8th Week in Ordinary Time
03rd June 2023 (Saturday) Readings and Reflection
Reading of the Day
First Reading: Sirach 51:12-20
I will give thanks to you and praise you, and I bless the name of the Lord.While I was still young, before I went on my travels, I sought wisdom openly in my prayer. 14 Before the temple I asked for her, and I will search for her until the end. 15 From the first blossom to the ripening grape my heart delighted in her; my foot walked on the straight path; from my youth I followed her steps. 16 I inclined my ear a little and received her, and I found for myself much instruction. 17 I made progress in her; to him who gives wisdom I will give glory. 18 For I resolved to live according to wisdom, and I was zealous for the good, and I shall never be disappointed. 19 My soul grappled with wisdom, and in my conduct I was strict; I spread out my hands to the heavens, and lamented my ignorance of her. 20 I directed my soul to her, and in purity I found her. With her I gained understanding from the first; therefore I will never be forsaken.
Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 11
R/. The precepts of the Lord are right; they gladden the heart
Gospel : Mark 11:27-33
27 And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, 28 and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” 29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.” 31 And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 32 But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. 33 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
Daily Gospel Reflection
The Reflection by Fr. Thumma Mariadas Reddy MSFS{alertWarning}
Main Theme: Seek her!
Indicative: God is a God of wisdom and it is only in wisdom that we can know Him. Pretensions and spiritual obstinacy will block such wisdom{alertSuccess}
1. Jesus spoke and acted with authority. Obviously, it was not any official or juridical authority. it was an authority that was profound, convincing and challenging. In the light of the first reading, it was a godly authority, rooted in wisdom.
2. It was this wisdom that gave him the depths of God’s mysteries and clarity of insight that no opponents could contest, leave alone defeat him. It is an authority rooted in his communion with God and the authenticity of life.
3. Again in the light of the first reading, it is the wisdom that directs the soul and gives one cleanness of heart. It is the wisdom that keeps the feet to the level path. It makes one resolutely devoted to herd the good that one persistently strives for.
4. Therefore all of us must seek such wisdom so that we too will experience and exercise real authority. Our authority will also be Jesus-like only when it is soaked into the same wisdom.
5. Unfortunately the authority of the present times is mostly defective and corrupted because it lacks wisdom. It is an authority that is crooked and pretentious, unlike a wise authority that is clear and level-headed and authentic.
Imperative: How blessed life will be if only we delight in wisdom, pray for her humbly before the temple, seek her until the end, and make her flourish “as a grape soon ripe”!{alertSuccess}