Friday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
October 22, 2021
Friday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 477
Reading I
Brothers and sisters:
I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh.
The willing is ready at hand, but doing the good is not.
For I do not do the good I want,
but I do the evil I do not want.
Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it,
but sin that dwells in me.
So, then, I discover the principle
that when I want to do right, evil is at hand.
For I take delight in the law of God, in my inner self,
but I see in my members another principle
at war with the law of my mind,
taking me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.
Miserable one that I am!
Who will deliver me from this mortal body?
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Responsorial Psalm
- (68b) Lord, teach me your statutes.
Teach me wisdom and knowledge,
for in your commands I trust.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
You are good and bountiful;
teach me your statutes.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Let your kindness comfort me
according to your promise to your servants.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Let your compassion come to me that I may live,
for your law is my delight.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Never will I forget your precepts,
for through them you give me life.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
I am yours; save me,
for I have sought your precepts.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Alleluia
- Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus said to the crowds,
“When you see a cloud rising in the west
you say immediately that it is going to rain–and so it does;
and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south
you say that it is going to be hot–and so it is.
You hypocrites!
You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky;
why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
“Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?
If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate,
make an effort to settle the matter on the way;
otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge,
and the judge hand you over to the constable,
and the constable throw you into prison.
I say to you, you will not be released
until you have paid the last penny.”
Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saint John Paul II, pope
Reflection: JESUS, OUR LIFE All
of us share the experience of St Paul. We know and admire what is good and yet we do the wrong we detest. What happens is that we do not do the good we want to do, but the evil we do not intend. This makes us prisoners of the law of sin in our body. We are wretched because our bodies are under the power of death. Who can free us from this miserable human condition? Only Jesus Christ our Lord can free us from our fallen nature. There is no condemnation now for those who are in Christ Jesus. The Gospel today presents Jesus asking us to read the signs of the times. This inspired Pope John XXIII to convoke Vatican II. Everybody knows how to interpret the face of the earth and of the sky. Jesus is reporting a universal human experience. Everybody in his own country or region knows how to read the face of the sky and of the earth. The body itself understands when there is threat of rain or when the time begins to change. It was the contemplation of nature that helped his discovery of new aspects of faith and in the history of His people. For example, rain which falls on the good and the bad, and the sun which rises on the upright and on the unjust, helped Him formulate one of the revolutionary messages: "Love your enemies!” Jesus insists on reconciliation. The sin which God does not forgive is our lack of forgiveness toward others. This is why He advises us to seek reconciliation before it is too late.