Daily Catholic Mass Readings for November 6, 2023
First Reading: Romans 11.29-36
29For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.30Just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience,31so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy.32For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.33Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!34"For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?"35"Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?"36For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
Psalm 69
1Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck.2I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me.3I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God.4More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause; mighty are those who would destroy me, those who attack me with lies. What I did not steal must I now restore?5O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.6Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord GOD of hosts; let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel.7For it is for your sake that I have borne reproach, that dishonor has covered my face.8I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother's sons.9For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.10When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach.11When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them.12I am the talk of those who sit in the gate, and the drunkards make songs about me.13But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.14Deliver me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters.15Let not the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the pit close its mouth over me.16Answer me, O LORD, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.17Hide not your face from your servant; for I am in distress; make haste to answer me.18Draw near to my soul, redeem me; ransom me because of my enemies!19You know my reproach, and my shame and my dishonor; my foes are all known to you.20Reproaches have broken my heart, so that I am in despair. I looked for pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none.21They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.22Let their own table before them become a snare; and when they are at peace, let it become a trap.23Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see, and make their loins tremble continually.24Pour out your indignation upon them, and let your burning anger overtake them.25May their camp be a desolation; let no one dwell in their tents.26For they persecute him whom you have struck down, and they recount the pain of those you have wounded.27Add to them punishment upon punishment; may they have no acquittal from you.28Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; let them not be enrolled among the righteous.29But I am afflicted and in pain; let your salvation, O God, set me on high!30I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.31This will please the LORD more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs.32When the humble see it they will be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive.33For the LORD hears the needy and does not despise his own people who are prisoners.34Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and everything that moves in them.35For God will save Zion and build up the cities of Judah, and people shall dwell there and possess it;36the offspring of his servants shall inherit it, and those who love his name shall dwell in it.
Gospel: Luke 14.12-14
12He said also to the man who had invited him, "When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid.13But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,14and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just."
Sermon
In today's readings, we are reminded of God's boundless mercy and the call to live with humility and generosity. The passage from Romans highlights the mystery of God's ways, emphasizing that His mercy is universal and beyond human comprehension. It underscores that we are all recipients of His grace, regardless of our past beliefs or actions. The Gospel from Luke complements this by offering a practical application of living out God's mercy. Jesus teaches us to extend hospitality not to those who can repay us but to those on the margins—the poor, the disabled, the lame, and the blind. This act of selfless generosity reflects the heart of God, who showers mercy on all without expectation of return.
The connection between the two readings lies in their emphasis on God's universal and unconditional love. In Romans, we see that God's mercy is not limited by human unbelief or failure, and in Luke, we are challenged to mirror this mercy in our interactions with others. Jesus' teaching on hospitality is not just about who we invite to our tables but about how we view and treat all people. It calls us to move beyond reciprocal relationships and instead embrace a way of living that prioritizes compassion and kindness, especially toward those often overlooked.
As we reflect on these readings, let us consider how we can live out this mercy and generosity in our daily lives. It might mean reaching out to someone who feels excluded, offering a kind word to someone who needs encouragement, or simply being present for those who feel alone. Remember, our actions of love and mercy are not for earthly reward but for the promise of eternal life. May we trust in God's wisdom and ways, even when they seem incomprehensible, and may we strive to be vessels of His mercy in a world that deeply needs it.