Daily Catholic Mass Readings for March 15, 2024

First Reading: Wisdom 2.1a, 12-22

¹For they have said, reasoning with themselves incorrectly: "Our lifetime is brief and tedious, and there is no relief within the limits of man, and no one is acknowledged to have returned from the dead¹²Therefore, let us encircle the just, because he is useless to us, and he is against our works, and he reproaches us with our legal offenses, and makes known to us the sins of our way of life¹³He promises that he has the knowledge of God and he calls himself the son of God¹⁴He was made among us to expose our very thoughts¹⁵He is grievous for us even to behold, for his life is unlike other men’s lives, and immutable are his ways¹⁶It is as if we are considered by him to be insignificant, and he abstains from our ways as from filth; he prefers the newly justified, and he glories that he has God for his father¹⁷Let us see, then, if his words are true, and let us test what will happen to him, and then we will know what his end will be¹⁸For if he is the true son of God, he will receive him and deliver him from the hands of his adversaries¹⁹Let us examine him with insult and torture, that we may know his reverence and try his patience²⁰Let us condemn him to a most shameful death, for, according to his own words, God will care for him.²¹These things they thought, and they were mistaken, for their own malice blinded them²²And they were ignorant of the mysteries of God; they neither hoped for the reward of justice, nor judged the value of holy souls

Psalm 34

Psalms

Chapter 34

¹To David, when he changed his appearance in the sight of Abimelech, and so he dismissed him, and he went away. I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise will be ever in my mouth²In the Lord, my soul will be praised. May the meek listen and rejoice³Magnify the Lord with me, and let us extol his name in itself⁴I sought the Lord, and he heeded me, and he carried me away from all my tribulations⁵Approach him and be enlightened, and your faces will not be confounded⁶This poor one cried out, and the Lord heeded him, and he saved him from all his tribulations⁷The Angel of the Lord will encamp around those who fear him, and he will rescue them⁸Taste and see that the Lord is sweet. Blessed is the man who hopes in him⁹Fear the Lord, all you his saints. For there is no destitution for those who fear him¹⁰The rich have been needy and hungry, but those who seek the Lord will not be deprived of any good thing¹¹Come forward, sons. Listen to me. I will teach you the fear of the Lord¹²Which is the man who wills life, who chooses to see good days¹³Prohibit your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit¹⁴Turn away from evil, and do good. Inquire about peace, and pursue it¹⁵The eyes of the Lord are on the just, and his ears are with their prayers¹⁶But the countenance of the Lord is upon those who do evil, to perish the remembrance of them from the earth¹⁷The just cried out, and the Lord heard them, and he freed them from all their tribulations¹⁸The Lord is near to those who are troubled in heart, and he will save the humble in spirit¹⁹Many are the afflictions of the just, but from them all the Lord will free them²⁰The Lord preserves all of their bones, not one of them shall be broken²¹The death of a sinner is very harmful, and those who hate the just will fare badly²²The Lord will redeem the souls of his servants, and none of those who hope in him will fare badly

Gospel: John 7.1-2, 10, 25-30

John

Chapter 7

¹Then, after these things, Jesus was walking in Galilee. For he was not willing to walk in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him²Now the feast day of the Jews, the Feast of Tabernacles, was near¹⁰But after his brothers went up, then he also went up to the feast day, not openly, but as if in secret²⁵Therefore, some of those from Jerusalem said: "Is he not the one whom they are seeking to kill²⁶And behold, he is speaking openly, and they say nothing to him. Could the leaders have decided that it is true this one is the Christ²⁷But we know him and where he is from. And when the Christ has arrived, no one will know where he is from.²⁸Therefore, Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying: "You know me, and you also know where I am from. And I have not arrived of myself, but he who sent me is true, and him you do not know²⁹I know him. For I am from him, and he has sent me.³⁰Therefore, they were seeking to apprehend him, and yet no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come

Sermon

In today’s readings, we encounter two powerful narratives that explore the themes of righteousness, persecution, and divine wisdom. The first reading from the Book of Wisdom describes the malicious plot of the wicked against the just man. The wicked, driven by jealousy and misunderstanding, seek to test the just man’s faith by subjecting him to suffering and death. They question whether God will truly come to his aid, revealing their own spiritual blindness and ignorance of God’s mysterious ways. The passage underscores the timeless struggle between good and evil, highlighting the persecution of the righteous and the folly of those who oppose God’s plan. In the Gospel, we find Jesus navigating a similar dynamic of opposition and misunderstanding. As he teaches openly in the temple during the Feast of Tabernacles, the authorities seek to apprehend him, yet no one lays hands on him because his “hour had not yet come.” Jesus confronts the crowd’s confusion about his identity, asserting that while they may think they know his origins, his true identity comes from God, whom they do not know. This exchange reveals the tension between Jesus’ divine mission and the limited understanding of those around him. Like the just man in Wisdom, Jesus faces hostility from those who fail to recognize the truth of God’s presence in their midst. These readings invite us to reflect on how we respond to challenges and opposition in our own lives. Like the just man and Jesus, we may face situations where our commitment to God’s ways leads to misunderstanding or even hostility. The readings remind us that true wisdom and justice come from God, and that even in the face of adversity, we are called to trust in His plan. Let us ask ourselves: Do we stand firm in our faith when others question or oppose us? Do we seek to understand God’s mysterious ways, even when they seem unclear? May we find the courage to live out our faith with perseverance and hope, knowing that God’s truth will ultimately prevail.