Daily Catholic Gospel by Tabella

Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection,came forward and put this question to Jesus, saying,"Teacher, Moses wrote for us,If someone's brother dies leaving a wife but no child,his brother must take the wifeand raise up descendants for his brother.Now there were seven brothers;the first married a woman but died childless.Then the second and the third married her,and likewise all the seven died childless.Finally the woman also died.Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be?For all seven had been married to her."Jesus said to them,"The children of this age marry and remarry;but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming ageand to the resurrection of the deadneither marry nor are given in marriage.They can no longer die,for they are like angels;and they are the children of Godbecause they are the ones who will rise.That the dead will riseeven Moses made known in the passage about the bush,when he called 'Lord'the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob;and he is not God of the dead, but of the living,for to him all are alive."Some of the scribes said in reply,"Teacher, you have answered well."And they no longer dared to ask him anything.

Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive outthose who were selling things, saying to them,    “It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer,    but you have made it a den of thieves.”And every day he was teaching in the temple area.The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile,were seeking to put him to death,but they could find no way to accomplish their purposebecause all the people were hanging on his words.

As Jesus drew near Jerusalem,he saw the city and wept over it, saying,“If this day you only knew what makes for peace–but now it is hidden from your eyes.For the days are coming upon youwhen your enemies will raise a palisade against you;they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides.They will smash you to the ground and your children within you,and they will not leave one stone upon another within youbecause you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

While people were listening to Jesus speak,he proceeded to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalemand they thought that the Kingdom of Godwould appear there immediately.So he said,"A nobleman went off to a distant countryto obtain the kingship for himself and then to return.He called ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coinsand told them, 'Engage in trade with these until I return.'His fellow citizens, however, despised himand sent a delegation after him to announce,'We do not want this man to be our king.'But when he returned after obtaining the kingship,he had the servants called, to whom he had given the money,to learn what they had gained by trading.The first came forward and said,'Sir, your gold coin has earned ten additional ones.'He replied, 'Well done, good servant!You have been faithful in this very small matter;take charge of ten cities.'Then the second came and reported,'Your gold coin, sir, has earned five more.'And to this servant too he said,'You, take charge of five cities.'Then the other servant came and said,'Sir, here is your gold coin;I kept it stored away in a handkerchief,for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding man;you take up what you did not lay downand you harvest what you did not plant.'He said to him,'With your own words I shall condemn you,you wicked servant.You knew I was a demanding man,taking up what I did not lay downand harvesting what I did not plant;why did you not put my money in a bank?Then on my return I would have collected it with interest.'And to those standing by he said,'Take the gold coin from himand give it to the servant who has ten.'But they said to him,'Sir, he has ten gold coins.'He replied, 'I tell you,to everyone who has, more will be given,but from the one who has not,even what he has will be taken away.Now as for those enemies of mine who did not want me as their king,bring them here and slay them before me.'"After he had said this,he proceeded on his journey up to Jerusalem.

At that time Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town.Now a man there named Zacchaeus,who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was;but he could not see him because of the crowd,for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus,who was about to pass that way.When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly,for today I must stay at your house.” And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord,“Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor,and if I have extorted anything from anyoneI shall repay it four times over.”And Jesus said to him,“Today salvation has come to this housebecause this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seekand to save what was lost.”

As Jesus approached Jerichoa blind man was sitting by the roadside begging,and hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what was happening.They told him,"Jesus of Nazareth is passing by."He shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!"The people walking in front rebuked him,telling him to be silent,but he kept calling out all the more,"Son of David, have pity on me!"Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him;and when he came near, Jesus asked him,"What do you want me to do for you?"He replied, "Lord, please let me see."Jesus told him, "Have sight; your faith has saved you."He immediately received his sightand followed him, giving glory to God.When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God.

While some people were speaking abouthow the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings,Jesus said, "All that you see here--the days will come when there will not be lefta stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down."Then they asked him,"Teacher, when will this happen?And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?"He answered,"See that you not be deceived,for many will come in my name, saying,'I am he,' and 'The time has come.'Do not follow them!When you hear of wars and insurrections,do not be terrified; for such things must happen first,but it will not immediately be the end."Then he said to them,"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plaguesfrom place to place;and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky."Before all this happens, however,they will seize and persecute you,they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons,and they will have you led before kings and governorsbecause of my name.It will lead to your giving testimony.Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand,for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speakingthat all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends,and they will put some of you to death.You will be hated by all because of my name,but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.By your perseverance you will secure your lives."

Jesus told his disciples a parableabout the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, “There was a judge in a certain townwho neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say,‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought,‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering meI shall deliver a just decision for herlest she finally come and strike me.’” The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen oneswho call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Jesus said to his disciples:"As it was in the days of Noah,so it will be in the days of the Son of Man;they were eating and drinking,marrying and giving in marriage up to the daythat Noah entered the ark,and the flood came and destroyed them all.Similarly, as it was in the days of Lot:they were eating, drinking, buying,selling, planting, building;on the day when Lot left Sodom,fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all.So it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed.On that day, someone who is on the housetopand whose belongings are in the housemust not go down to get them,and likewise one in the fieldmust not return to what was left behind.Remember the wife of Lot.Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it,but whoever loses it will save it.I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed;one will be taken, the other left.And there will be two women grinding meal together;one will be taken, the other left."They said to him in reply, "Where, Lord?"He said to them, "Where the body is,there also the vultures will gather."

Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come,Jesus said in reply,"The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed,and no one will announce, 'Look, here it is,' or, 'There it is.'For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you."Then he said to his disciples,"The days will come when you will long to seeone of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.There will be those who will say to you,'Look, there he is,' or 'Look, here he is.'Do not go off, do not run in pursuit.For just as lightning flashesand lights up the sky from one side to the other,so will the Son of Man be in his day.But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation."

As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem,he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him.They stood at a distance from him and raised their voice, saying,"Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!"And when he saw them, he said,"Go show yourselves to the priests."As they were going they were cleansed.And one of them, realizing he had been healed,returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.He was a Samaritan.Jesus said in reply,"Ten were cleansed, were they not?Where are the other nine?Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?"Then he said to him, "Stand up and go;your faith has saved you."

Jesus said to the Apostles:"Who among you would say to your servantwho has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field,'Come here immediately and take your place at table'?Would he not rather say to him,'Prepare something for me to eat.Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink.You may eat and drink when I am finished'?Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded?So should it be with you.When you have done all you have been commanded, say,'We are unprofitable servants;we have done what we were obliged to do.'"

Jesus said to his disciples,"Things that cause sin will inevitably occur,but woe to the one through whom they occur.It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neckand he be thrown into the seathan for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.Be on your guard!If your brother sins, rebuke him;and if he repents, forgive him.And if he wrongs you seven times in one dayand returns to you seven times saying, 'I am sorry,'you should forgive him."And the Apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."The Lord replied, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,you would say to this mulberry tree,'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you."

Since the Passover of the Jews was near,Jesus went up to Jerusalem.He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves,as well as the money-changers seated there.He made a whip out of cordsand drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen,and spilled the coins of the money-changersand overturned their tables,and to those who sold doves he said,"Take these out of here,and stop making my Father's house a marketplace."His disciples recalled the words of Scripture,Zeal for your house will consume me.At this the Jews answered and said to him,"What sign can you show us for doing this?"Jesus answered and said to them,"Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up."The Jews said,"This temple has been under construction for forty-six years,and you will raise it up in three days?"But he was speaking about the temple of his Body.Therefore, when he was raised from the dead,his disciples remembered that he had said this,and they came to believe the Scriptureand the word Jesus had spoken.

Jesus said to his disciples:“I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth,so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.The person who is trustworthy in very small mattersis also trustworthy in great ones;and the person who is dishonest in very small mattersis also dishonest in great ones.If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth,who will trust you with true wealth?If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another,who will give you what is yours?No servant can serve two masters.He will either hate one and love the other,or be devoted to one and despise the other.You cannot serve God and mammon.”The Pharisees, who loved money,heard all these things and sneered at him.And he said to them,“You justify yourselves in the sight of others,but God knows your hearts;for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God.”

Jesus said to his disciples, “A rich man had a stewardwho was reported to him for squandering his property.He summoned him and said,‘What is this I hear about you?Prepare a full account of your stewardship,because you can no longer be my steward.’The steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do,now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me?I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg.I know what I shall do so that,when I am removed from the stewardship,they may welcome me into their homes.’He called in his master’s debtors one by one.To the first he said, ‘How much do you owe my master?’He replied, ‘One hundred measures of olive oil.’He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note.Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.’Then to another he said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’He replied, ‘One hundred measures of wheat.’  He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note;write one for eighty.’And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.For the children of this worldare more prudent in dealing with their own generationthan the children of light.”

The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,"This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."So Jesus addressed this parable to them."What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of themwould not leave the ninety-nine in the desertand go after the lost one until he finds it?And when he does find it,he sets it on his shoulders with great joyand, upon his arrival home,he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them,'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.'I tell you, in just the same waythere will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repentsthan over ninety-nine righteous peoplewho have no need of repentance."Or what woman having ten coins and losing onewould not light a lamp and sweep the house,searching carefully until she finds it?And when she does find it,she calls together her friends and neighborsand says to them,'Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.'In just the same way, I tell you,there will be rejoicing among the angels of Godover one sinner who repents."

Great crowds were traveling with Jesus,and he turned and addressed them,"If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother,wife and children, brothers and sisters,and even his own life,he cannot be my disciple.Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after mecannot be my disciple.Which of you wishing to construct a towerdoes not first sit down and calculate the costto see if there is enough for its completion?Otherwise, after laying the foundationand finding himself unable to finish the workthe onlookers should laugh at him and say,'This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.'Or what king marching into battle would not first sit downand decide whether with ten thousand troopshe can successfully oppose another kingadvancing upon him with twenty thousand troops?But if not, while he is still far away,he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms.In the same way,everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessionscannot be my disciple."

One of those at table with Jesus said to him,"Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God."He replied to him,"A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many.When the time for the dinner came,he dispatched his servant to say to those invited,'Come, everything is now ready.'But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves.The first said to him,'I have purchased a field and must go to examine it;I ask you, consider me excused.'And another said, 'I have purchased five yoke of oxenand am on my way to evaluate them;I ask you, consider me excused.'And another said, 'I have just married a woman,and therefore I cannot come.'The servant went and reported this to his master.Then the master of the house in a rage commanded his servant,'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the townand bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.'The servant reported, 'Sir, your orders have been carried outand still there is room.'The master then ordered the servant,'Go out to the highways and hedgerowsand make people come in that my home may be filled.For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.'"

On a sabbath Jesus went to dineat the home of one of the leading Pharisees.He said to the host who invited him,"When you hold a lunch or a dinner,do not invite your friends or your brothers or sistersor your relatives or your wealthy neighbors,in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.Rather, when you hold a banquet,invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."