Daily Catholic Gospel by Tabella Tabella

Mary set outand traveled to the hill country in hasteto a town of Judah,where she entered the house of Zechariahand greeted Elizabeth.When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,the infant leaped in her womb,and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,cried out in a loud voice and said,“Most blessed are you among women,and blessed is the fruit of your womb.And how does this happen to me,that the mother of my Lord should come to me?For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,the infant in my womb leaped for joy.Blessed are you who believedthat what was spoken to you by the Lordwould be fulfilled.”And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;            my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,            for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.From this day all generations will call me blessed:            the Almighty has done great things for me,            and holy is his Name.He has mercy on those who fear him            in every generation.He has shown the strength of his arm,            he has scattered the proud in their conceit.He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,            and has lifted up the lowly.He has filled the hungry with good things,            and the rich he has sent away empty.He has come to the help of his servant Israel            for he has remembered his promise of mercy,            the promise he made to our fathers,            to Abraham and his children for ever.”Mary remained with her about three monthsand then returned to her home.

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd,Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus,sat by the roadside begging.On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,he began to cry out and say,“Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.”And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.But he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.”Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”So they called the blind man, saying to him,“Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.”He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?”The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.”Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.”Immediately he received his sightand followed him on the way.

The disciples were on the way, going up to Jerusalem,and Jesus went ahead of them.They were amazed, and those who followed were afraid.Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell themwhat was going to happen to him."Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Manwill be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes,and they will condemn him to deathand hand him over to the Gentiles who will mock him,spit upon him, scourge him, and put him to death,but after three days he will rise."Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee,came to Jesus and said to him,"Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you."He replied, "What do you wish me to do for you?"They answered him,"Grant that in your glorywe may sit one at your right and the other at your left."Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking.Can you drink the chalice that I drinkor be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?"They said to him, "We can."Jesus said to them, "The chalice that I drink, you will drink,and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to givebut is for those for whom it has been prepared."When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John.Jesus summoned them and said to them,"You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentileslord it over them,and their great ones make their authority over them felt.But it shall not be so among you.Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant;whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serveand to give his life as a ransom for many."

Peter began to say to Jesus,"We have given up everything and followed you."Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you,there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sistersor mother or father or children or landsfor my sake and for the sake of the Gospelwho will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age:houses and brothers and sistersand mothers and children and lands,with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.But many that are first will be last, and the last will be first."

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up,knelt down before him, and asked him,"Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good?No one is good but God alone.You know the commandments: You shall not kill;you shall not commit adultery;you shall not steal;you shall not bear false witness;you shall not defraud;honor your father and your mother."He replied and said to him,"Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth."Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,"You are lacking in one thing.Go, sell what you have, and give to the poorand you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."At that statement, his face fell,and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.Jesus looked around and said to his disciples,"How hard it is for those who have wealthto enter the Kingdom of God!"The disciples were amazed at his words.So Jesus again said to them in reply,"Children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God!It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needlethan for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God."They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves,"Then who can be saved?"Jesus looked at them and said,"For men it is impossible, but not for God.All things are possible for God."

The eleven disciples went to Galilee,to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.Then Jesus approached and said to them,"All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,baptizing them in the name of the Father,and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."