Gospel: Mt 21:33-43, 45-46*
Listen to another example: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a fence around it, dug a hole for the
winepress, built a watchtower, leased the vineyard to tenants, and then went to a distant country. When harvest time came,
the landowner sent his servants to the tenants to collect his share of the harvest. But the tenants seized his servants, beat
one, killed another, and stoned a third. (...) Finally, he sent his son, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants
saw the son, they thought, ‘This is the one who is to inherit the vineyard. Let us kill him, and his inheritance will be ours.’ So they
seized him, threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Now, what will the owner of the vineyard do with the tenants when
he comes?” They said to him, “He will bring those evil men to an evil end, and lease the vineyard to others, who will pay him in due
time.” And Jesus replied, “Have you never read what the Scriptures say? The stone which the builders rejected has become
the cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, and we marvel at it. (...)

Reflection:

The hostilities between Jesus and the religious authorities have now
reached a point when confrontation is inevitable. They tried to court Jesus
so that He could be one of them thereby strengthening their own authorities by
recruiting the latest wonder boy that appeared from nowhere. But Jesus does
not buy the teachings of the established religious authorities. He finds their
legalistic interpretation of the Law as stifling the spirit of the Law. Thus they
see each other in opposite divide. Jesus in this gospel further split Himself apart
from them. He told in plain words that they will not inherit the kingdom for they
did not respect the prophets sent by God, nor His only Son. The die is cast. From
that time on, the religious authorities will seek His downfall.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2021

Gospel: Lk 16:19-31*
Once there was a rich man who dressed in purple and fine linen and feasted every day. At his gate lay Lazarus, a poor man
covered with sores, who longed to eat just the scraps falling from the rich man’s table. (...) It happened that the poor man died, and
angels carried him to take his place with Abraham. The rich man also died, and was buried. From hell, where he was in torment,

Gospel: Mt 20:17-28*
When Jesus was going to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, “See, we are going to Jerusalem. There
the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the Law, and they will condemn him to death. They will hand
him over to the foreigners, who will mock him, scourge him and crucify him. But he will be raised to life on the third day.” Then the

Gospel: Mt 23:1-12
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees have sat down on the chair of Moses.
So you shall do and observe all they say; but do not do as they do, for they do not do what they say. They tie up heavy burdens and load
them on the shoulders of the people, but they do not even lift a finger to move them. They do everything in order to be seen by people:

Gospel: Lk 6:36-38
Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Don’t be a judge of others and you will
not be judged; do not condemn and you will not be condemned; forgive and you
will be forgiven; give and it will be given to you, and you will receive in your sack good

Gospel: Mk 9:2-10
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain. There his appearance was changed before their eyes. Even
his clothes shone, becoming as white as no bleach of this world could make them. Elijah ands Moses appeared to them; the two were talking with Jesus. Then Peter
spoke and said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” For he did not know what

Gospel: Mt 5:43-48
You have heard that it was said: Love your neighbor and do not do good to your enemy. But this I tell you: love your enemies,
and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in Heaven. For he makes his sun rise on both

Gospel: Mt 5:20-26
I tell you, if your sense of right and wrong is not keener than that of the Lawyers and the Pharisees, you will not
enter the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to our people in the past: Do not commit murder;
anyone who murders will have to face trial. But now I tell you: whoever gets angry with a brother or sister will have to face

Gospel: Mt 7:7-12
Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives; whoever
seeks, finds; and to him who knocks the door will be opened. Would any of you give a stone to your son, when he asks for bread?

Gospel: Lk 11:29–32
As the crowd increased, Jesus spoke the following words: “People of the present
time are troubled people. They ask for asign, but no sign will be given to them
except the sign of Jonah. As Jonah became a sign for the people of Nineveh, so will the