First reading 1 Corinthians 9:16-19,22-27
We go into strict training, like fighters at the games
I do not boast of preaching the gospel, since it is a duty which has been laid on me; I should be punished if I did not preach it! If I had chosen this work myself, I might have been paid for it, but as I have not, it is a responsibility which has been put into my hands. Do you know what my reward is? It is this: in my preaching, to be able to offer the Good News free, and not insist on the rights which the gospel gives me.
So though I am not a slave of any man I have made myself the slave of everyone so as to win as many as I could. I made myself all things to all men in order to save some at any cost; and I still do this, for the sake of the gospel, to have a share in its blessings.
All the runners at the stadium are trying to win, but only one of them gets the prize. You must run in the same way, meaning to win. All the fighters at the games go into strict training; they do this just to win a wreath that will wither away, but we do it for a wreath that will never wither. That is how I run, intent on winning; that is how I fight, not beating the air. I treat my body hard and make it obey me, for, having been an announcer myself, I should not want to be disqualified.
Responsorial Psalm 83(84):3-6,12
How lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, God of hosts.
My soul is longing and yearning,
is yearning for the courts of the Lord.
My heart and my soul ring out their joy
to God, the living God.
How lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, God of hosts.
The sparrow herself finds a home
and the swallow a nest for her brood;
she lays her young by your altars,
Lord of hosts, my king and my God.
How lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, God of hosts.
They are happy, who dwell in your house,
for ever singing your praise.
They are happy, whose strength is in you,
in whose hearts are the roads to Zion.
How lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, God of hosts.
For the Lord God is a rampart, a shield;
he will give us his favour and glory.
The Lord will not refuse any good
to those who walk without blame.
How lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, God of hosts.
Gospel Luke 6:39-42
Can the blind lead the blind?
Jesus told a parable to the disciples: ‘Can one blind man guide another? Surely both will fall into a pit? The disciple is not superior to his teacher; the fully trained disciple will always be like his teacher. Why do you observe the splinter in your brother’s eye and never notice the plank in your own? How can you say to your brother, “Brother, let me take out the splinter that is in your eye,” when you cannot see the plank in your own? Hypocrite! Take the plank out of your own eye first, and then you will see clearly enough to take out the splinter that is in your brother’s eye.’
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Judge less, love more
“I do not boast of preaching the gospel, since it is a duty which has been laid on me… “ (1st reading). St Paul regards his mission of preaching the gospel as a duty, a responsibility that God has entrusted to him. It is not a task that he takes on just to gain personal benefits. Instead, he gives his everything in order to serve all and to bring as many as possible to know and love Christ. Today, we have the same mission as St Paul. We have the responsibility to preach the gospel by word and action, and we do it in all circumstances and at all times.
If we are to preach the gospel, we must have a vision that looks at others kindly instead of judging them. Jesus tells us to judge less because we do not know all the facts of the situation and cannot see the heart of each person. Today, let us ask Jesus to help us expand our hearts to have more room for merciful love for those around us.
Reflective question:
How can I put into practice what I understood in my prayer time?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year B” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD.
