GOSPEL

June 9, 2023 (Friday)

9th Week in Ordinary Time Psalter: Week 1 / (Green/White) St. Ephrem, deacon & doctor Responsorial Psalm: Ps 146: 1b2, 6c-7, 8-9a, 9bc-10

Praise the Lord, my soul!

1st Reading: Tobit 11: 5-17 Gospel: Mark 12: 35-37

As Jesus was teaching in the temple, he said, “The teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the Son of David. How can that be? For David, himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, declared: The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet!’ If David, himself, calls him Lord, in what way can he be his Son?” Many people came to Jesus, and listened to him gladly.

Reflection:

“The life of a disciple is one of continuing conversion.”

Instructed by the angel Raphael, Tobit’s son Tobias helped to remove the scales from Tobit’s eyes so that he could once again see the light. In a way, that healing is an apt metaphor for a disciple’s life of conversion.

We all have scales over our eyes and hearts—things that keep us from seeing clearly and loving wholeheartedly. These scales can be many things: our attachment to our possessions or worldly status, prejudice, fear, anger, pride, or envy. Only by peeling the scales from our eyes and hearts can we truly see the light. But, unlike for Tobit, for us, peeling away the scales is not a one-time event.

Instead, the life of a disciple is one of continuing conversion. Each day, we strive to purify our hearts and our motives, peeling away the scales from our eyes by recognizing and confessing our sins and seeking to avoid the occasions that lead to sin. Though we give our best effort to this conversion, we cannot do it on our own. We rely on God’s grace to help us peel the scales from our eyes and hearts so as to enter God’s light.