Daily Catholic Mass Readings for November 12, 2024

First Reading: Titus 2.1-8, 11-14

¹But you are to speak the things that befit sound doctrine²Old men should be sober, chaste, prudent, sound in faith, in love, in patience³Old women, similarly, should be in holy attire, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teaching well⁴so that they may teach prudence to the young women, so that they may love their husbands, love their children⁵be sensible, chaste, restrained, have concern for the household, be kind, be subordinate to their husbands: so that the Word of God may be not blasphemed⁶Exhort young men similarly, so that they may show self-restraint⁷In all things, present yourself as an example of good works: in doctrine, with integrity, with seriousness⁸with sound words, irreproachably, so that he who is an opponent may dread that he has nothing evil to say about us¹¹For the grace of God our Savior has appeared to all men¹²instructing us to reject impiety and worldly desires, so that we may live soberly and justly and piously in this age¹³looking forward to the blessed hope and the advent of the glory of the great God and of our Savior Jesus Christ¹⁴He gave himself for our sake, so that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and might cleanse for himself an acceptable people, pursuers of good works

Psalm 37

Psalms

Chapter 37

¹A Psalm of David himself. Do not choose to imitate the malicious; neither should you envy those who work iniquity²For they will quickly wither away like dry grass, and in like manner to kitchen herbs, they will soon droop³Hope in the Lord and do good, and dwell in the land, and so you shall be pastured with its riches⁴Delight in the Lord, and he will grant to you the petitions of your heart⁵Reveal your way to the Lord, and hope in him, and he will accomplish it⁶And he will bring forth your justice like the light, and your judgment like the midday⁷Be subject to the Lord and pray to him. Do not choose to compete with him who prospers in his way, with the man who does injustice⁸Cease from wrath and leave behind rage. Do not choose to imitate the malicious⁹For those who are malicious will be exterminated. But those who remain with the Lord, these will inherit the land¹⁰Yet still a little while, and the sinner will not be. And you will search his place and find nothing¹¹But the meek shall inherit the earth, and they will delight in the multitude of peace¹²The sinner will observe the just, and he will gnash his teeth over him¹³But the Lord will laugh at him: for he knows in advance that his day will come¹⁴The sinners have drawn the sword, they have bent their bow, so as to cast down the poor and the needy, so as to massacre the upright of heart¹⁵Let their sword enter into their own hearts, and let their bow be broken¹⁶A little is better to the just than the many riches of sinners¹⁷For the arms of sinners will be crushed, but the Lord confirms the just¹⁸The Lord knows the days of the immaculate, and their inheritance will be in eternity¹⁹They will not be confounded in an evil time; and in days of famine, they will be satisfied²⁰for sinners will perish. Truly, the adversaries of the Lord, soon after they have been honored and exalted, will fade away, in the same way that smoke fades away²¹The sinner will lend and not release, but the just one shows compassion and donates²²For those who bless him will inherit the earth, but those who curse him will perish²³The steps of a man will be directed by the Lord, and he will choose his way²⁴When he falls, he will not be harmed, because the Lord places his hand under him²⁵I have been young, and now I am old; and I have not seen the just forsaken, nor his offspring seeking bread²⁶He shows compassion and lends, all day long, and his offspring will be in blessing²⁷Turn away from evil and do good, and dwell forever and ever²⁸For the Lord loves judgment, and he will not abandon his saints. They will be kept safe in eternity. The unjust will be punished, and the offspring of the impious will perish²⁹But the just will inherit the earth, and they will dwell upon it forever and ever³⁰The mouth of the just one will express wisdom, and his tongue will speak judgment³¹The law of his God is in his heart, and his steps shall not be supplanted³²The sinner considers the just one and seeks to put him to death³³But the Lord will not abandon him into his hands, nor condemn him, when he will be judged³⁴Wait for the Lord, and keep to his way. And he will exalt you, so as to inherit the land that you may seize. When the sinners will have passed away, then you shall see³⁵I have seen the impious over-exalted, and lifted up like the cedars of Lebanon³⁶And I passed by, and behold, he was not. And I sought him, and his place was not found³⁷Keep to innocence, and gaze upon fairness: because there are allotments for the peaceful man³⁸But the unjust will be destroyed together: the allotments of the impious will pass away³⁹But the salvation of the just is from the Lord, and he is their protector in time of tribulation⁴⁰And the Lord will help them and free them. And he will rescue them from sinners and save them, because they have hoped in him

Gospel: Luke 17.7-10

Luke

Chapter 17

⁷But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, would say to him, as he was returning from the field, ‘Come in immediately; sit down to eat,⁸and would not say to him: ‘Prepare my dinner; gird yourself and minister to me, while I eat and drink; and after these things, you shall eat and drink?⁹Would he be grateful to that servant, for doing what he commanded him to do¹⁰I think not. So too, when you have done all these things that have been taught to you, you should say: ‘We are useless servants. We have done what we should have done.’

Sermon

The readings today offer us a powerful reflection on living a life of virtue and humility. In the first reading from Titus, we are reminded of the importance of sound doctrine and the behavior expected of believers. The apostle Paul outlines how older men, women, and young men should conduct themselves—soberly, prudently, and with integrity. He emphasizes that our actions should reflect the grace of God, who has called us to live lives that are “sober, upright, and godly” in this age. This passage is a call to all of us to live in a way that honors God and avoids scandal, so that His Word may not be discredited. The Gospel from Luke complements this message with a parable about a servant and his master. Jesus asks us to consider the relationship between a servant who has fulfilled their duties and the master who expects nothing less. The servant does not seek praise for doing what is expected but humbly acknowledges that they have only done their duty. This parable challenges us to embrace a spirit of humility and gratitude in our service to God and others. True service is not about seeking recognition but about faithfully fulfilling what is required of us, knowing that everything we have and do is a gift from God. Together, these readings invite us to reflect on how we live out our faith in daily life. Are we striving to live with integrity and virtue, as Titus encourages? Are we serving others with humility and gratitude, as Jesus teaches? Let us remember that our ultimate purpose is not to seek praise or reward but to glorify God in all that we do. May we embrace the grace of God, which has been poured out upon us, and live in a way that reflects His love and truth. In doing so, we become the kind of people who bring light and hope to a world in need.