Daily Shots

While Jesus was speaking to the crowds,his mother and his brothers appeared outside,wishing to speak with him.Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside,asking to speak with you.”But he said in reply to the one who told him,“Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?”And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said,“Here are my mother and my brothers.For whoever does the will of my heavenly Fatheris my brother, and sister, and mother.”

Matthew 12:38-42Some 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.”

Jesus 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."

Matthew 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."

At 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.”

Matthew 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 nether world.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.”

Jesus 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 righteous will 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.

Jesus 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.”

Jesus 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.”

Jesus 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.'”

A 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.”

While 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.

Jn 18:1-19:42Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valleyto where there was a garden,into which he and his disciples entered.Judas his betrayer also knew the place,because Jesus had often met there with his disciples.So Judas got a band of soldiers and guardsfrom the chief priests and the Phariseesand went there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him,went out and said to them, “Whom are you looking for?”They answered him, “Jesus the Nazorean.”He said to them, “I AM.”Judas his betrayer was also with them.When he said to them, “I AM, “they turned away and fell to the ground.So he again asked them,“Whom are you looking for?”They said, “Jesus the Nazorean.”Jesus answered,“I told you that I AM.So if you are looking for me, let these men go.”This was to fulfill what he had said,“I have not lost any of those you gave me.”Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it,struck the high priest's slave, and cut off his right ear.The slave's name was Malchus.Jesus said to Peter,“Put your sword into its scabbard.Shall I not drink the cup that the Father gave me?”So the band of soldiers, the tribune, and the Jewish guards seized Jesus,bound him, and brought him to Annas first.He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas,who was high priest that year.It was Caiaphas who had counseled the Jewsthat it was better that one man should die rather than the people.Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus.Now the other disciple was known to the high priest,and he entered the courtyard of the high priest with Jesus.But Peter stood at the gate outside.So the other disciple, the acquaintance of the high priest,went out and spoke to the gatekeeper and brought Peter in.Then the maid who was the gatekeeper said to Peter,“You are not one of this man's disciples, are you?”He said, “I am not.”Now the slaves and the guards were standing around a charcoal firethat they had made, because it was cold,and were warming themselves.Peter was also standing there keeping warm.The high priest questioned Jesusabout his disciples and about his doctrine.Jesus answered him,“I have spoken publicly to the world.I have always taught in a synagogueor in the temple area where all the Jews gather,and in secret I have said nothing.  Why ask me?Ask those who heard me what I said to them.They know what I said.”When he had said this,one of the temple guards standing there struck Jesus and said,“Is this the way you answer the high priest?”Jesus answered him,“If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong;but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?”Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.Now Simon Peter was standing there keeping warm.And they said to him,“You are not one of his disciples, are you?”He denied it and said,“I am not.”One of the slaves of the high priest,a relative of the one whose ear Peter had cut off, said,“Didn't I see you in the garden with him?”Again Peter denied it.And immediately the cock crowed.

Lk 4:16-21Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,and went according to his custominto the synagogue on the sabbath day.He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:            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.Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,            and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.He said to them,“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Mt 26:14-25One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot,went to the chief priests and said,“What are you willing to give meif I hand him over to you?”They paid him thirty pieces of silver,and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread,the disciples approached Jesus and said,“Where do you want us to preparefor you to eat the Passover?”He said,“Go into the city to a certain man and tell him,‘The teacher says, "My appointed time draws near;in your house I shall celebrate the Passover with my disciples.”‘“The disciples then did as Jesus had ordered,and prepared the Passover.When it was evening,he reclined at table with the Twelve.And while they were eating, he said,“Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”Deeply distressed at this,they began to say to him one after another,“Surely it is not I, Lord?”He said in reply,“He who has dipped his hand into the dish with meis the one who will betray me.The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him,but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed.It would be better for that man if he had never been born.”Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply,“Surely it is not I, Rabbi?”He answered, “You have said so.”

Jn 13:21-33, 36-38Reclining at table with his disciples, Jesus was deeply troubled and testified,"Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me."The disciples looked at one another, at a loss as to whom he meant.One of his disciples, the one whom Jesus loved,was reclining at Jesus' side.So Simon Peter nodded to him to find out whom he meant.He leaned back against Jesus' chest and said to him,"Master, who is it?"Jesus answered,"It is the one to whom I hand the morsel after I have dipped it."So he dipped the morsel and took it and handed it to Judas,son of Simon the Iscariot.After Judas took the morsel, Satan entered him.So Jesus said to him, "What you are going to do, do quickly."Now none of those reclining at table realized why he said this to him.Some thought that since Judas kept the money bag, Jesus had told him,"Buy what we need for the feast,"or to give something to the poor.So Judas took the morsel and left at once. And it was night.When he had left, Jesus said,"Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself,and he will glorify him at once.My children, I will be with you only a little while longer.You will look for me, and as I told the Jews,'Where I go you cannot come,' so now I say it to you."Simon Peter said to him, "Master, where are you going?"Jesus answered him,"Where I am going, you cannot follow me now,though you will follow later."Peter said to him,"Master, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you."Jesus answered, "Will you lay down your life for me?Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crowbefore you deny me three times."

Jn 12:1-11Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany,where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served,while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him. Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oilmade from genuine aromatic nardand anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair;the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. Then Judas the Iscariot, one of his disciples,and the one who would betray him, said,"Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days' wagesand given to the poor?"He said this not because he cared about the poorbut because he was a thief and held the money bagand used to steal the contributions.So Jesus said, "Leave her alone.Let her keep this for the day of my burial.You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."The large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came,not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus,whom he had raised from the dead.And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too,because many of the Jews were turning awayand believing in Jesus because of him.

Jn 10:31-42The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus.Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father.For which of these are you trying to stone me?”The Jews answered him,“We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy.You, a man, are making yourself God.”Jesus answered them,“Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, ‘You are gods”‘?If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came,and Scripture cannot be set aside,can you say that the onewhom the Father has consecrated and sent into the worldblasphemes because I said, ‘I am the Son of God'?If I do not perform my Father's works, do not believe me;but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me,believe the works, so that you may realize and understandthat the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”Then they tried again to arrest him;but he escaped from their power.He went back across the Jordanto the place where John first baptized, and there he remained.Many came to him and said,“John performed no sign,but everything John said about this man was true.”And many there began to believe in him.

Jn 8:51-59Jesus said to the Jews:“Amen, amen, I say to you,whoever keeps my word will never see death.”So the Jews said to him,“Now we are sure that you are possessed.Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say,‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.'Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died?Or the prophets, who died?Who do you make yourself out to be?”Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing;but it is my Father who glorifies me,of whom you say, ‘He is our God.'You do not know him, but I know him.And if I should say that I do not know him,I would be like you a liar.But I do know him and I keep his word.Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day;he saw it and was glad.”So the Jews said to him,“You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?”Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you,before Abraham came to be, I AM.”So they picked up stones to throw at him;but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area.

LK 1:26-38The angel Gabriel was sent from Godto a town of Galilee called Nazareth,to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,of the house of David,and the virgin's name was Mary.And coming to her, he said,“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”But she was greatly troubled at what was saidand pondered what sort of greeting this might be.Then the angel said to her,“Do not be afraid, Mary,for you have found favor with God.Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,and you shall name him Jesus.He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”But Mary said to the angel,“How can this be,since I have no relations with a man?”And the angel said to her in reply,“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.Therefore the child to be bornwill be called holy, the Son of God.And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,has also conceived a son in her old age,and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;for nothing will be impossible for God.”Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.May it be done to me according to your word.”Then the angel departed from her.

Jn 8:21-30Jesus said to the Pharisees:“I am going away and you will look for me,but you will die in your sin.Where I am going you cannot come.”So the Jews said,“He is not going to kill himself, is he,because he said, ‘Where I am going you cannot come'?”He said to them, “You belong to what is below,I belong to what is above.You belong to this world,but I do not belong to this world.That is why I told you that you will die in your sins.For if you do not believe that I AM,you will die in your sins.”So they said to him, “Who are you?”Jesus said to them, “What I told you from the beginning.I have much to say about you in condemnation.But the one who sent me is true,and what I heard from him I tell the world.”They did not realize that he was speaking to them of the Father.So Jesus said to them,“When you lift up the Son of Man,then you will realize that I AM,and that I do nothing on my own,but I say only what the Father taught me.The one who sent me is with me.He has not left me alone,because I always do what is pleasing to him.”Because he spoke this way, many came to believe in him.

Jn 8:1-11Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area, and all the people started coming to him, and he sat down and taught them.Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle.They said to him,“Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery.Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women.So what do you say?”They said this to test him,so that they could have some charge to bring against him.Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger.But when they continued asking him,he straightened up and said to them,“Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”Again he bent down and wrote on the ground.And in response, they went away one by one,beginning with the elders.So he was left alone with the woman before him.Then Jesus straightened up and said to her,“Woman, where are they?Has no one condemned you?”She replied, “No one, sir.”Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you.Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”

Jn 7:1-2, 10, 25-30Jesus moved about within Galilee;he did not wish to travel in Judea,because the Jews were trying to kill him.But the Jewish feast of Tabernacles was near.But when his brothers had gone up to the feast,he himself also went up, not openly but as it were in secret.Some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem said,"Is he not the one they are trying to kill?And look, he is speaking openly and they say nothing to him.Could the authorities have realized that he is the Christ?But we know where he is from.When the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from."So Jesus cried out in the temple area as he was teaching and said,"You know me and also know where I am from.Yet I did not come on my own,but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true.I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me."So they tried to arrest him,but no one laid a hand upon him,because his hour had not yet come.

Mt 1:16, 18-21, 24aJacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,but before they lived together,she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,yet unwilling to expose her to shame,decided to divorce her quietly.Such was his intention when, behold,the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,“Joseph, son of David,do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.For it is through the Holy Spiritthat this child has been conceived in her.She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,because he will save his people from their sins.”When Joseph awoke,he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded himand took his wife into his home.

Jn 5:17-30Jesus answered the Jews: "My Father is at work until now, so I am at work."For this reason they tried all the more to kill him,because he not only broke the sabbathbut he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God.Jesus answered and said to them,"Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son cannot do anything on his own,but only what he sees the Father doing;for what he does, the Son will do also.For the Father loves the Sonand shows him everything that he himself does,and he will show him greater works than these,so that you may be amazed.For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life,so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes.Nor does the Father judge anyone,but he has given all judgment to the Son,so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.Whoever does not honor the Sondoes not honor the Father who sent him.Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my wordand believes in the one who sent mehas eternal life and will not come to condemnation,but has passed from death to life.Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now herewhen the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God,and those who hear will live.For just as the Father has life in himself,so also he gave to the Son the possession of life in himself.And he gave him power to exercise judgment,because he is the Son of Man.Do not be amazed at this,because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombswill hear his voice and will come out,those who have done good deedsto the resurrection of life,but those who have done wicked deedsto the resurrection of condemnation."I cannot do anything on my own;I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just,because I do not seek my own willbut the will of the one who sent me."

Jn 5:1-16There was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.Now there is in Jerusalem at the Sheep Gatea pool called in Hebrew Bethesda, with five porticoes.In these lay a large number of ill, blind, lame, and crippled.One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years.When Jesus saw him lying thereand knew that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him,"Do you want to be well?"The sick man answered him,"Sir, I have no one to put me into the poolwhen the water is stirred up;while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me."Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your mat, and walk."Immediately the man became well, took up his mat, and walked.Now that day was a sabbath.So the Jews said to the man who was cured,"It is the sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to carry your mat." He answered them, "The man who made me well told me,'Take up your mat and walk.'"They asked him,"Who is the man who told you, 'Take it up and walk'?"The man who was healed did not know who it was,for Jesus had slipped away, since there was a crowd there.After this Jesus found him in the temple area and said to him,"Look, you are well; do not sin any more,so that nothing worse may happen to you."The man went and told the Jewsthat Jesus was the one who had made him well.Therefore, the Jews began to persecute Jesusbecause he did this on a sabbath.

Jn 4:43-54At that time Jesus left [Samaria] for Galilee.For Jesus himself testifiedthat a prophet has no honor in his native place.When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him,since they had seen all he had done in Jerusalem at the feast;for they themselves had gone to the feast.Then he returned to Cana in Galilee,where he had made the water wine.Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum.When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea,he went to him and asked him to come downand heal his son, who was near death.Jesus said to him,“Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”The royal official said to him,“Sir, come down before my child dies.”Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.”The man believed what Jesus said to him and left.While the man was on his way back,his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live.He asked them when he began to recover.They told him,“The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.”The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him,“Your son will live,”and he and his whole household came to believe.Now this was the second sign Jesus didwhen he came to Galilee from Judea.

Mk 12:28-34One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,"Which is the first of all the commandments?"Jesus replied, "The first is this:Hear, O Israel!The Lord our God is Lord alone!You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.The second is this:You shall love your neighbor as yourself.There is no other commandment greater than these."The scribe said to him, "Well said, teacher.You are right in saying,He is One and there is no other than he.And to love him with all your heart,with all your understanding, with all your strength,and to love your neighbor as yourselfis worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,he said to him,"You are not far from the Kingdom of God."And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Lk 11:14-23Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute,and when the demon had gone out,the mute man spoke and the crowds were amazed.Some of them said, "By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons,he drives out demons."Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven.But he knew their thoughts and said to them,"Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid wasteand house will fall against house.And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons.If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul,by whom do your own people drive them out?Therefore they will be your judges.But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons,then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.When a strong man fully armed guards his palace,his possessions are safe.But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him,he takes away the armor on which he reliedand distributes the spoils.Whoever is not with me is against me,and whoever does not gather with me scatters."

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 18:21-35Peter approached Jesus and asked him,“Lord, if my brother sins against me,how often must I forgive him?As many as seven times?”Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a kingwho decided to settle accounts with his servants.When he began the accounting,a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.Since he had no way of paying it back,his master ordered him to be sold,along with his wife, his children, and all his property,in payment of the debt.At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.'Moved with compassion the master of that servantlet him go and forgave him the loan.When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servantswho owed him a much smaller amount.He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,‘Pay back what you owe.'Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'But he refused.Instead, he had him put in prisonuntil he paid back the debt.Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,they were deeply disturbed, and went to their masterand reported the whole affair.His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant!I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,as I had pity on you?'Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturersuntil he should pay back the whole debt.So will my heavenly Father do to you,unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”

Lk 4:24-30Jesus said to the people in the synagogue at Nazareth:“Amen, I say to you,no prophet is accepted in his own native place.Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israelin the days of Elijahwhen the sky was closed for three and a half yearsand a severe famine spread over the entire land.It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.Again, there were many lepers in Israelduring the time of Elisha the prophet;yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”When the people in the synagogue heard this,they were all filled with fury.They rose up, drove him out of the town,and led him to the brow of the hillon which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong.But he passed through the midst of them and went away.

Mt 21:33-43, 45-46Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: "Hear another parable.There was a landowner who planted a vineyard,put a hedge around it,dug a wine press in it, and built a tower.Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.When vintage time drew near,he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat,another they killed, and a third they stoned.Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones,but they treated them in the same way.Finally, he sent his son to them,thinking, 'They will respect my son.'But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another,'This is the heir.Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.'They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?"They answered him,"He will put those wretched men to a wretched deathand lease his vineyard to other tenantswho will give him the produce at the proper times."Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures:The stone that the builders rejectedhas become the cornerstone;by the Lord has this been done,and it is wonderful in our eyes?Therefore, I say to you,the Kingdom of God will be taken away from youand given to a people that will produce its fruit."When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables,they knew that he was speaking about them.And although they were attempting to arrest him,they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet.

Lk 16:19-31Jesus said to the Pharisees:"There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linenand dined sumptuously each day.And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scrapsthat fell from the rich man's table.Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.When the poor man died,he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.The rich man also died and was buried,and from the netherworld, where he was in torment,he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far offand Lazarus at his side.And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me.Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue,for I am suffering torment in these flames.'Abraham replied, 'My child,remember that you received what was good during your lifetimewhile Lazarus likewise received what was bad;but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is establishedto prevent anyone from crossingwho might wish to go from our side to yoursor from your side to ours.'He said, 'Then I beg you, father, send himto my father's house,for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them,lest they too come to this place of torment.'But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets.Let them listen to them.'He said, 'Oh no, father Abraham,but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'Then Abraham said,'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets,neither will they be persuadedif someone should rise from the dead.'"

Mt 20:17-28As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem,he took the Twelve disciples aside by themselves,and said to them on the way,"Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem,and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priestsand the scribes,and they will condemn him to death,and hand him over to the Gentilesto be mocked and scourged and crucified,and he will be raised on the third day."Then the 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 served but to serveand to give his life as a ransom for many."

Mt 23:1-12Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying,"The scribes and the Phariseeshave taken their seat on the chair of Moses.Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,but do not follow their example.For they preach but they do not practice.They tie up heavy burdens hard to carryand lay them on people's shoulders,but they will not lift a finger to move them.All their works are performed to be seen.They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.'As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.'You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.Call no one on earth your father;you have but one Father in heaven.Do not be called 'Master';you have but one master, the Christ.The greatest among you must be your servant.Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

Lk 6:36-38Jesus said to his disciples:"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."Stop judging and you will not be judged.Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.Forgive and you will be forgiven.Give and gifts will be given to you;a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,will be poured into your lap.For the measure with which you measurewill in return be measured out to you."

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.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 7:7-12Jesus said to his disciples:“Ask and it will be given to you;seek and you will find;knock and the door will be opened to you.For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds;and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.Which one of you would hand his son a stonewhen he asked for a loaf of bread,or a snake when he asked for a fish?If you then, who are wicked,know how to give good gifts to your children,how much more will your heavenly Father give good thingsto those who ask him.“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.This is the law and the prophets.”

Lk 11:29-32While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them,“This generation is an evil generation;it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,so will the Son of Man be to this generation.At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them,because she came from the ends of the earthto hear the wisdom of Solomon,and there is something greater than Solomon here. At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generationand condemn it,because at the preaching of Jonah they repented,and there is something greater than Jonah here.”

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 men their transgressions,your heavenly Father will forgive you.But if you do not forgive men,neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”

Mt 25:31-46Jesus said to his disciples:“When the Son of Man comes in his glory,and all the angels with him,he will sit upon his glorious throne,and all the nations will be assembled before him.And he will separate them one from another,as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.Then the king will say to those on his right,‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father.Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.For I was hungry and you gave me food,I was thirsty and you gave me drink,a stranger and you welcomed me,naked and you clothed me,ill and you cared for me,in prison and you visited me.'Then the righteous will answer him and say,‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,or thirsty and give you drink?When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,or naked and clothe you?When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?'And the king will say to them in reply,‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you didfor one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'Then he will say to those on his left,‘Depart from me, you accursed,into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.For I was hungry and you gave me no food,I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,a stranger and you gave me no welcome,naked and you gave me no clothing,ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.'Then they will answer and say,‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirstyor a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,and not minister to your needs?'He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you,what you did not do for one of these least ones,you did not do for me.'And these will go off to eternal punishment,but the righteous to eternal life.”

Mt 9:14-15The disciples of John approached Jesus and said,“Why do we and the Pharisees fast much,but your disciples do not fast?”Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mournas long as the bridegroom is with them?The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,and then they will fast.”

Lk 9:22-25Jesus said to his disciples:“The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejectedby the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,and be killed and on the third day be raised.”Then he said to all,“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himselfand take up his cross daily and follow me.For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.What profit is there for one to gain the whole worldyet lose or forfeit himself?”

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 be fasting,except to your Father who is hidden.And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you."

Mk 8:14-21The disciples had forgotten to bring bread,and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.Jesus enjoined them, "Watch out,guard against the leaven of the Phariseesand the leaven of Herod." They concluded among themselves thatit was because they had no bread.When he became aware of this he said to them,"Why do you conclude that it is because you have no bread?Do you not yet understand or comprehend?Are your hearts hardened?Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear?And do you not remember,when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand,how many wicker baskets full of fragments you picked up?"They answered him, "Twelve.""When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand,how many full baskets of fragments did you pick up?"They answered him, "Seven."He said to them, "Do you still not understand?"

Mk 8:11-13The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus,seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said,"Why does this generation seek a sign?Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation."Then he left them, got into the boat again,and went off to the other shore.

Mk 7:31-37Jesus left the district of Tyreand went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,into the district of the Decapolis. And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impedimentand begged him to lay his hand on him.He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man's earsand, spitting, touched his tongue;then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him,"Ephphatha!" (that is, "Be opened!")And immediately the man's ears were opened,his speech impediment was removed,and he spoke plainly. He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to,the more they proclaimed it. They were exceedingly astonished and they said,"He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."

Mk 7:24-30Jesus went to the district of Tyre.He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it,but he could not escape notice.Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him.She came and fell at his feet.The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth,and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter.He said to her, “Let the children be fed first.For it is not right to take the food of the childrenand throw it to the dogs.”She replied and said to him,“Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children's scraps.”Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go.The demon has gone out of your daughter.”When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bedand the demon gone.

Mk 7:14-23Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to them,“Hear me, all of you, and understand.Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;but the things that come out from within are what defile.” When he got home away from the crowdhis disciples questioned him about the parable.He said to them,“Are even you likewise without understanding?Do you not realize that everythingthat goes into a person from outside cannot defile,since it enters not the heart but the stomachand passes out into the latrine?”(Thus he declared all foods clean.)“But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him.From within the man, from his heart,come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,adultery, greed, malice, deceit,licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.All these evils come from within and they defile.”

Mk 7:1-13When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalemgathered around Jesus,they observed that some of his disciples ate their mealswith unclean, that is, unwashed, hands.(For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews,do not eat without carefully washing their hands,keeping the tradition of the elders.And on coming from the marketplacethey do not eat without purifying themselves.And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed,the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds.)So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him,"Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the eldersbut instead eat a meal with unclean hands?" He responded,"Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites,as it is written:This people honors me with their lips,but their hearts are far from me;In vain do they worship me,teaching as doctrines human precepts.You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition."He went on to say,"How well you have set aside the commandment of Godin order to uphold your tradition!For Moses said,Honor your father and your mother,and Whoever curses father or mother shall die.Yet you say,'If someone says to father or mother,"Any support you might have had from me is qorban"'(meaning, dedicated to God),you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother.You nullify the word of Godin favor of your tradition that you have handed on.And you do many such things."