FIRST READING
“The Lord is with me as a dread warrior. ”
A reading from the Book of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 20:10-13)

I hear many whispering. Terror is on every side! “Denounce him! Let us denounce him!” say all my familiar friends, watching for my fall. “Perhaps he will be deceived, then we can overcome him, and take our revenge on him.” But the Lord is with me as a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble, they will not overcome me. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonour will never be forgotten. O Lord of hosts, who test the righteous, who see the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you have I committed my cause. Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of evildoers.

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm18:1-2a.2bc-3.4-5.6 (R. see 6)
R/. In my anguish I called to the Lord, and he heard me.

I love you, Lord, my strength;
O Lord, my rock, my fortress, my saviour. R/.

My God, my rock where I take refuge;
my shield, my saving strength, my stronghold.
I cry out, “Praised be the Lord!”
and see, I am saved from my foes. R/.

R/. In my anguish I called to the Lord, and he heard me.

The waves of death rose about me;
the torrents of destruction assailed me;
the snares of the grave surrounded me;
the traps of death confronted me. R/.

In my anguish I called to the Lord;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry to him reached his ears. R/.

VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL John 6:63c.68c
Glory and praise to you, O Christ.
Your words, Lord, Are Spirit and life; you have the words of eternal life.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ.

GOSPEL
“They tried to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands. ”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (John 10:31-42)

At that time: The Jews took up stones to stone Jesus. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of these do you stone me?” The Jews answered him, “We stone you for no good work but for blasphemy; because you, being a man, make yourself God.” Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came (and Scripture cannot be nullified), do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” Again they tried to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands. He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John at first baptised, and there he remained. And many came to him; and they said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” And many believed in him there.

The Gospel of the Lord.

TODAY’S REFLECTION
“Actions speak louder than words”-that is what Jesus implies in today’s Gospel. The Jews accused him of blasphemy because he claimed to be the Son of God. They understood that rightly to mean that he was a divine Person, equal to God. In their mind, that was blasphemy, and the punishment for it was death. Jesus invited them to look at his actions, the miracles he performed. Who else could do such things if not a divine person? If what he said about himself did not convince them, then his actions should convince them. The Jews were not impressed. They still wanted to arrest him and have him put to death. Every day God’s works abound in the lives of believers. We need faith to be able to see them and recognize them as coming from him.

FIRST READING
“You shall be the father of a multitude of Nations.”
A reading from the Book of Genesis (Genesis 17.3-9)

In those days: Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come forth from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. And I will give to you, and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.”

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 105:4-5.6-7.8-9 (R. 8a)
R/. The Lord remembers his covenant forever.

Turn to the Lord and his strength;
constantly seek his face.
Remember the wonders he has done,
his marvels and his words of judgement. R/.

O children of Abraham, his servant,
O descendants of the Jacob he chose,
he, the Lord, is our God;
his judgements are in all the earth. R/.

R/. The Lord remembers his covenant forever.

He remembers his covenant forever:
the promise he ordained for a thousand generations,
the covenant he made with Abraham,
the oath he swore to Isaac. R/.

VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL Psalm 95:7d.8a
Glory and praise to you, O Christ.
Today, harden not your hearts, but listen to the voice of the Lord.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ.

GOSPEL
“Your father Abraham rejoice that he was to see my day”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John 8:51-59

Jesus said to the Jews, “Truly, truly, I say to you, if any one keeps my word, he will never see death.” The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, as did the prophets; and you say, ‘If any one keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you claim to be?” Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing; it is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say that he is your God. But you have not known him; I know him. If I said, I do not know him, I should be a liar like you; but I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he was to see my day; he saw it and was glad.” The Jews then said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they took up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple.

The Gospel of the Lord.

TODAY’S REFLECTION
What Jesus said was that Abraham saw his day and was glad. The Jews misunderstood him to mean that he saw Abraham physically. Abraham saw the day of Jesus in the descendants that God promised him in today’s First Reading. God sealed an everlasting covenant with Abraham to be God to him and to his descendants. Those descendants were rights there in the times of Jesus, and they were seeing the day of Jesus on behalf of their ancestor Abraham and on their own behalf. But, as Saint Paul would later say, the true descendants of Abraham are those who share in his faith in every age (Romans 4:16). They are the ones who have seen the day of the Son of God and are glad. They have subsequently become his disciples.

FIRST READING
“He has sent his angel and delivered his servants.”
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Daniel (Daniel 3:14-20.24-25.28)

In those days: King Nebuchadnezzar said, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image which I have set up? Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music to fall down and worship the image which I have made, well and good; but if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace; and who is the god that will deliver you out of my hands?” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If it be so, our God, whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.” Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was accustomed to be heated. And he ordered certain mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He said to his counsellors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered the king, “True, O king.” He answered, “But I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” Nebuchadnezzar said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set at naught the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.”

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Daniel 3:29-30.31.33.32.34 (R. 29b)
R/. You are to be praised and highly exalted for ever.

Blessed are you, O Lord, God of our fathers,
and to be praised and highly exalted for ever;
And blessed is your glorious, holy name
and to be highly praised and highly exalted for ever. R/.

Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory
and to be extolled and highly glorified for ever. R/.

Blessed are you upon the throne of your kingdom
and to be extolled and highly exalted for ever. R/.

R/. You are to be praised and highly exalted for ever.

Blessed are you, who sit upon cherubim
and look upon the deeps,
and to be praised and highly exalted for ever. R/.

Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven
and to be sung and glorified for ever. R/.

VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL Luke 8: 15
Glory and praise to you, O Christ.
Blessed are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bring forth fruit with patience.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ.

GOSPEL
“If the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (John 8:31-42)

At that time: Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham, and have never been in bondage to any one. How is it that you say, ‘You will be made free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, every one who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not continue in the house for ever; the son continues for ever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me, because my word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.” They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do what Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God; this is not what Abraham did. You do the works of your father.” They said to him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I proceeded and came forth from God; I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

TODAY’S REFLECTION
The Jews in the Gospel were suffering from self-delusion. They claimed that they had never been in bondage to anyone. That was a lie. All through its history, the Jewish nation had been in bondage to one foreign power after another: the Egyptians, the Philistines, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians and the Greeks. At the very time they were speaking to Jesus, their country was in bondage to the Romans. What they did not know was that they were even in bondage to a far greater power than them all, Satan. Jesus had come to free them and all humankind from the bondage. But if they insisted that they were free, he could not help them. Only those who admit their need to be freed from the yoke of Satan can benefit from the freedom that Jesus brings.

FIRST READING
One who is bitten, who sees the serpent, shall live.
A reading from the Book of Numbers (Numbers 21:4-9)

In those days: From Mount Hor the Hebrews set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it up as a sign; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent, and set it up as a sign; and if a serpent bit any man, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.

The word, of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 102: 1 -2.15-17. 18—20 (R. 1)
R/. O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.
O Lord, and let my cry come to you.

Do not hide your face from me
in the day of my distress.
Turn your ear towards me;
on the day when I call,
speedily answer me. R/.

The nations shall fear the name of the Lord,
and all the earth’s kings your glory.
When the Lord shall build up Sion,
he will appear in all his glory.
Then he will turn to the prayers of the helpless;
he will not despise their prayers. R/.

R/. O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.
O Lord, and let my cry come to you.

Let this be written for ages to come,
that a people yet unborn may praise the Lord;
the Lord looked down from His holy place on high,
looked down from heaven to the earth,
to hear the groans of the prisoners,
and free those condemned to die. R/.

VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL
Glory and praise to you, O Christ.
The seed is the word of God, and the sower is Christ; all who find him will abide for ever.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ.

GOSPEL
“When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will know that I am he.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (John 8:21-30)

At that time: Jesus said to the Pharisees, “I go away, and you will seek me and die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come.” Then said the Jews, “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you can not come’?” He said to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he.” They said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Even what I have told you from the beginning. I have much to say about you and much to judge; but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” They did not understand that he spoke to them of the Father. So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority but speak thus as the Father taught me. And he who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him.” As he spoke thus, many believed in him.

The Gospel of the Lord.

DAILY REFLECTION
The Israelites were at it again. They rebelled against God and his servant Moses. They were duly punished with an invasion of serpents. God directed Moses to make a bronze replica of the serpent to save those who looked at it after being bitten. In the Gospel, the Jews were again at war with Jesus. They would not accept him for who he said he was. They asked him pointedly, “Who are you?” Jesus told them that they would know who he was when they would have lifted him up as Moses did the serpent in the wilderness. Through his crucifixion, Jesus would accomplish the salvation of the entire human race, including those Jews who refused to accept him.

FIRST READING
Now I am to die, yet I have done none of these things.
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Daniel (Daniel 13:1-9.15-17.19-30.33-62)

In those days: There was a man living in Babylon whose name was Joakim. And he took a wife named Susanna, the daughter of Hilkiah, a very beautiful woman and one who feared the Lord. Her parents were righteous, and had taught their daughter according to the Law of Moses. Joakim was very rich, and had a spacious garden adjoining his house; and the Jews used to come to him because he was the most honoured of them all. In that year two elders from the people were appointed as judges. Concerning them the Lord had said: Iniquity came forth from Babylon, from elders who were judges, who were supposed to govern the people. These men were frequently at Joakim’s house, and all who had suits at law came to them. When the people departed at moon, Susanna would go into her husband’s garden to walk. The two elders used to see her every day, going in and walking about, and they began to desire her. And they perverted their minds and turned away their eyes from looking to Heaven or remembering righteous judgements. Once, while they were watching for an opportune day, she went in as before with only two maids, and wished to bathe in the garden, for it was very hot. And no one was there except the two elders, who had hid themselves and were watching her. She said to her maids, “Bring me oil and ointments, and shut the garden doors so that I may bathe.” When the maids had gone out, the two elders rose and ran to her, and said: “Look, the garden doors are shut, no one sees us, and we are in love with you, so give your consent, and lie with us. If you refuse, we will testify against you that a young man was with you, and this was why you sent your maids away.” Susanna sighed deeply, and said, “I am hemmed in on every side. For if I do this thing, it is death for me; and if I do not, I shall not escape your hands. I choose not to do it and to fall into your hands, rather than to sin in the sight of the Lord.” Then Susanna cried out with a loud voice, and the two elders shouted against her. And one of them ran and opened the garden doors. When the household servants heard the shouting in the garden, they rushed in at the side door to see what had happened to her. And when the elders told their tale, the servants were greatly ashamed, for nothing like this had ever been said about Susanna. The next day, when the people gathered at the house of her husband Joakim, the two elders came, full of their wicked plot to have Susanna put to death. They said before the people, “Send for Susanna, the daughter of Hilkiah, who is the wife of Joakim.” So they sent for her. And she came, with her parents, her children, and all her kindred. But her family and friends and all who saw her wept. Then the two elders stood up in the midst of the people, and laid their hands upon her head. And she, weeping, looked up towards heaven, for her heart trusted in the Lord. The elders said, “As we were walking in the garden alone, this woman came in with two maids, shut the garden doors, and dismissed the maids. Then a young man, who had been hidden, came to her and lay with her. We were in a corner of the garden, and when we saw this wickedness we ran to them. We saw them embracing, but we could not hold the man, for he was too strong for us, and he opened the doors and dashed out. So we seized this woman and asked her who the young man was, but she would not tell us. These things we testify.” The assembly believed them, because they were elders of the people and judges; and they condemned her to death. Then Susanna cried out with a loud voice, and said, “O eternal God, who discern what is secret, who are aware of all things before they come to be, you know that these men have borne false witness against me. And now I am to die! Yet I have done none of the things that they have wickedly invented against me!” The Lord heard her cry. And as she was being led away to be put to death God aroused the holy spirit of a young lad named Daniel; and he cried with a loud voice, “I am innocent of the blood of this woman.” All the people turned to him, and said, “What is this that you have said?” Taking his stand in the midst of them, he said, “Are you such fools, you sons of Israel? Have you condemned a daughter of Israel without examination and without learning the facts? Return to the place of judgement. For these men have borne false witness against her.” Then all the people returned in haste. And the elders said to him, “Come, sit among us and inform us, for God has given you that right.” And Daniel said to them, “Separate them far from each other, and I will examine them.” When they were separated from each other, he summoned one of them and said to him, “You old relic of wicked days, your sins have now come home, which you have committed in the past, pronouncing unjust judgements, condemning the innocent and letting the guilty go free, though the Lord said, ‘Do not put to death an innocent and righteous person.’ Now then, if you really saw her, tell me this: Under what tree did you see them being intimate with each other?” He answered, “Under a mastic tree.” And Daniel said, “Very well! You have lied against your own head, for the angel of God has received the sentence from God and will immediately cut you in two.” Then he put him aside, and commanded them to bring the other. And he said to him, “You offspring of Canaan and not of Judah, beauty has deceived you and lust has perverted your heart. This is how you both have been dealing with the daughters of Israel, and they were intimate with you through fear; but a daughter of Judah would not endure your wickedness. Now then, tell me: Under what tree did you catch them being intimate with each other?” He answered, “Under an evergreen oak.” And Daniel said to him, “Very well! You also have lied against your own head, for the angel of God is waiting with his sword to saw you in two, that he may destroy you both.” Then all the assembly shouted loudly and blessed God, who saves those who hope in him. And they rose against the two elders, for out of their own mouths Daniel had convicted them of bearing false witness; and they did to them as they had wickedly planned to do to their neighbour; acting in accordance with the Law of Moses, they put them to death. Thus innocent blood was saved that day.

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL Psalm 23:1-3a.3b-4.5.6 (R. 4abc)
R/. Though I should walk in the valley of the shadow of death,
no evil would I fear, for you are with me.

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me; he revives my soul. R/.

He guides me along the right path,
for the sake of his name.
Though I should walk in the valley of the shadow of death,
no evil would I fear, for you are with me.
Your crook and your staff will give me comfort. R/.

R/. Though I should walk in the valley of the shadow of death, no evil would I fear, for you are with me.

You have prepared a table before me
in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil;
my cup is overflowing. R/.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell
for length of days unending. R/.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION Ezekiel 33:11
Glory and praise to you, O Christ.
I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, says the Lord, but that he turn from his way and live. Glory and praise to you, O Christ.

GOSPEL
Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (John 8:1-11)

At that time: Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple; all the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in their midst they said to him, Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such. What do you say about her? This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her. And once more he bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the eldest, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus looked up and said to her, Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? She said, No one, Lord. And Jesus said, neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again.

The Gospel of the Lord.

TODAY’S REFLECTION
Light is an important symbol in the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths. By proclaiming that He is the light of the world, Jesus declares Himself to be the true fulfillment of the Tabernacles of Joy and hope. The lights at the feast illuminate only the city of Jerusalem, hut Jesus illuminates the whole world. The response to this light can be one of two: One can coopt to follow the light and so have the light of life, or choose to walk in darkness. The choice between light and darkness exists even today.  There are numerous times when we too choose darkness over light because it is more appealing and convenient, as Jesus’ opponents do. If, like Jesus, we are able to see beyond the merely physical and recognize light for what it is, we will always opt for the light. How will you show today that you have opted for light and not darkness.

FIRST READING
“I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live.”
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 37: 12-14)
Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you home into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done it, says the Lord.

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 130:1-2.3-4.5-7a.7b-8 (R. 7b)
R/. With the Lord there is mercy, in him is plentiful redemption.
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice!
O let your ears be attentive
to the sound of my pleading. R/.

If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
Lord, who could stand?
But with you is found forgiveness,
that you may be revered. R/.

R/. With the Lord there is mercy, in him is plentiful redemption.

I long for you, O Lord,
my soul longs for his word.
My soul hopes in the Lord
more than watchmen for daybreak.
More than watchmen for daybreak,
let Israel hope for the Lord. R/.

For with the Lord there is mercy,
in him is plentiful redemption.
It is he who will redeem Israel
from all its iniquities. R/.

SECOND READING
“The Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you.”
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans (Romans 8:8-11)
Brethren: Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God really dwells in you. Any one who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although your bodies are dead because of sin, your spirits are alive because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit who dwells in you.

The word of the Lord.

VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL Joel 2:12-13
Glory and praise to you, O Christ.
Even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, for I am gracious and merciful.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ.

GOSPEL
“I am the resurrection and the life.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John 11:1-45
At that time: A certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So * the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness is not unto death; it is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by means of it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that he was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go into Judea again.” *
The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were but now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any one walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if any one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” Thus he spoke, and then he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awake him out of sleep.” The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead; and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.* Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. * When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary sat in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world.” * When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying quietly, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. Then Mary, when she came where Jesus was and saw him, fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, * he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled; and he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb; it was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odour, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this on account of the people standing by, that they may believe that you have sent me.” When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with bandages, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him.

The Gospel of the Lord.

TODAY’S REFLECTION
The concept of a grave brings to mind the place of the dead, the place of no return, the place where there is no life. God in the first reading offered to open up the graves and raise His people from their graves; to bring them back to life. This concept of a life-giving God is continued in the Gospel reading where Jesus Christ brought Lazarus who was already dead and decomposing back to life. Jesus wanted Martha and everyone to know that it is through him that Lazarus would rise again. To believe in Jesus is to have life. Death, therefore, is not the end of one’s life. Jesus who is the resurrection and the life offers this life to us whenever we go to Mass; when we pray and whenever we study the sacred scriptures. Let us allow Christ to bring us out of our graves.

FIRST READING
“Let us condemn him to a shameful death.”
A reading from the Book of Wisdom (Wisdom 2:1a.12-22)

Ungodly men reasoned unsoundly, saying to themselves, “Let us lie in wait for the righteous man, because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions; he reproaches us for sins against the law, and accuses us of sins against our training. He professes to have knowledge of God, and calls himself a child of the Lord. He became to us a reproof of our thoughts; the very sight of him is a burden to us, because his manner of life is unlike that of others, and his ways are strange. We are considered by him as something base, and he avoids our ways as unclean; he calls the last end of the righteous happy, and boasts that God is his father. Let us see if his words are true, and let us test what will happen at the end of his life; for if the righteous man is God’s son, he will help him, and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries. Let us test him with insult and torture, that we may find out how gentle he is, and make trial of his forbearance. Let us condemn him to a shameful death, for, according to what he says, he will be protected.” Thus they reasoned, but they were led astray, for their wickedness blinded them, and they did not know the secret purposes of God, nor hope for the wages of holiness, nor discern the prize for blameless souls.

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 34: 17-18.19-20.21 and 23 (R. 19a)
R/. The Lord is close to the broken-hearted.

The Lord turns his face against the wicked
to destroy their remembrance from the earth.
When the just cry out, the Lord hears,
and rescues them in all their distress. R/.

The Lord is close to the broken-hearted;
those whose spirit is crushed he will save.
Many are the trials of the just man,
but from them all the Lord will rescue him. R.

R/. The Lord is close to the broken-hearted.

He will keep guard over all his bones;
not one of his bones shall be broken.
The Lord ransoms the souls of his servants.
All who trust in him shall not be condemned. R/.

VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL Matthew 4:4b
Glory and praise to you, O Christ.
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ.

GOSPEL
“They sought to arrest him,‘ but his hour had not yet come. ”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (John 7: 1-2.10.25-30)

At that time: Jesus went about in Galilee; he would not go about in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him. Now the Jews’ feast of Tabernacles was at hand. But after his brethren had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private. Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? Yet we know where this man comes from; and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.” So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from; But I have not come of my own accord; he who sent me is true, and him you do not know. I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.” So they sought to arrest him; but no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come.

The Gospel of the Lord.

TODAY’S REFLECTION
The only way to make sense of the Christian life is to look at it from the perspective of a cross. Being a Christian is not a ticket to a life of luxury, peace, and comfort, it is rather an invitation to a road less traveled; it is standing for what is right and having to face the ridicule, insults, oppression, pain, and humiliation of many who practically belong to this world.
Jesus knew exactly what he was saying when he said those who will follow him must be prepared to carry the cross. He knew that anyone who tries to serve him diligently in this world will indeed not find it easy at all. He or she must have to swim against the tide because wickedness and evil are more popular than good.

The Christian life is a battle yet we are not wrestling against people (flesh and blood) but against principalities and powers who work through people to make life difficult and tough for anyone who strives to serve God. Ephesians 6:12. These principalities and powers are not visible but their manifestations are very obvious. We sometimes assume people are enemies but the truth is that we have only one enemy; the thief who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. John 10:10.

If we do not realize that we are carrying a cross, there is a tendency for us to drop it without even knowing. We could actually forget what the Christian life is about and begin to serve other gods unknowingly by making a priority of comfort, wealth, and fame. This is what the gospel of prosperity does. It is a distortion of what the Christian life is about. If we forget that the Christian life is a cross, we would not understand why we can’t have bread in place of stones, why we can’t have the glories of this world, or why we just can’t be popular or have people respect us. These are the temptations of Jesus and the same temptations we constantly face and the only way we can overcome any attraction is to choose the cross.

Dear friends, do not give up on righteousness. Do not drop the cross. Do not be discouraged when the going becomes tough and you don’t feel like moving on anymore. Do not be taken aback by insults. Jesus’ nickname was “Beelzebub.” Do not get tired of being good even when your best is used against you. Do not stop forgiving people, you have only one enemy; the devil. Do not seek after life only on earth, be prepared even to let go of your very life in exchange for a better life in heaven

FIRST READING
“Repent of this evil against your people.”,
A reading from the Book of Exodus (Exodus 32:7- 14)

In those days: The Lord said to Moses, “Go down; for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves; they have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them; they have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshipped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”’ And the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people; now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may bum hot against them and I may consume them; but of you I will make a great nation.” But Moses begged the Lord his God, and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent he brought them forth, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you did swear by your own self, and did say to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it for ever.”’ And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do to his people.

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 106:19-20.21-22.23 (R. see 4a)
R/. O Lord, remember us with the favour you show to your people.

They fashioned a calf at Horeb,
and worshipped an image of metal,
they exchanged their glory
for the image of a bull that eats grass. R/.

They forgot the God who was their saviour,
who had done such great things in Egypt,
such wonders in the land of Ham,
such marvels at the Red Sea. R/.

R/. O Lord, remember us with the favour you show to your people.

For this he said he would destroy them,
but Moses, the man he had chosen,
stood in the breach before him,
to turn back his anger from destruction. R/.

VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL John 3:16
Glory and praise to you, O Christ. God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son; that whoever believes in him should have eternal life. Glory and praise to you, O Christ.

GOSPEL
“It is Moses who accuses you, on whom you set your hope.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (John 5:31-47)

At that time: Jesus said to the Jews, “If I bear witness to myself, my testimony is not true; there is another who bears witness to me, and I know that the testimony which he bears to me is true. You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Not that the testimony which I receive is from man; but I say this that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. But the testimony which I have is greater than that of John; for the works which the Father has granted me to accomplish, these very works which I am doing, bear me witness that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness to me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen; and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe him whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me; yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. I do not receive glory from men. But I know that you have not the love of God within you. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. How can you believe, who receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; it is Moses who accuses you, on whom you set your hope. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

The Gospel of the Lord.

TODAY’S REFLECTION
Moses is the most prominent figure in the race and religion of Israel. Indeed the Israelites of old and the Jewish people of today believe that God gave them their religion, Judaism, through Moses. That made Moses the highest authority next to God. Whatever he said or wrote had the seal of God on it. But the people did not always follow Moses, for example when they made a molten calf to worship it. They also did not obey Moses when they refused to accept his testimony about Jesus. That did not trouble Jesus because he had a much higher testimony, that of his Father, borne out by the miracles that he performed. If we are doing God’s work, and people fail or refuse to show us recognition, it should not disturb us. It is enough that we have recognition from God whose work we are doing.