Daily Shots

Mt 16:24-28Jesus said to his disciples,"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,take up his cross, and follow me.For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.What profit would there be for one to gain the whole worldand forfeit his life?Or what can one give in exchange for his life?For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory,and then he will repay each according to his conduct.Amen, I say to you, there are some standing herewho will not taste deathuntil they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom."

Mt 16:13-23Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippiand he asked his disciples,“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”Simon Peter said in reply,“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.And so I say to you, you are Peter,and upon this rock I will build my Church,and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”Then he strictly ordered his disciplesto tell no one that he was the Christ.From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciplesthat he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatlyfrom the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,and be killed and on the third day be raised.Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him,“God forbid, Lord!  No such thing shall ever happen to you.”He turned and said to Peter,“Get behind me, Satan!  You are an obstacle to me.You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

Lk 9:28b-36Jesus took Peter, John, and James and went up a mountain to pray.While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white.And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, but becoming fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here;let us make three tents,one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”But he did not know what he was saying.While he was still speaking, a cloud came and cast a shadow over them,and they became frightened when they entered the cloud.Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.They fell silent and did not at that time tell anyone what they had seen.

Mt 14:22-36Jesus made the disciples get into a boatand precede him to the other side of the sea,while he dismissed the crowds.After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.When it was evening he was there alone.Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.During the fourth watch of the night,he came toward them, walking on the sea.When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.“It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear.At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”Peter said to him in reply,“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”He said, “Come.”Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him,and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”After they got into the boat, the wind died down.Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,“Truly, you are the Son of God.”After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret.When the men of that place recognized him,they sent word to all the surrounding country.People brought to him all those who were sickand begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak,and as many as touched it were healed.

Mt 14:13-21When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist,he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said,"This is a deserted place and it is already late;dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villagesand buy food for themselves."He said to them, "There is no need for them to go away;give them some food yourselves."But they said to him,"Five loaves and two fish are all we have here."Then he said, "Bring them here to me,"and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven,he said the blessing, broke the loaves,and gave them to the disciples,who in turn gave them to the crowds.They all ate and were satisfied,and they picked up the fragments left over–twelve wicker baskets full.Those who ate were about five thousand men,not counting women and children.

Mt 13:54-58Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue.They were astonished and said,"Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?Is he not the carpenter's son?Is not his mother named Maryand his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?Are not his sisters all with us?Where did this man get all this?"And they took offense at him.But Jesus said to them,"A prophet is not without honor except in his native placeand in his own house."And he did not work many mighty deeds therebecause of their lack of faith.

Mt 13:47-53Jesus said to the disciples:"The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea,which collects fish of every kind.When it is full they haul it ashoreand sit down to put what is good into buckets.What is bad they throw away.Thus it will be at the end of the age.The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteousand throw them into the fiery furnace,where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.""Do you understand all these things?"They answered, "Yes."And he replied,"Then every scribe who has been instructed in the Kingdom of heavenis like the head of a household who brings from his storeroomboth the new and the old."When Jesus finished these parables, he went away from there.

Mt 13:44-46Jesus said to his disciples:"The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,which a person finds and hides again,and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchantsearching for fine pearls.When he finds a pearl of great price,he goes and sells all that he has and buys it."

Lk 10:38-42Jesus entered a villagewhere a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.She had a sister named Marywho sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,“Lord, do you not carethat my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?Tell her to help me.”The Lord said to her in reply,“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.There is need of only one thing.Mary has chosen the better partand it will not be taken from her.”

Mt 13:31-35Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds.“The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seedthat a person took and sowed in a field.It is the smallest of all the seeds,yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants.It becomes a large bush,and the birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.”He spoke to them another parable.“The Kingdom of heaven is like yeastthat a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flouruntil the whole batch was leavened.”All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables.He spoke to them only in parables,to fulfill what had been said through the prophet:I will open my mouth in parables,I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation of the world.

Mt 20:20-28The mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sonsand did him homage, wishing to ask him for something.He said to her,"What do you wish?"She answered him,"Command that these two sons of mine sit,one at your right and the other at your left, in your Kingdom."Jesus said in reply,"You do not know what you are asking.Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?"They said to him, "We can."He replied,"My chalice you will indeed drink,but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to givebut is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."When the ten heard this,they became indignant at the two brothers.But Jesus summoned them and said,"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,and the great ones make their authority over them felt.But it shall not be so among you.Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be servedbut to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Mt 13:10-17The disciples approached Jesus and said,"Why do you speak to the crowd in parables?"He said to them in reply,"Because knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heavenhas been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich;from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.This is why I speak to them in parables, becausethey look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.Isaiah's prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:You shall indeed hear but not understand,you shall indeed look but never see.Gross is the heart of this people,they will hardly hear with their ears,they have closed their eyes,lest they see with their eyesand hear with their earsand understand with their hearts and be convertedand I heal them."But blessed are your eyes, because they see,and your ears, because they hear.Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous peoplelonged to see what you see but did not see it,and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."

Mt 13:1-9On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.Such large crowds gathered around himthat he got into a boat and sat down,and the whole crowd stood along the shore.And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:“A sower went out to sow.And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,and birds came and ate it up.Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil.It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep,and when the sun rose it was scorched,and it withered for lack of roots.Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit,a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

Jn 20:1-2, 11-18On the first day of the week,Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning,while it was still dark,and saw the stone removed from the tomb.So she ran and went to Simon Peterand to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,"They have taken the Lord from the tomb,and we don't know where they put him."Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping.And as she wept, she bent over into the tomband saw two angels in white sitting there,one at the head and one at the feetwhere the Body of Jesus had been.And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?"She said to them, "They have taken my Lord,and I don't know where they laid him."When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there,but did not know it was Jesus.Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?Whom are you looking for?"She thought it was the gardener and said to him,"Sir, if you carried him away,tell me where you laid him,and I will take him."Jesus said to her, "Mary!"She turned and said to him in Hebrew,"Rabbouni," which means Teacher.Jesus said to her,"Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.But go to my brothers and tell them,'I am going to my Father and your Father,to my God and your God.'"Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples,"I have seen the Lord,"and then reported what he told her.

Mt 8:38-42Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus,"Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you."He said to them in reply,"An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign,but no sign will be given itexcept the sign of Jonah the prophet.Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights,so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earththree days and three nights.At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generationand condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah;and there is something greater than Jonah here.At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generationand condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earthto hear the wisdom of Solomon;and there is something greater than Solomon here."

Mt 12:1-8Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath.His disciples were hungryand began to pick the heads of grain and eat them.When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him,"See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath."He said to them, "Have you not read what David didwhen he and his companions were hungry,how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering,which neither he nor his companionsbut only the priests could lawfully eat?Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbaththe priests serving in the temple violate the sabbathand are innocent?I say to you, something greater than the temple is here.If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice,you would not have condemned these innocent men.For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath."

Mt 11:28-30Jesus said:"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,for I am meek and humble of heart;and you will find rest for yourselves.For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

Mt 11:25-27At that time Jesus exclaimed:"I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,for although you have hidden these thingsfrom the wise and the learnedyou have revealed them to the childlike.Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.All things have been handed over to me by my Father.No one knows the Son except the Father,and no one knows the Father except the Sonand anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him."

Mt 11:20-24Jesus began to reproach the townswhere most of his mighty deeds had been done,since they had not repented."Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!For if the mighty deeds done in your midsthad been done in Tyre and Sidon,they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes.But I tell you, it will be more tolerablefor Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.And as for you, Capernaum:Will you be exalted to heaven?You will go down to the netherworld.For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom,it would have remained until this day.But I tell you, it will be more tolerablefor the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you."

Mt 10:34-11:1Jesus said to his Apostles:"Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth.I have come to bring not peace but the sword.For I have come to seta man against his father,a daughter against her mother,and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;and one's enemies will be those of his household."Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;and whoever does not take up his crossand follow after me is not worthy of me.Whoever finds his life will lose it,and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."Whoever receives you receives me,and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophetwill receive a prophet's reward,and whoever receives a righteous manbecause he is righteouswill receive a righteous man's reward.And whoever gives only a cup of cold waterto one of these little ones to drinkbecause he is a disciple–amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward."When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples,he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.

Mt 10:16-23Jesus said to his Apostles:"Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves;so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.But beware of men,for they will hand you over to courtsand scourge you in their synagogues,and you will be led before governors and kings for my sakeas a witness before them and the pagans.When they hand you over,do not worry about how you are to speakor what you are to say.You will be given at that moment what you are to say.For it will not be you who speakbut the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.Brother will hand over brother to death,and the father his child;children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.You will be hated by all because of my name,but whoever endures to the end will be saved.When they persecute you in one town, flee to another.Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israelbefore the Son of Man comes."

Mt 10:7-15Jesus said to his Apostles:"As you go, make this proclamation:'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.'Cure the sick, raise the dead,cleanse the lepers, drive out demons.Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts;no sack for the journey, or a second tunic,or sandals, or walking stick.The laborer deserves his keep.Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it,and stay there until you leave.As you enter a house, wish it peace.If the house is worthy,let your peace come upon it;if not, let your peace return to you.Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words—go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet.Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerablefor the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgmentthan for that town."

Mt 10:1-7Jesus summoned his Twelve disciplesand gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them outand to cure every disease and every illness.The names of the Twelve Apostles are these:first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew;James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John;Philip and Bartholomew,Thomas and Matthew the tax collector;James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus;Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariotwho betrayed Jesus.Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus,"Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town.Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.As you go, make this proclamation: 'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.'"

Mt 9:32-38A demoniac who could not speak was brought to Jesus,and when the demon was driven out the mute man spoke.The crowds were amazed and said,“Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”But the Pharisees said,“He drives out demons by the prince of demons.”Jesus went around to all the towns and villages,teaching in their synagogues,proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,and curing every disease and illness.At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for thembecause they were troubled and abandoned,like sheep without a shepherd.Then he said to his disciples,“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;so ask the master of the harvestto send out laborers for his harvest.”

Mt 9:18-26While Jesus was speaking, an official came forward,knelt down before him, and said,""My daughter has just died.But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live.""Jesus rose and followed him, and so did his disciples.A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind himand touched the tassel on his cloak.She said to herself, ""If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured.""Jesus turned around and saw her, and said,""Courage, daughter!  Your faith has saved you.""And from that hour the woman was cured.When Jesus arrived at the official's houseand saw the flute players and the crowd who were making a commotion,he said, ""Go away! The girl is not dead but sleeping.""And they ridiculed him.When the crowd was put out, he came and took her by the hand,and the little girl arose.And news of this spread throughout all that land.

Mt 9:9-13As Jesus passed by,he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post.He said to him, ""Follow me.""And he got up and followed him.While he was at table in his house,many tax collectors and sinners cameand sat with Jesus and his disciples.The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples,""Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?""He heard this and said,""Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.Go and learn the meaning of the words,I desire mercy, not sacrifice.I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."" 

Jn 20:24-29Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,was not with them when Jesus came.So the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord."But Thomas said to them,"Unless I see the mark of the nails in his handsand put my finger into the nailmarksand put my hand into his side, I will not believe."Now a week later his disciples were again insideand Thomas was with them.Jesus came, although the doors were locked,and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you."Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands,and bring your hand and put it into my side,and do not be unbelieving, but believe."Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!"Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me?Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."

Mt 8:28-34When Jesus came to the territory of the Gadarenes,two demoniacs who were coming from the tombs met him.They were so savage that no one could travel by that road.They cried out, "What have you to do with us, Son of God?Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?"Some distance away a herd of many swine was feeding.The demons pleaded with him,"If you drive us out, send us into the herd of swine."And he said to them, "Go then!"They came out and entered the swine,and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the seawhere they drowned.The swineherds ran away,and when they came to the town they reported everything,including what had happened to the demoniacs.Thereupon the whole town came out to meet Jesus,and when they saw him they begged him to leave their district.

Mt 8:23-27As Jesus got into a boat, his disciples followed him.Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea,so that the boat was being swamped by waves;but he was asleep.They came and woke him, saying,"Lord, save us!  We are perishing!"He said to them, "Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?"Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea,and there was great calm.The men were amazed and said, "What sort of man is this,whom even the winds and the sea obey?"

Mt 8:18-20When Jesus saw a crowd around him,he gave orders to cross to the other shore.A scribe approached and said to him,“Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”Another of his disciples said to him,“Lord, let me go first and bury my father.”But Jesus answered him, “Follow me,and let the dead bury their dead.”

Lk 15:3-7Jesus addressed this parable to the Pharisees and scribes:"What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of themwould not leave the ninety-nine in the desertand go after the lost one until he finds it?And when he does find it,he sets it on his shoulders with great joyand, upon his arrival home,he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them,     'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.'I tell you, in just the same waythere will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repentsthan over ninety-nine righteous peoplewho have no need of repentance."

Mt 7:21-29Jesus said to his disciples:"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,'will enter the Kingdom of heaven,but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.Many will say to me on that day,'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?Did we not drive out demons in your name?Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?'Then I will declare to them solemnly,'I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.'"Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on themwill be like a wise man who built his house on rock.The rain fell, the floods came,and the winds blew and buffeted the house.But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.And everyone who listens to these words of minebut does not act on themwill be like a fool who built his house on sand.The rain fell, the floods came,and the winds blew and buffeted the house.And it collapsed and was completely ruined."When Jesus finished these words,the crowds were astonished at his teaching,for he taught them as one having authority,and not as their scribes.

Mt 7:15-20Jesus said to his disciples:“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing,but underneath are ravenous wolves.By their fruits you will know them.Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?Just so, every good tree bears good fruit,and a rotten tree bears bad fruit.A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut downand thrown into the fire.So by their fruits you will know them.”

Lk 1:57-66, 80When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her childshe gave birth to a son.Her neighbors and relatives heardthat the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her,and they rejoiced with her.When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child,they were going to call him Zechariah after his father,but his mother said in reply,“No. He will be called John.”But they answered her,“There is no one among your relatives who has this name.”So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called.He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,”and all were amazed.Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed,and he spoke blessing God.Then fear came upon all their neighbors,and all these matters were discussedthroughout the hill country of Judea.All who heard these things took them to heart, saying,“What, then, will this child be?”For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.The child grew and became strong in spirit,and he was in the desert until the dayof his manifestation to Israel.

Mt 7:1-5Jesus said to his disciples:"Stop judging, that you may not be judged.For as you judge, so will you be judged,and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye,but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?How can you say to your brother,'Let me remove that splinter from your eye,'while the wooden beam is in your eye?You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first;then you will see clearlyto remove the splinter from your brother's eye."

Mt 6:19-23Jesus said to his disciples:“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal.But store up treasures in heaven,where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal.For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.“The lamp of the body is the eye.If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light;but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness.And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be.”

Mt 6:7-15Jesus said to his disciples:"In praying, do not babble like the pagans,who think that they will be heard because of their many words.Do not be like them.Your Father knows what you need before you ask him."This is how you are to pray:'Our Father who art in heaven,hallowed be thy name,thy Kingdom come,thy will be done,on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread;and forgive us our trespasses,as we forgive those who trespass against us;and lead us not into temptation,but deliver us from evil.'"If you forgive others their transgressions,your heavenly Father will forgive you.But if you do not forgive others,neither will your Father forgive your transgressions."

Mt 6:1-6, 16-18Jesus said to his disciples:“Take care not to perform righteous deedsin order that people may see them;otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you,as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streetsto win the praise of others.Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.But when you give alms,do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,so that your almsgiving may be secret.And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites,who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street cornersso that others may see them.Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door,and pray to your Father in secret.And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.“When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.They neglect their appearance,so that they may appear to others to be fasting.Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,so that you may not appear to others to be fasting,except to your Father who is hidden.And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”

Mt 5:43-48Jesus said to his disciples:"You have heard that it was said,You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.But I say to you, love your enemiesand pray for those who persecute you,that you may be children of your heavenly Father,for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?Do not the tax collectors do the same?And if you greet your brothers only,what is unusual about that?Do not the pagans do the same?So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Mt 5:38-42Jesus said to his disciples:"You have heard that it was said,An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.When someone strikes you on your right cheek,turn the other one to him as well.If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic,hand him your cloak as well.Should anyone press you into service for one mile,go with him for two miles.Give to the one who asks of you,and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow."

Mt 5:27-32Jesus said to his disciples:"You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery.But I say to you,everyone who looks at a woman with lusthas already committed adultery with her in his heart.If your right eye causes you to sin,tear it out and throw it away.It is better for you to lose one of your membersthan to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna.And if your right hand causes you to sin,cut it off and throw it away.It is better for you to lose one of your membersthan to have your whole body go into Gehenna."It was also said,Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.But I say to you,whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful)causes her to commit adultery,and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery."

Mt 5:20-26Jesus said to his disciples:"I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses thatof the scribes and Pharisees,you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven."You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brotherwill be liable to judgment,and whoever says to his brother,Raqa, will be answerable to the Sanhedrin,and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna.Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,and there recall that your brotherhas anything against you,leave your gift there at the altar,go first and be reconciled with your brother,and then come and offer your gift.Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him.Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge,and the judge will hand you over to the guard,and you will be thrown into prison.Amen, I say to you,you will not be released until you have paid the last penny."

Mt 5:17-19Jesus said to his disciples:“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letterwill pass from the law,until all things have taken place.Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandmentsand teaches others to do sowill be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.But whoever obeys and teaches these commandmentswill be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”

Mt 5:13-16Jesus said to his disciples:"You are the salt of the earth.But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?It is no longer good for anythingbut to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.You are the light of the world.A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket;it is set on a lampstand,where it gives light to all in the house.Just so, your light must shine before others,that they may see your good deedsand glorify your heavenly Father."

Jn 19:25-34Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother            and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,            and Mary of Magdala.When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved,            he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”Then he said to the disciple,            “Behold, your mother.”And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.After this, aware that everything was now finished,            in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled,            Jesus said, “I thirst.”There was a vessel filled with common wine.So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop            and put it up to his mouth.When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,            “It is finished.”And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.Now since it was preparation day,            in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath,            for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one,            the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken            and they be taken down.So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first            and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,            they did not break his legs,            but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,            and immediately Blood and water flowed out.

Jn 221:15-19After Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and eaten breakfast with them, he said to Simon Peter,“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.”He then said to Simon Peter a second time,“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”He said to him the third time,“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time,“Do you love me?” and he said to him,“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger,you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands,and someone else will dress youand lead you where you do not want to go.”He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”

Jn 17:20-26Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying:"I pray not only for these,but also for those who will believe in me through their word,so that they may all be one,as you, Father, are in me and I in you,that they also may be in us,that the world may believe that you sent me.And I have given them the glory you gave me,so that they may be one, as we are one,I in them and you in me,that they may be brought to perfection as one,that the world may know that you sent me,and that you loved them even as you loved me.Father, they are your gift to me.I wish that where I am they also may be with me,that they may see my glory that you gave me,because you loved me before the foundation of the world.Righteous Father, the world also does not know you,but I know you, and they know that you sent me.I made known to them your name and I will make it known,that the love with which you loved memay be in them and I in them."

Jn 17:11b-19Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying:“Holy Father, keep them in your namethat you have given me,so that they may be one just as we are one.When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me,and I guarded them, and none of them was lostexcept the son of destruction,in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled.But now I am coming to you.I speak this in the worldso that they may share my joy completely.I gave them your word, and the world hated them,because they do not belong to the worldany more than I belong to the world.I do not ask that you take them out of the worldbut that you keep them from the Evil One.They do not belong to the worldany more than I belong to the world.Consecrate them in the truth.Your word is truth.As you sent me into the world,so I sent them into the world.And I consecrate myself for them,so that they also may be consecrated in truth.”

Jn 17:1-11aJesus raised his eyes to heaven and said,“Father, the hour has come.Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you,just as you gave him authority over all people,so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him.Now this is eternal life,that they should know you, the only true God,and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.I glorified you on earthby accomplishing the work that you gave me to do.Now glorify me, Father, with you,with the glory that I had with you before the world began.“I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world.They belonged to you, and you gave them to me,and they have kept your word.Now they know that everything you gave me is from you,because the words you gave to me I have given to them,and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you,and they have believed that you sent me.I pray for them.I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me,because they are yours, and everything of mine is yoursand everything of yours is mine,and I have been glorified in them.And now I will no longer be in the world,but they are in the world, while I am coming to you.”

Jn 16:29-33The disciples said to Jesus,"Now you are talking plainly, and not in any figure of speech.Now we realize that you know everythingand that you do not need to have anyone question you.Because of this we believe that you came from God."Jesus answered them, "Do you believe now?Behold, the hour is coming and has arrivedwhen each of you will be scattered to his own homeand you will leave me alone.But I am not alone, because the Father is with me.I have told you this so that you might have peace in me.In the world you will have trouble,but take courage, I have conquered the world."

Jn 16:20-23Jesus said to his disciples:“Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn,while the world rejoices;you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived;but when she has given birth to a child,she no longer remembers the pain because of her joythat a child has been born into the world.So you also are now in anguish.But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice,and no one will take your joy away from you.On that day you will not question me about anything.Amen, amen, I say to you,whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.”