Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 89
Reading 1
Genesis 3:9-15
After the man, Adam, had eaten of the tree,
the LORD God called to the man and asked him, "Where are you?"
He answered, "I heard you in the garden;
but I was afraid, because I was naked,
so I hid myself."
Then he asked, "Who told you that you were naked?
You have eaten, then,
from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!"
The man replied, "The woman whom you put here with me—
she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it."
The LORD God then asked the woman,
"Why did you do such a thing?"
The woman answered, "The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it."
Then the LORD God said to the serpent:
"Because you have done this, you shall be banned
from all the animals
and from all the wild creatures;
on your belly shall you crawl,
and dirt shall you eat
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will strike at your head,
while you strike at his heel."
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
R. (7bc) With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.
R. With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
LORD, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.
R. With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
I trust in the LORD;
my soul trusts in his word.
More than sentinels wait for the dawn,
let Israel wait for the LORD.
R. With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
For with the LORD is kindness
and with him is plenteous redemption
and he will redeem Israel
from all their iniquities.
R. With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
Reading 2
2 Corinthians 4:13—5:1
Brothers and sisters:
Since we have the same spirit of faith,
according to what is written, I believed, therefore I spoke,
we too believe and therefore we speak,
knowing that the one who raised the Lord Jesus
will raise us also with Jesus
and place us with you in his presence.
Everything indeed is for you,
so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people
may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God.
Therefore, we are not discouraged;
rather, although our outer self is wasting away,
our inner self is being renewed day by day.
For this momentary light affliction
is producing for us an eternal weight of glory
beyond all comparison,
as we look not to what is seen but to what is unseen;
for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal.
For we know that if our earthly dwelling, a tent,
should be destroyed,
we have a building from God,
a dwelling not made with hands, eternal in heaven.
Alleluia
John 12:31b-32
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Now the ruler of the world will be driven out, says the Lord;
and when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Mark 3:20-35
Jesus came home with his disciples.
Again the crowd gathered,
making it impossible for them even to eat.
When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him,
for they said, "He is out of his mind."
The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said,
"He is possessed by Beelzebul,"
and "By the prince of demons he drives out demons."
Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables,
"How can Satan drive out Satan?
If a kingdom is divided against itself,
that kingdom cannot stand.
And if a house is divided against itself,
that house will not be able to stand.
And if Satan has risen up against himself
and is divided, he cannot stand;
that is the end of him.
But no one can enter a strong man's house to plunder his property
unless he first ties up the strong man.
Then he can plunder the house.
Amen, I say to you,
all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be
forgiven them.
But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will never have forgiveness,
but is guilty of an everlasting sin."
For they had said, "He has an unclean spirit."
His mother and his brothers arrived.
Standing outside they sent word to him and called him.
A crowd seated around him told him,
"Your mother and your brothers and your sisters
are outside asking for you."
But he said to them in reply,
"Who are my mother and my brothers?"
And looking around at those seated in the circle he said,
"Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of God
is my brother and sister and mother.”
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
Sincere Repentance
“Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin.” For they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.” Mark 3:28–30
Jesus spoke these words to the crowds who had gathered around His home in Capernaum because two groups of people had just spoken very critically of Him in a public way. First, some of His extended family arrived and said to everyone, “He is out of his mind.” And then some of the scribes from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul.” Thus, Jesus states clearly that their blasphemy is a sin against the Holy Spirit and will have everlasting consequences.
Why is it that certain sins will never be forgiven? What exactly is a sin against the Holy Spirit? Traditionally, our Church has identified this sin in a couple of ways. First, it is a sin of final impenitence, that is, the sin of obstinately persisting in grave sin. Obstinacy, or the refusal to repent, is a sin that cannot be forgiven, simply because the person committing it never seeks forgiveness. They become so entrenched in their sin that they refuse to change. Thus, the mercy of God is incapable of entering into them. Second, it has also been identified as presumption, meaning a person sins while expecting God to forgive. Presumption is more subtle; however, it also has the effect of keeping a person from the sincere repentance that is needed for forgiveness. The presumptuous person never fully repents and amends their life as long as they remain in their sin.
Of all the many sins you struggle with or might struggle with in the future, pay special attention to the sins against the Holy Spirit. Though we should never think we have a right to God’s forgiveness, we must always believe that God’s mercy is so great that the moment we humbly acknowledge our sin and sincerely repent of it, God will forgive. But the key is “sincerity.” In order to be forgiven, the repentance within us must be sincere, authentic, real and complete. We cannot fool God. We can certainly fool ourselves, but not God.
One of the best ways to regularly be certain that you are not guilty of any sin against the Holy Spirit is by going to the Sacrament of Confession and confessing your sins with openness, thoroughness and humility. Own your sin. Acknowledge it. Experience sorrow for it. Resolve to change. Then confess it and trust in God’s mercy.
Reflect, today, upon any way that you lack sincerity and thoroughness in your repentance from sin. Are you honest with yourself about the sins you have committed? Have you taken ownership of those sins? If so, have you also confessed them to God and firmly resolved never to commit them again? Take repentance seriously so that you never even begin to fall down the slippery slope that leads to any sin against the Holy Spirit.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
A WAR WORTH SEEING
“He will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel.” —Genesis 3:15
A war rages between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. Because it is a spiritual war, it cannot be viewed with physical eyesight (see 1 Cor 2:12-15). It’s critical to know we are in a war and act accordingly. Imagine walking through a war zone unaware that bullets and bombs are buzzing nearby. This would put us at risk of becoming a casualty since we wouldn’t defend ourselves and our loved ones.
This spiritual war has many casualties: widespread hunger, divorce, millions of aborted babies, rampant sexual sin, greed, injustice, selfishness, substance abuse, acts of violence, and much more. The natural man views the casualties without thinking of God — unless it’s to blame God. The spiritual man sees the spiritual war and responds with spiritual weapons as listed in Ephesians 6:10-20. “Our battle is not against human forces but against the principalities and powers, the rulers of this world of darkness, the evil spirits in regions above” (Eph 6:12).
Once the land of Israel was under attack. The servant of the prophet Elisha lamented that the forces of the invading Aramean army surrounded the city, which did not have enough troops to withstand them (2 Kgs 6:14-15). “ ‘Do not be afraid,’ Elisha answered, ‘Our side outnumbers theirs.’ Then he prayed, ‘O Lord, open his eyes, that he may see.’ And the Lord opened the eyes of the servant, so that he saw the mountainside filled with horses and chariots around Elisha” (2 Kgs 6:16-17).
Beg the Lord for the grace to see the war, fight properly, and trust that the battle belongs to Him (1 Sm 17:47).
Prayer: Father, may I “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor 5:7). Give me eyes to fight “the good fight” of faith (2 Tm 4:7).
Promise: “Everything is ordered to your benefit.” —2 Cor 4:15
Praise: You, risen Jesus, Captain and Conqueror!
Reflection 3
Shared from God's Word
As Jesus’ ministry gained publicity, he had much opposition too. The Scribes charged him with doing the devil’s work. Meanwhile, many people started saying about him, ‘he is out of his mind’. Perhaps, due to these reasons, Jesus’ family came to meet him because they felt the need to do something for his well-being. Jesus’ response to them clearly shows that such intervention was not in accordance with the plan of God. The Scribes saw the mighty works performed by Jesus as the power of Satan in him, even as Jesus’ family sought to hinder him from completing his mission. This makes Jesus to redefine the criterion for being called members of his family. The boundaries of ‘the family of Jesus’ are expanded beyond blood relatives and includes everyone who hungers for a relationship with God and a deep desire to do His will. Our daily calling as members of Jesus’ family is to do the will of God as He has revealed it to us in the scriptures.
Prayers
Most merciful Lord, You offer forgiveness to all who come to You with humility and sincere sorrow. Please fill me with these virtues and give me the resolve to change as I open myself to Your unfathomable mercy. Jesus, I trust in You.
Heavenly Father, you are the source of all true friendship and love. In all my relationships, may your love be my constant guide for choosing what is good and for rejecting what is contrary to your will.
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 160: The Mercy of Confession
Have you discovered the great joy of going to Confession? Some do not consider the Sacrament of Confession to be a great joy. Instead, they see it as a painful and humiliating experience. But perhaps some need the humiliation of an honest confession to help break them out of their sin. Others, those who sincerely seek the abundant Mercy of God, will take great delight in going to Confession because they see the glorious effect it has upon their soul. Seek to love Confession. Pray that it becomes something that you long for as you anticipate the wonderful fruits of this holy purification (See Diary #817).
When is the last time you went to Confession? If it has been a while then this reflection is for you. The Lord is calling you to receive the Mercy He has infused into this glorious Sacrament. By going to Confession and receiving absolution you are encountering Jesus Himself. It is He, hidden within the priest, who absolves you and cleanses your soul. Do you believe this? Do you want this grace for your soul? Reflect upon that which deters you from Confession. It may be inconvenience, or a busy schedule, or fear, or distrust of a particular priest. Whatever it is, keeping you from this Sacrament, allow the Lord to remove it. The Lord loves you and is calling you to His Merciful Heart. Rejoice in that fact and foster within your soul a holy longing to receive all that He wishes to bestow through this sacred gift of Mercy.
Precious Jesus, I entrust myself to Your Mercy and pray that I will be open to this gift as You desire to bestow it. I pray that I may have a burning desire for the Mercy You wish to offer me through this Sacrament. Humble me Lord, and help me to confidently open the wounds of my soul to Your healing grace. Jesus, I trust in You.
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