Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection September 06, 2024

06th September 2024 (Friday)

Psalter: Week 2

Reading of the Day

First Reading: 1 Corinthians 4:1-5

Brethren: This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.

Psalm 37:3-4, 5-6, 27-28, 39-40 (R. 39a)

R/. From the Lord comes the salvation of the just.

Gospel Acclamation

V/. Alleluia

R/. Alleluia

V/. I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life.

R/. Alleluia.

Gospel : Luke 5:33-39

At that time: The Pharisees and the Scribes said to Jesus, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.” And Jesus said to them, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’”

Daily Gospel Reflection

Friday – Twenty-Second Week of Ordinary Time

Guidelines: Often in the life of many, honesty is lacking. It is the honesty to see one’s defects, accept them and make efforts to eliminate them and become better

1. Today there are many who are self-righteous like the Pharisees and the scribes in the gospels. They do not see their own faults and wrongdoings. Instead, they always wait to find fault with others and pass judgment on them. We find one such instance in today’s gospel. They confront Jesus about the issue of fasting.

2. They blame Jesus, “The disciples of John the Baptist and also of the Pharisees fast often, but yours eat and drink”. Here their wrong judgment is seen: they judge piety and religiosity only by mere external religious practices. They forget the essential fact that all these are only means and not the end.

3. Their main purpose is to help us to recognize and celebrate the presence of the Lord, the real “bridegroom”. The disciples of Jesus are like the guests and friends of the bridegroom. They are with him and celebrate his presence and their friendship. Instead, the Pharisees and scribes behave like enemies and they do not enjoy and celebrate his presence in their midst.

4. Another purpose of religious practices is to be renewed in spirit and life. The old nature of sin must be eradicated and the new nature of grace must be implanted. Jesus uses two simple metaphors to convey this need for newness. We should not be satisfied with new patches of some pious activities over the old cloth of sin. We should throw away the old cloth totally.

5. Also, we should not put the new wine of God’s grace and devotion into the old wine-skins of sin and evil. New wine must be put into new wine-skins of a renewed spirit.

6. In the light of the first reading from 1 Corinthians, this renewal implies that we should not be judgmental and pass judgment on others. We should sincerely strive to renew our interior and manifest in the exterior. We must always be oriented to enjoy and celebrate the presence of the Lord.

Practice: It is not enough that we do some external activities and practices to show ourselves as religious and devout people. All our externals should be authentic outflows of a renewed interior