From the responsorial psalm: "This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to set us free from the bonds of our enemies, free to worship him without fear, holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life. Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel; he has come to his people."

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (today's readings)

Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”

In the first reading, Saint Paul mentions the word faith—what he defines as "the realization of what is hoped for"—six times as he recounts the faith of Abraham, who followed God and received the fullness of God's promises. Using the word just once, Jesus questions the disciples after he calms the storm. And with a single word, the same one with which Jesus silences demons, he calms the storm by saying "Quiet!" While the disciples stood in awe of Jesus' mastery over the elements, we know what they didn't know about him yet: he is the risen Christ, the Son of God, who destroys death and restores life. The disciples ask him beforehand, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" Jesus answers as he always does when we question his sovereignty over every moment in our lives: "Do you not yet have faith?"

God, throughout the day, help me remember three words Jesus spoke to the disciples: "Quiet! Be still!" In order to hear that voice, I have to remain in the boat with him in the midst of storms. Give me the grace to remain there and not cast myself into sea swells. I'm sure that sometime in the future for a yet-unknown reason, my prayer will be "Don't you care, God?" In that moment, Lord, don't let me lose sight of you seated in the stern. Remove all fear, and strengthen my faith. Blessed Virgin Mary, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

From the responsorial psalm: "Trust in the LORD and do good, that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security. Take delight in the LORD, and he will grant you your heart’s requests. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord."

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (today's readings)

Jesus said to the crowds: “This is how it is with the Kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear."

Of its own accord, the seed of the kingdom of God sprouts and grows and ripens for the harvest. Jesus speaks in parables to the crowds so that they receive and let take root the word of God as children receive the love and guidance of parents. "With many such parables," Mark tells us, "he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it." Jesus' revelation of the kingdom is more than the sharing of factual information; it is an invitation to participate in its wonder and mystery. In receiving the word, as Saint Paul puts it, we are "among those who have faith and will possess life" as the smallest of seeds grow to the fullness of grain that is harvested and gathered.

God, your kingdom is here and now and yet to be. In it, "we live and move and have our being." Help me today to hold on to a childlike sense of faith and wonder at your presence in the world and in the events of the day that are close to home as they unfold. The Gospel acclamation reminds me that "you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom." Let me turn my attention less to the things that I can make grow and thrive and more to your eternal will being done as things take place seemingly of their own accord. Lord, let me take refuge in you; sustain and save me. Saint John Bosco, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

From the responsorial psalm: "Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD? or who may stand in his holy place? He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face."

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mark 4:21-25)

He also told them, “Take care what you hear. The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you, and still more will be given to you. To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

Jesus continues teaching the disciples, placing his focus on the purpose and impact of his message by making two comparisons: the light from a lamp and ears for hearing. What Jesus reveals is not meant to be hidden away but instead given a place of prominence so that the revelation illuminates all of the lives it touches. "The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you" is to say that you receive what you put in, whether attentive to his words or indifferent or dismissive of them. Jesus calls us to actively listen to him and respond to his teachings, which is essential to growing in faith and understanding of his message.

God, as Saint Paul encourages in the first reading, let me do today as I approach you with a sincere heart and absolute trust. So many moving pieces go into a day that it is sometimes hard to see the light that shines right in front of me or to listen attentively for your quiet voice amid a bustle of activity. “Take care what you hear," Jesus says. And anyone who has hears, which is everybody, ought to hear and see what his revelation makes visible. Lord, keep me far from being the one who has not. Give me the grace to receive still more from you as I measure out the breadth and depth and height of your word. "Such is the race that seeks for him," the psalmist prays, "that seeks the face of the God of Jacob."

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

From the Gospel acclamation: "The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower;
all who come to him will live for ever."

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mark 4:1-20)

Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the parables? The sower sows the word. These are the ones on the path where the word is sown."

Using a parable about a sower, Jesus describes conditions in life that we all face at one time or another. Jesus explains to the crowd gathered around him by the sea that the seed represents the word of God and that different types of ground symbolize the various responses to his word. Whether through persecution or distraction or anxiety or succumbing to the evil one, we sometimes fail to see God's word take root. "But those sown on rich soil," Jesus says, "are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.” What kind of soil will the sower of the word find in us as he comes to sow his word?

God, help me prepare my heart to receive your word so that it takes root and bears fruit "thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.” The seed that you come to plant will grow throughout my life and continue to grow even into eternal life through the single sacrifice of Jesus Christ your Son. You are the sower who promises and delivers, as Jeremiah prophesied, through the New Covenant to put your laws into our hearts and write them upon our minds. Give me the grace, Lord, to make of myself a good seedbed of rich soil, ready to receive your word. In fruitfulness, let it grow abundantly in this life and continue to grow under the eternal light of your presence. Let me hear and accept your word.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

🔵 Thank you for supporting Lectio Divina Gifts! Please consider supporting the production of these daily reflections with a financial gift through Stripe, a secure payment platform that protects your data. Your support helps us keep going! From the responsorial psalm: "I have waited, waited for the LORD, and he stooped toward me. And he put a new song into my mouth, a hymn to our God. Here am I Lord; I come to do your will."

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mark 3:31-35)

“Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking around at those seated in the circle he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

As the mother of Jesus and his brothers stand outside, word is sent to Jesus that they wish to speak to him. Commonly referred to as brothers were extended family members such as cousins. Jesus tells the crowd who his family is as he looks around at each of them. At the coming of Jesus, Saint Paul tells us, the will of the Father takes the place of sacrifices of burnt offerings and sin offerings. "By this 'will,' Paul says, "we have been consecrated through the offering of the Body of Jesus Christ once for all."

God, help me dwell today on the divine guidance the readings give in doing your will. The psalmist says, "Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not; then said I, 'Behold I come.' Here am I Lord; I come to do your will." Twice, the psalmist says, "waited"—"I have waited, waited for the LORD." God, come to my assistance; Lord, make haste to help me. Give me the grace today to recognize and accomplish your will.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

From the responsorial psalm: "All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God. Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands; break into song; sing praise. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds."

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mark 3:22-30)

"Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin."

Jesus summons the scribes to address a lie they have been telling about him. They say, "He is possessed by Beelzebul," and "By the prince of demons he drives out demons." United in the Father and the Holy Spirit, Jesus does not participate in division but only eternal unity. A human kingdom has unity but also has factions so that within that unity division can exist. Divided from the unity of truth, a lie springs from the father of lies, the evil one, and is participation in everlasting sin. Jesus knows the intentions of the scribes and through divine wisdom exposes their lie. Jesus says all sins and blasphemies will be forgiven. "But," he says, "whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin." Unity forged by the strongest human bonds will always fail; let the truth of God enter in to plunder and drive out division.

God, assist me by every good grace you can give me to recognize where division is so that you can bind it and make it useless. I don't want to live out of unity with you, yet that is where I tend in my inclination toward sin. Help me today in these two ways: by removing me from division and by letting you in. In my house, Lord, come with power to tie up and disable all that blocks your entrance. I don't want to participate in any lie that would keep you out, and I

depend on you for every good gift. Lord, you say, "Without me you can do nothing." Be my strength, Lord. Jesus, I trust in you!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

From the responsorial psalm: "The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul; The decree of the LORD is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life."

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21)

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord."

On the sabbath and in the town of Nazareth, where Jesus had grown up, in the synagogue he reads from a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. After reading it, he says to those in the synagogue, "Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing." In saying this, Jesus claims divine identity as the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. Today's Gospel begins from the first chapter of Luke, in which he lays out his intention for writing it: just as many have written of the events Jesus fulfilled, Luke carefully investigates the events so that "you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received." As Jesus fulfills what we hear him read in the portion of the reading, he fulfills entirely all of it, as when Isaiah says Jesus was sent "To give them oil of gladness instead of mourning, a glorious mantle instead of a faint spirit." Jesus embodies the longing of the prophets; he is hope realized from every promise God fulfills.

God, strengthen my faith. Luke investigates the events of Jesus and retells them for that purpose. What I first received through faith, help me grow in the certainty of its teachings and be released from the bonds of doubt. Why does Luke retell what has been told but to share with one person, Theophilus, the entirety of the Gospel? In sharing that joy with one person, he shares with the whole world. Lord, give me the grace to see the words and actions of Jesus anew in Luke's Gospel. Help me see in him the fulfillment of all of your promises made throughout the history of salvation. In receiving the word, let me be firm in faith and tirelessly retell to one soul at a time what Jesus brought to fulfillment: "The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, and to proclaim liberty to the captives."

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

From the Gospel acclamation: "For steadfast is his kindness toward us, and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever."

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mark 16:15-18)

Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned."

As Jesus speaks to the apostles, he describes the signs that will accompany them. Those who have been baptized and believe, he tells them, will be able to accomplish supernatural works through the Holy Spirit. Called by the same Lord and sent out to proclaim the Gospel is Paul, who describes himself as one to whom the risen Christ appeared last of all; in Paul's words, "as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me." The story of the apostles and the story of Paul teach us something about the call to discipleship. Among those who are baptized, the call will come early or the call will come late. Like Paul, with our many gifts, we are a "chosen instrument," responding to the voice of Jesus who calls us to "get up and go" by proclaiming the Gospel.

God, help me throughout the day to consider the conversion of Saint Paul. He was literally knocked off his high horse, blinded by your light, and brought to wholeness through fasting and with the help of others. How familiar is the armor of self-preservation that keeps me moment by moment from receiving your grace. Yet, Jesus calls the apostles and Paul and all who hear his voice to put on the armor or Christ for a purpose the Gospel acclamation states perfectly: "I chose you from the world, to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord." Jesus chose the apostles from the world, from out of the world, and he chose Paul as "a chosen instrument of mine." Saint Paul, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.