Word Of Life Daily Scriptural Companion

Daily Scripture Companion

Wordof Life

Celia Sirois

Compiled from the Vatican II

Sunday and Weekday Missals

BOOKS & MEDIABoston

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For my parents Cecile B. and Louis F. Sirois,

my first and best teachers

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Contents

How to Use This Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Liturgical Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Advent Season . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Christmas Season . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Lenten Season . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Holy Week . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Easter Season . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Solemnities of the Lord During Ordinary Time . . . . . . . . . . . 225Trinity Sunday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227Corpus Christi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230Sacred Heart of Jesus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233

Ordinary Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

Feasts and Solemnities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 543Presentation of the Lord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 545Joseph, Husband of Mary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 546Annunciation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 547Birth of John the Baptist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 548Peter and Paul, Apostles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 550Transfiguration of the Lord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 552Assumption of Mary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 553Triumph of the Cross . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 555All Saints’ Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 556All Souls’ Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 557Dedication of St. John Lateran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 560Immaculate Conception of Mary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 561

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 562

Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 564

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How to Use This Book

A lamp to my feet is your word, a light to my path.(Ps 119:105).

Word of Life offers a series of Biblical reflections focused onthe liturgical readings for each day.Throughout the year,

the Church spreads before us a rich feast drawn from the wordof God. When we prayerfully ponder that word, it gradually pen-etrates our hearts and minds, thus transforming our lives.

The book is arranged by liturgical seasons:Advent, Christmas,Lent, Easter, and Ordinary Time. The Church year begins withthe first Sunday of Advent, followed by the Christmas season,Ordinary Time, Lent and the Easter season. Ordinary time thenbegins again. Because the dates for this vary from year to year, acalendar is included (p. 3).

To get the most out of Word of Life, find a time and place thatis quiet and conducive to prayer. It is the custom in the Catholictradition to begin any reflection on Sacred Scripture by invokingthe Holy Spirit, either with a formal prayer like the Veni, SancteSpiritus or with a short quote from the Scripture itself, such asthe one below from 1 Samuel 3. Read from your Bible the pas-sages for the liturgy of the day, pausing to reflect on any phraseor image that speaks to you.Then turn to the reflection for thatday in Word of Life.This book is not a commentary but a “conver-sation starter” facilitating your encounter with the Word of Godincarnate in the sacred text.

“Speak,LORD, for your servant is listening” (1 Sm 3:9).

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Advent Season

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First Sunday of Advent

A

First Reading: Is 2:1–5Responsorial Psalm: Ps 122:1–2, 3–4, 4–5, 6–7, 8–9Second Reading: Rom 13:11–14Gospel: Mt 24:37–44

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In today’s readings, Advent is imaged as a journey from twodirections. From one side, in the vision of Isaiah, we see the

pilgrimage of the nations going to Jerusalem, to the mountain ofthe Lord’s house. From the other, we envision the coming of theSon of Man announced by Jesus in the selection from Matthew.Both journeys, the going and the coming, look to a future real-ization on “that day and hour no one knows” (Mt 24:36). But thefuture promised in today’s readings makes a claim on our presentreality as well. Waking to the dawning light of the Lord, we mustwalk in that light. We must “throw off the works of darkness,”says Paul, and “conduct ourselves properly as in the day” (Rom13:12–13). In Isaiah’s words, this means that we must recognizethat which beckons the nations to Jerusalem is “instruction”(torah) (2:3), the word of the Lord.To walk in the light is to liveTorah, God’s plan for peace.

Advent sounds a wake-up call. We must heed it lest, likeNoah’s contemporaries, or like the unsuspecting householder inMatthew, the coming hour finds us unprepared.

First Sunday of Advent — A 11


B

First Reading: Is 63:16b–17, 19b; 64:2–7Responsorial Psalm: Ps 80:2–3, 15–16, 18–19Second Reading: 1 Cor 1:3–9Gospel: Mk 13:33–37

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Advent is about time—not clock and calendar time, but thepeculiar experience of time that characterizes the hope of

Christians. For those who have put their faith in the revelation ofthe Lord Jesus Christ, the end time has already come, though ithas not yet been fully realized; therefore, Christians live in thetime between the now of Jesus’ victory over sin and death andthe not-yet of his return in glory. And this makes exiles of us all.That is why the prayer of the newly-returned exiles in the read-ing from Isaiah is our prayer, too. Like them, we also find our-selves stalled between the now of salvation already achieved forus by the Lord, who has “wrought awesome deeds we could nothope for” (Is 64:2), and the not-yet of continued estrangement,our wandering far from God’s ways.

The excerpt from 1 Corinthians and the short passage fromMark both tell us how we are to live in this in-between time. Weare to use our spiritual gifts as responsible servants, “each withhis own work” (Mk 13:34), in the home of our absent Lord, whois coming very soon.

12 Advent Season


C

First Reading: Jer 33:14–16Responsorial Psalm: Ps 25:4–5, 8–9, 10, 14Second Reading: 1 Thes 3:12–4:2Gospel: Lk 21:25–28, 34–36

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Today’s selections from Jeremiah and the Gospel of Luke areboth set amid world-ending events. Jeremiah’s words are

spoken as Jerusalem falls under siege and the prophet himself isin prison. The defeat of David’s house, the destruction ofJerusalem, and the deportation of the people of Judah loom onthe horizon.Their world as they know it is coming to an end.Thewords of Jesus in Luke’s Gospel anticipate the end of the world,an event that “will assault everyone who lives on the face of theearth” (21:35). In these dire settings, Jeremiah and Jesus speakwith surprising boldness. God “will raise up for David a justshoot ... Judah shall be safe and Jerusalem shall dwell secure,”Jeremiah declares (33:15–16). And Jesus counsels in Luke,“When these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise yourheads because your redemption is at hand” (21:28).

Faith and not fear is the response of God’s people when col-lapsing worlds come to an end. In Advent we pray for ourselves,as Paul prayed in 1 Thessalonians, that “blameless in holiness”(3:13), we may with heart’s ease greet the world-ending event ofChrist’s coming.

First Sunday of Advent — C 13


First Week of Advent

Monday

First Reading: Cycles B and C Is 2:1–5; Cycle A Is 4:2–6Responsorial Psalm: Ps 122:1–2, 3–4b, 4cd–5, 6–7, 8–9Gospel: Mt 8:5–11

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The readings for today look to the future, to the “days tocome” when all nations shall make their way to “the house of

the God of Jacob” (Is 2:2–3). As the Gospel of Matthew puts it, many will come from east and west to find a place “withAbraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the Kingdom ofheaven” (8:11). Both Isaiah in the selection for years B and C andMatthew’s Jesus proclaim that the God of Israel wills the salva-tion of all, not just of Jews.

Yet both recognize the privilege of Israel in God’s saving plan.So in Isaiah, the house of Jacob must itself “walk in the light” (2:5)before it can light the way for others. This is why Jesus, whoexpresses amazement at the centurion’s faith, is likewise amazedat the lack of faith of so many in Israel.

The selection from Isaiah for year A is also future oriented,but it looks to the more immediate future, when a remnant willbe purified and protected by the glory of God, “a smoking cloudby day and a light of flaming fire by night” (4:5). Thus will thehouse of Jacob come to walk in the light of the Lord and so belight for all nations.

14 Advent Season


Tuesday

First Reading: Is 11:1–10Responsorial Psalm: Ps 72:1–2, 7–8, 12–13, 17Gospel: Lk 10:21–24

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In the Hebrew Bible the Spirit of God (ruach elohim) denotesIsrael’s lived experience of God’s powerful presence. As

“breath” or “wind,” God’s ruach is a driving, divine force, knownchiefly by its effects, particularly in Israel’s history. The gift ofGod’s Spirit enabled an individual, however insignificant oruncredentialed, to be God’s agent. Such was the case of Moses,Joshua, the judges, Saul, David, and the ideal king Isaiah foreseesin today’s reading. God’s Spirit would equip this royal shoot fromthe stump of Jesse with the qualities needed to do God’s work—to “judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land’safflicted” (Is 11:4).

The Gospel reading from Luke depicts Jesus, too, as impelledby God’s Spirit. Seized by the Spirit, he celebrates God’s choiceof “the childlike” (Lk 10:21), a preferential option for the pow-erless and the poor, which he continues in his own ministry. Wemust situate ourselves among these, for by virtue of the adventof Jesus and the activity of his Holy Spirit, we now enjoy the rev-elation that prophets and kings wished to see and to hear butnever did.

First Week of Advent — Tuesday 15


Wednesday

First Reading: Is 25:6–10aResponsorial Psalm: Ps 23:1–3a, 3b–4, 5, 6Gospel: Mt 15:29–37

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In both of today’s readings, the hand of the Lord comes to rest ona mountain. In the passage from Isaiah, the mountain is Zion,

the site of the city of Jerusalem. “On this mountain” (Is 25:6),the prophet says, God will rescue a hungry, hurting, humiliated people—by providing a feast of rich food, wiping the tears fromtheir eyes, and removing the stigma of exile. On that day, theprophet assures them, God’s people will rejoice in the God whohas acted to save them.

In the selection from Matthew, the mountain is symbolic butno less significant. Here again God acts to feed the hungrycrowd, having first made the mute speak, the deformed sound,the cripples walk, and the blind see. And “they glorified the Godof Israel” (Mt 15:31).

For Isaiah, “that day” (25:9) will be the beginning of the endtime. But for Matthew, as for us, “that day” has arrived with thecoming of Jesus. With the raising of Jesus, death is destroyed for-ever, and every Eucharist is a foretaste of the feast God has pre-pared “on this mountain.”

16 Advent Season


Thursday

First Reading: Is 26:1–6Responsorial Psalm: Ps 118:1 and 8–9, 19–21, 25–27aGospel: Mt 7:21, 24–27

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In today’s Gospel, an excerpt from Matthew’s account of theSermon on the Mount, Jesus tells his disciples that his words

must be the firm foundation on which they are to build theirlives. As we would expect, these words of Jesus the Jew areundergirded by the words of the Hebrew Bible, such as thewords of the prophet Isaiah in today’s first reading. Isaiah not onlyurges his people to build on solid rock, but also insists that a stur-dy house, a strong city is one “that is just, one that keeps faith”(26:2). Similarly, Jesus teaches that it is not enough to cry out“Lord, Lord”; one must do the will of the heavenly Father by put-ting the words of Jesus into practice (Mt 7:21). How do we dothat? The responsorial psalm tells us:We make our home securein the Lord by pushing open “the gates of justice” (118:19).

Jesus comes. But it is not enough for us to give him a homein our hearts. As today’s readings both tell us, we must buildthose homes on “the eternal Rock” (Is 26:4), whose mercy,enduring forever, is the stronghold of our city (Ps 118:1).

This Advent let us open wide the gates of justice to welcomethe one “who comes in the name of the Lord” (Ps 118:26).

First Week of Advent — Thursday 17


Friday

First Reading: Is 29:17–24Responsorial Psalm: Ps 27:1, 4, 13–14Gospel: Mt 9:27–31

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In literature, blindness is often a metaphor for lack of knowl-edge, and it seems to function this way in today’s two readings.

Clearly, the spiritual eyes of the two blind men in the Gospelhave already been opened by faith.They know Jesus as the Son ofDavid and trust in his power to save. The miracle that restorestheir physical sight is only an outward sign of their spiritual sta-tus: “Let it be done for you according to your faith,” says Jesus(Mt 9:29).The passage from Isaiah uses both blindness and deaf-ness metaphorically to describe the divine reversal that God isabout to work in Judah: “The lowly will ever find joy ... For thetyrant will be no more.” Thus will knowledge of God return tothe land. “On that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book ...the eyes of the blind shall see” (Is 29:19–20, 18).

In Advent we wait once again for what God will do in “a verylittle while,” not the birth of Jesus, an unrepeatable event, butour own rebirth “out of gloom and darkness” (Is 29:18) into thelight of the knowledge of God. Once again we hope to see thework of God’s hands in our midst so as to sanctify God’s holyname.

18 Advent Season


Saturday

First Reading: Is 30:19–21, 23–26Responsorial Psalm: Ps 147:1–2, 3–4, 5–6Gospel: Mt 9:35—10:1, 5a, 6–8

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Both of today’s readings attest to God’s compassion. In thetext from Isaiah, God, who punished Israel for their sin, is

moved to pity by their wounds. So the prophet says, “[God] willheal the bruises left by his blows” (Is 30:26). Isaiah depicts theHoly One of Israel as a healer, binding up the people’s wounds,blessing them with abundant life, signified by the recurringimages of bread and water (cf. vv. 20, 25). And because the HolyOne is also their teacher, with abundant life will come brilliantlight, “like the light of seven days” (v. 26).

In today’s Gospel, Matthew’s Jesus, too, is both teacher andhealer. “Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teachingin their synagogues ... and curing every disease and illness.” He,too, is moved with pity for the lost, “because they were troubledand abandoned” (Mt 9:35, 36).This motivates him to dispatch hisdisciples—and all the others whom the Lord of the harvest willsend—to prepare people for the coming judgment. This is anAdvent mission: sharing the good news of God’s reign, giving thegift we have received.

First Week of Advent — Saturday 19


Second Sunday of Advent

A

First Reading: Is 11:1–10Responsorial Psalm: Ps 72:1–2, 7–8, 12–13, 17Second Reading: Rom 15:4–9Gospel: Mt 3:1–12

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At first glance, the harsh reality that John the Baptistannounced seems far removed from the ideal realm prophe-

sied by Isaiah. But a closer look reveals striking similarities. Bothprophets spoke at a time when Israel was experiencing a crisis ofauthority.The kings of Isaiah’s day relied not on the gifts of God’sspirit, but on human counselors to govern their people. In John’sday, some among the priestly aristocracy colluded with theRomans who ruled Judea. Isaiah and John both delivered a polit-ically charged message. The future king who would “judge thepoor with justice” (Is 11:4) would call the present regime toaccount.The coming wrath would expose the presumption of theprivileged who claimed, “We have Abraham as our father” (Mt3:9). Both Isaiah and John envisioned a new possibility: power atthe service of justice and true repentance as social policy.

The prophets’ vision reached beyond Israel.The root of Jessewould summon the nations; God would raise up children toAbraham from stones. We Gentile Christians are the living ful-fillment of that promise, as Paul tells the Romans. May our faithglorify the God of Israel.

20 Advent Season


B

First Reading: Is 40:1–5, 9–11Responsorial Psalm: Ps 85:9–10, 11–12, 13–14Second Reading: 2 Pet 3:8–14Gospel: Mk 1:1–8

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The opening verse of today’s responsorial psalm succinctlysummarizes both the reading from Isaiah and the selection

from the Gospel of Mark. “I will hear what God proclaims,” itdeclares, “the Lord—for he proclaims peace to his people”(85:9). The passage from Isaiah describes the commissioning ofGod’s messenger, the “herald of glad tidings” (40:9), who is sentto announce good news to the exiles in Babylon. Their servicenears its end; God comes to set them free. John the Baptist playsprecisely this role as Mark presents him in today’s Gospel read-ing. “One mightier than I is coming after me,” he proclaims. “Hewill baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (Mk 1:7–8).

The first believers in Jesus shared the same expectation asIsaiah and John: an imminent “coming of the day of God” (2 Pet3:12).This hope had to be revised, however, when the risen Lorddid not immediately return in glory. This delay caused someChristians then, as now, to doubt the Lord’s promise.The SecondLetter of Peter assures them, and us, that the delay of the longed-for day is itself God’s gift—the gift of time to repent and receivethe Good News.

Second Sunday of Advent — B 21


C

First Reading: Bar 5:1–9Responsorial Psalm: Ps 126:1–2, 2–3, 4–5, 6Second Reading: Phil 1:4–6, 8–11Gospel: Lk 3:1–6

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The words of Baruch, today’s first reading, are set during thetime of the so-called Babylonian Captivity (587–537 B.C.).

To the exiles, Baruch offers hope—in the God whose glory willone day lead them home. His message is a song, not a schedule.He has no specific information to impart, only images to keephope alive. One of the images his song evokes is that of road con-struction. Like the foreman of a road crew, God orders thatmountains be leveled and gorges filled in for the building of aroyal road on which “Israel may advance secure in the glory ofGod” (Bar 5:7). Luke takes up the same image to interpret Johnthe Baptist’s message in today’s Gospel. John is not speaking toexiles but to a subject people, who are routinely victimized bythe collusion of Pilate, Herod, and corrupt high priests.To theseoppressed people, John also offers hope: “All flesh shall see thesalvation of God” (Lk 3:6).

The salvation promised by Baruch and John is God’s work.Our work, Paul says, is to repair the road for God’s coming—what Jews call tikkun olam—by growing in love, knowledge, anddiscernment.

22 Advent Season


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Word Of Life Daily Scriptural Companion

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