Daily Catholic Mass Readings for May 21, 2024
First Reading: James 4.1-10
1What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?2You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God.3When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.4You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.5Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely?6But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.8Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.9Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
Psalm 55
1Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea;2hear me and answer me. My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught3at the voice of the enemy, at the stares of the wicked; for they bring down suffering upon me and revile me in their anger.4My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death assail me.5Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me.6I said, "Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest-7I would flee far away and stay in the desert; Selah8I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm."9Confuse the wicked, O Lord, confound their speech, for I see violence and strife in the city.10Day and night they prowl about on its walls; malice and abuse are within it.11Destructive forces are at work in the city; threats and lies never leave its streets.12If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him.13But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend,14with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God.15Let death take my enemies by surprise; let them go down alive to the grave, for evil finds lodging among them.16But I call to God, and the LORD saves me.17Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice.18He ransoms me unharmed from the battle waged against me, even though many oppose me.19God, who is enthroned forever, will hear them and afflict them- Selah men who never change their ways and have no fear of God.20My companion attacks his friends; he violates his covenant.21His speech is smooth as butter, yet war is in his heart; his words are more soothing than oil, yet they are drawn swords.22Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.23But you, O God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of corruption; bloodthirsty and deceitful men will not live out half their days. But as for me, I trust in you.
Gospel: Mark 9.30-37
30They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were,31because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise."32But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.33They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the road?"34But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.35Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all."36He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them,37"Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me."
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the dangers of ambition, pride, and selfishness, while also offering a path toward humility, service, and union with God. In the first reading from James, we are reminded that conflicts and divisions arise from our own desires and envy. James calls us to recognize that our struggles often stem from seeking the things of the world, which can lead us away from God. He urges us to humble ourselves, to draw near to God, and to seek His grace, for it is in humility that we find true exaltation.
In the Gospel, Mark presents Jesus teaching His disciples about His upcoming passion and resurrection, but they fail to understand. Instead, they argue among themselves about who is the greatest. Jesus responds by teaching them—and us—that true greatness is found in service and humility. He uses the example of a child to illustrate that receiving the least among us is equivalent to receiving Christ Himself. This teaching challenges us to reorient our priorities, to let go of our selfish ambitions, and to embrace a life of love and service.
These readings remind us that our lives are often marked by struggles and competitions, but these are rooted in our own pride and desires. Jesus and James call us to a different way: a way of humility, surrender, and selfless love. As we go about our daily lives, let us ask ourselves: Am I seeking to serve or to be served? Am I drawing near to God, or am I chasing the fleeting things of the world? May we humbly seek God’s grace, embrace the beauty of service, and find true greatness in the eyes of God.