Daily Catholic Mass Readings for May 23, 2018
First Reading: James 4.13-17
13But who are you to judge your neighbor? Consider this, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into that city, and certainly we will spend a year there, and we will do business, and we will make our profit,14consider that you do not know what will be tomorrow15For what is your life? It is a mist that appears for a brief time, and afterwards will vanish away. So what you ought to say is: "If the Lord wills," or, "If we live," we will do this or that16But now you exult in your arrogance. All such exultation is wicked17Therefore, he who knows that he ought to do a good thing, and does not do it, for him it is a sin
Psalm 49
1Unto the end. A Psalm to the sons of Korah. Hear these things, all nations. Pay attention, all inhabitants of the world2whoever is earth-born, you sons of men, together as one, the rich and the poor3My mouth will speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart will speak prudence4I will incline my ear to a parable. I will open my case with the psaltery5Why should I fear in the evil day? The iniquity at my heel will surround me6Those who trust in their own strength and who glory in the multitude of their riches7no brother redeems, nor will man buy back. He will not give to God his appeasement8nor the price for the redemption of his soul. And he will labor continuously9and he will still live, until the end10He will not see death, when he sees the wise dying: the foolish and the senseless will perish together. And they will leave their riches to strangers11And their sepulchers will be their houses forever, their tabernacles from generation to generation. They have called their names in their own lands12And man, when he was held in honor, did not understand. He has been compared to the senseless beasts, and he has become like them13This way of theirs is a scandal to them. And afterwards, they will delight in their mouth14They have been placed in Hell like sheep. Death will feed on them. And the just will have dominion over them in the morning. And their help will grow old in Hell for their glory15Even so, truly God will redeem my soul from the hand of Hell, when he will receive me16Do not be afraid, when a man will have been made rich, and when the glory of his house will have been multiplied17For when he dies, he will take nothing away, and his glory will not descend with him18For his soul will be blessed in his lifetime, and he will admit to you when you do good to him19He will even enter with the progeny of his fathers, but, even in eternity, he will not see the light20Man, when he was in honor, did not understand. He has been compared to the senseless beasts, and he has become like them
Gospel: Mark 9.38-40
38John responded to him by saying, "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name; he does not follow us, and so we prohibited him.39But Jesus said: "Do not prohibit him. For there is no one who can act with virtue in my name and soon speak evil about me40For whoever is not against you is for you
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on humility, trust in God, and the importance of not hindering the good works of others. In the first reading from James, we are reminded that our lives are fleeting—like a mist that appears and then vanishes. James warns against arrogance and presumption, urging us to recognize that all our plans and accomplishments are ultimately dependent on God’s will. He calls us to live with humility, acknowledging that true wisdom comes from submitting our desires and plans to God’s providence.
In the Gospel, Jesus teaches us about the dangers of judging or hindering others who are doing good in His name. The disciples, seeing someone outside their group casting out demons in Jesus’ name, tried to stop him. But Jesus corrects them, saying that no one who works in His name can soon speak ill of Him. This teaches us that our unity as followers of Christ is not about who is “in” or “out,” but about supporting and encouraging all who do good in His name.
These readings challenge us to examine our own attitudes and actions. Do we trust in God’s plan, or do we rely on our own strength and plans? Do we judge others who are doing good but may not belong to our group or follow our ways? Let us learn to live with humility, trusting in God’s will and supporting all who seek to serve Him. May we avoid the sin of omission—failing to do the good we know we should—and instead, may we be open to the ways God works through others, even when it’s unexpected.