings for : Monday, 27th May, 2024
Monday of the Eight Week in Ordinary Time, Year 2
Optional Memorial of St Augustine of Canterbury, bishop
FIRST READING
A reading from the first letter of St Peter 1:3-9
You did not see Christ, yet you love him;
and you are already filled with a joy that cannot be described, because you believe.
Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy has given us a new birth as his sons, by raising Jesus Christ from the dead, so that we have a sure hope and the promise of an inheritance that can never be spoilt or soiled and never fade away, because it is being kept for you in the heavens. Through your faith, God’s power will guard you until the salvation which has been prepared is revealed at the end of time. This is a cause of great joy for you, even though you may for a short time have to bear being plagued by all sorts of trials; so that, when Jesus Christ is revealed, your faith will have been tested and proved like gold – only it is more precious than gold, which is corruptible even though it bears testing by fire – and then you will have praise and glory and honour. You did not see him, yet you love him; and still without seeing him, you are already filled with a joy so glorious that it cannot be described, because you believe; and you are sure of the end to which your faith looks forward, that is, the salvation of your souls.
The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 110
Response The Lord keeps his covenant ever in mind.
Or Alleluia!
1. I will thank the Lord with all my heart in the meeting of the just and their assembly.
Great are the works of the Lord; to be pondered by all who love them. Response
2. He gives food to those who fear him; keeps his covenant ever in mind.
He has shown his might to his people by giving them the lands of the nations. Response
3. He has sent deliverance to his people and established his covenant for ever.
Holy his name, to be feared. Response
4. To fear the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who do so prove themselves wise.
His praise shall last for ever! Response
Gospel Acclamation 1 Thess 2: 13
Alleluia, alleluia!
Accept God’s message for what it really is,
God’s message and not some human thinking.
Alleluia!
Or 2 Cor 8: 9
Alleluia, alleluia!
Jesus Christ was rich, but he became poor for your sakes,
to make you rich out of his poverty.
Alleluia!
GOSPEL
The Lord be with you. And with your spirit
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark 10: 17-27 Glory to you, O Lord
Go and sell everything you own then come, follow me.
Jesus was setting out on a journey when a man ran up, knelt before him and put this question to him,
‘Good master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’
Jesus said to him,
‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: You must not kill; You must not commit adultery; You must not steal; You must not bring false witness; You must not defraud; Honour your father and mother.’
And he said to him,
‘Master, I have kept all these from my earliest days.’
Jesus looked steadily at him and loved him, and he said,
‘There is one thing you lack. Go and sell everything you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’
But his face fell at these words and he went away sad, for he was a man of great wealth.
Jesus looked round and said to his disciples,
‘How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!’
The disciples were astounded by these words, but Jesus insisted,
‘My children,’ he said to them ‘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 a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’
They were more astonished than ever.
‘In that case’ they said to one another ‘who can be saved?‘
Jesus gazed at them.
‘For men’ he said ‘it is impossible, but not for God: because everything is possible for God.’
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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Gospel Reflection Monday Eighth Week in Ordinary Time Mark 10:17-27
In the gospel reading, a nameless man runs up to Jesus and asks him one of the most important questions of life,
‘What must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He wanted to know the path he was to take that would bring him to a share in God’s life. It is a question for us all. What path must we take to reach the goal that God has destined for us? Jesus answered initially by quoting some of the Ten Commandments, the ones that concern our relationship with others. Jesus was suggesting that the path of life was through others. The way we relate to others will determine whether or not we reach the ultimate destiny of fullness of life that God desires for us.
When Jesus saw that this man was already living these commandments, out of love for this man he invited him to take another step,. ‘Jesus looked steadily at him and loved him’. The particular call Jesus gave to this man was very challenging, to sell all his possessions, give his money to the poor and follow him, in the way that Peter, Andrew, James, John, Matthew and others had done so. Unfortunately, it was a step too far for him. Because of his excessive attachment to his great wealth, he wasn’t free to take the path that would have been truly life-giving for him, and, so he walked away sad.
The Lord has a special call for each one of us, beyond the general call of the Ten Commandments. His personal call will be unique to each one of us. We spend our lives trying to discern what the Lord is calling me to do in the here and now. Sometimes, excessive attachments can hold us back from answering the Lord’s call. We lack the freedom to go where he is leading us, and that can leave us sad. We need to keep praying for the freedom of the Holy Spirit, so that we can go where the Lord is leading us and live in a way that corresponds to what is deepest and best in us.
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The Scripture Readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd.
