🙏 Opening Prayer
Heavenly Father,
as we listen to Your Word today, open our hearts to receive Your wisdom, strengthen our faith, and guide us to live with courage and purity. May Your Spirit enlighten our minds and draw us closer to You.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
📖 First Reading: 2 Maccabees 7:1, 20–31
Source:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2maccabees/7
Seven brothers and their mother are arrested and tortured for refusing to break God’s law by eating forbidden food. Their mother encourages each of them to remain faithful, trusting God who created all things and can restore life.
📖 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 17:1, 5–6, 8, 15
Response: “Lord, when Your glory appears, my joy will be full.”
Source:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/17
📖 Gospel: Luke 19:11–28
Source:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/19
Jesus tells the Parable of the Ten Gold Coins:
A nobleman entrusts money to his servants before leaving for a distant kingdom. On returning, he rewards those who worked faithfully but condemns the one who hid his coin out of fear.
📘 Explanation & Reflection
1. Faithfulness under trial (2 Maccabees 7)
This powerful reading shows the mother and her sons choosing obedience to God over life itself.
Their courage foreshadows Christian martyrdom and reminds us that faithfulness sometimes requires sacrifice.
CCC References:
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CCC 2473 – Martyrdom as the supreme witness to truth
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CCC 1808 – Fortitude in the face of fear
Application:
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Stand firm in your Catholic identity even when pressured to compromise.
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Parents: guide your children with courage and faith like the heroic mother.
2. God hears the just (Psalm 17)
The Psalm teaches us to rely on God’s justice and protection.
Application:
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Pray with confidence that God hears you.
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Ask Him to keep you on the right path when life becomes difficult.
3. Faith that multiplies (Luke 19:11–28)
Jesus shows that our faith must bear fruit.
The servants who invested their coins were rewarded; the one who hid his was condemned.
CCC References:
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CCC 546 – Parables invite us to respond to the Kingdom
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CCC 1936–1937 – God’s gifts are meant to be used for the good of others
Application:
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Use your talents, time, and opportunities for God’s mission.
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Don’t let fear stop you from doing good works.
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Ask yourself: “What gift has God placed in my hands today?”
🙏 Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus,
You have entrusted each of us with gifts, talents, and responsibilities. Give us the courage to use them for Your glory. Strengthen us to live with boldness, purity, and charity. May Your Word take root in our hearts today and bear fruit in our lives.
Amen.
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