1ST READING
The
prophetic tradition of Israel was an important aspect of their
religious life. It is here that the expectation of the Messiah arose and
this is what we inherited as Christians in our understanding of Jesus
as our Messiah and Redeemer. It is, thus, important to try to understand
the Jewish faith in relation to our own.
Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17
2 When Balaam raised his eyes and saw Israel encamped, tribe by tribe, the spirit of God came upon him, 3 and he gave voice to his oracle: The utterance of Balaam, son of Beor, the utterance of the man whose eye is true, 4 the
utterance of one who hears what God says, and knows what the Most High
knows, of one who sees what the Almighty sees, enraptured, and with eyes
unveiled: 5 How goodly are your tents, O Jacob;
your encampments, O Israel! 6 They are like gardens beside a stream, like the cedars planted by the Lord. 7 His
wells shall yield free-flowing waters, he shall have the sea within
reach; His king shall rise higher, and his royalty shall be exalted. 15 Then Balaam gave voice to his oracle: The utterance of Balaam, son of Beor, the utterance of the man whose eye is true, 16 the utterance of one who hears what God says, and knows what the Most High knows, of one who sees what the Almighty
sees, enraptured and with eyes unveiled. 17 I see him, though not now; I behold him, though not near. A star shall advance from Jacob, and a staff shall rise from Israel.
P S A L M
Psalm 25:4-5, 6, 7, 8-9
R: Teach me your ways, O Lord.
4 Your ways, O Lord, make known to me; teach me your paths, 5 guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior. (R) 6 Remember that your compassion, O Lord, and your kindness are from of old. 7 In your kindness remember me, because of your goodness, O Lord. (R) 8 Good and upright is the Lord; thus he shows sinners the way. 9 He guides the humble to justice, he teaches the humble his way. (R)
GOSPEL
The
chief priests are, so to speak, somewhere between a rock and a hard
place. It seems that they cannot do anything about the ministry of
Jesus. To persecute Him would cause problems, and so, too, would
acceptance of everything that He has to say. What are they going to do?
Perhaps the best thing to do in a situation like this is to listen to
what our conscience is telling us and then commit ourselves to that
course of action.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Show us, Lord, your love and grant us your salvation.
Matthew 21:23-27
23 When
Jesus had come into the temple area, the chief priests and the elders
of the people approached him as he was teaching and said, “By what
authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus
said to them in reply, “I shall ask you one question, and if you answer
it for me, then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 Where was John’s baptism from? Was it of heavenly or of human origin?” They discussed this among
themselves and said, “If we say ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we fear the crowd, for they all regard John as a prophet.” 27 So
they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.” He himself said to them,
“Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
think: It is important for us to try to understand the Jewish faith in relation to our own.
T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST
Thank You Lord for: __________________
____________________________________
God’s special verse/thought for me today_
_____________________________________
READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Hosea 11-14
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