Bible Diary

Daily Reading

Saturday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

LECTIONARY
352

FIRST READING

JUDE 17, 20B-25

Beloved, remember the words spoken beforehand
by the Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit.
Keep yourselves in the love of God
and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ
that leads to eternal life.
On those who waver, have mercy;
save others by snatching them out of the fire;
on others have mercy with fear,
abhorring even the outer garment stained by the flesh.

To the one who is able to keep you from stumbling
and to present you unblemished and exultant,
in the presence of his glory,
to the only God, our savior,
through Jesus Christ our Lord
be glory, majesty, power, and authority
from ages past, now, and for ages to come. Amen.

PSALM

PS 63:2, 3-4, 5-6

Response: My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.

Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary
to see your power and your glory,
For your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you.

Thus will I bless you while I live;
lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.
As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,
and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you.

GOSPEL

MK 11:27-33

Jesus and his disciples returned once more to Jerusalem.
As he was walking in the temple area,
the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders
approached him and said to him,
"By what authority are you doing these things?
Or who gave you this authority to do them?"
Jesus said to them, "I shall ask you one question.
Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.
Was John's baptism of heavenly or of human origin? Answer me."
They discussed this among themselves and said,
"If we say, 'Of heavenly origin,' he will say,
'Then why did you not believe him?'
But shall we say, 'Of human origin'?"–
they feared the crowd,
for they all thought John really was a prophet.
So they said to Jesus in reply, "We do not know."
Then Jesus said to them,
"Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things."

Daily Reflection

Today’s Gospel is about one more clash in a series of conflicts between Jesus and the Pharisees, one more invitation on His part which becomes a rejection on theirs. Where do we fit into this exchange?

The chief priests, scribes and elders were not asking for explanations so that they could know God more fully. They were challenging Jesus' authority so that they could protect their own authority, prestige and power. They perceived Jesus as a threat and therefore wanted to eliminate him. Jesus cleverly "turned the tables" on them by asking a question that exposed their true intentions.

The first reading from Jude tells us that our ‘true intention’ should be to remain in the love of God, welcome the mercy of Jesus Christ and pray to the Holy Spirit. This is the message preached by the apostles and witnessed to by the early Christian martyrs, two of whom we commemorate in the liturgy today. Their sacrifice strengthened the foundation of our faith.

May we profess Christ, in all humility, so that others may be inspired to follow.