Scripture Reflection and Prayer : Journeying together: 2025

Thursday, 27 February 2025

KEEPING OUR FRIENDSHIPS TRUE BY BEING HOLY

20250228 KEEPING OUR FRIENDSHIPS TRUE BY BEING HOLY

28 February 2025, Friday, 7th Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

Ecclesiasticus 6:5-17

A faithful friend is a sure shelter

A kindly turn of speech multiplies a man’s friends,

and a courteous way of speaking invites many a friendly reply.

Let your acquaintances be many,

but your advisers one in a thousand.

If you want to make a friend, take him on trial,

and be in no hurry to trust him;

for one kind of friend is only so when it suits him

but will not stand by you in your day of trouble.

Another kind of friend will fall out with you

and to your dismay make the quarrel public,

and a third kind of friend will share your table,

but not stand by you in your day of trouble:

when you are doing well he will be your second self,

ordering your servants about;

but if ever you are brought low he will turn against you

and will hide himself from you.

Keep well clear of your enemies,

and be wary of your friends.

A faithful friend is a sure shelter,

whoever finds one has found a rare treasure.

A faithful friend is something beyond price,

there is no measuring his worth.

A faithful friend is the elixir of life,

and those who fear the Lord will find one.

Whoever fears the Lord makes true friends,

for as a man is, so is his friend.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 118(119):12,16,18,27,34-35

Guide me, Lord, in the path of your commands.

Blessed are you, O Lord;

teach me your statutes.

I take delight in your statutes;

I will not forget your word.

Guide me, Lord, in the path of your commands.

Open my eyes that I may see

the wonders of your law.

Make me grasp the way of your precepts

and I will muse on your wonders.

Guide me, Lord, in the path of your commands.

Train me to observe your law,

to keep it with my heart.

Guide me in the path of your commands;

for there is my delight.

Guide me, Lord, in the path of your commands.

Gospel Acclamation

Ps110:7,8

Alleluia, alleluia!

Your precepts, O Lord, are all of them sure;

they stand firm for ever and ever.

Alleluia!

Or:

Jn17:17

Alleluia, alleluia!

Your word is truth, O Lord:

consecrate us in the truth.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Mark 10:1-12

What God has united, man must not divide

Jesus came to the district of Judaea and the far side of the Jordan. And again crowds gathered round him, and again he taught them, as his custom was. Some Pharisees approached him and asked, ‘Is it against the law for a man to divorce his wife?’ They were testing him. He answered them, ‘What did Moses command you?’ ‘Moses allowed us’ they said ‘to draw up a writ of dismissal and so to divorce.’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘It was because you were so unteachable that he wrote this commandment for you. But from the beginning of creation God made them male and female. This is why a man must leave father and mother, and the two become one body. They are no longer two, therefore, but one body. So then, what God has united, man must not divide.’ Back in the house the disciples questioned him again about this, and he said to them, ‘The man who divorces his wife and marries another is guilty of adultery against her. And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another she is guilty of adultery too.’

KEEPING OUR FRIENDSHIPS TRUE BY BEING HOLY

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Ecclesiasticus 6:5-17; Ps 119:12,16,18,27,34-35; Mk 10:1-12]

We all need friends in life. No one is an island. Those who are sociable tend to have many friends. They seek friendships and find security and joy in being with others. Some are even afraid of being alone. Even those who are introverted and enjoy being alone also need friends. The difference between extroverts and introverts is that the former have many acquaintances but few real friends. The introverts tend to be selective and have few friends but they are mostly faithful and true friends.

Sirach gives us advice on choosing our friends. Firstly, we need time to grow the friendship. We need to journey with each other, get to know each other’s values, likes and dislikes, and temperament. Otherwise, as Sirach says, “one kind of friend will fall out with you and to your dismay make your quarrel public.” There are different kinds of friends. Some friends make good company for holidays, others for meals and pleasure. But Sirach warns that this “kind of friend will share your table, but not stand by you in your day of trouble: when you are doing well he will be your second self, ordering your servants about; but if ever you are brought low he will turn against you and will hide himself from you.” Or course this is not always the case, but it is difficult to tell whether they are fair-weather friends or true friends.

The best kind of friends are those whom we can share our thoughts and our deepest feelings, fears, anxieties and aspirations. Sirach says, “A faithful friend is a sure shelter, whoever finds one has found a rare treasure. A faithful friend is something beyond price, there is no measuring his worth. A faithful friend is the elixir of life.” Indeed, finding a faithful and loyal friend is rare. There is no greater gift in life than to find a confidante and a good friend to share your life with. To have someone who understands and supports us, will give us the courage and strength to go through life without feeling that we are alone. Such friends need to be tested over time. This is why it is difficult to find such a friend who is reliable, who keeps your secrets, who is with you in good and bad times.

Such a friend could be someone of the same or even opposite sex. Indeed, for those who are single, it is important that they find good friends to be their companions in life. The only danger is that with the current promiscuous climate, the possibility of falling into a physical relationship, especially with the opposite sex, is greater. This is because love wants to express itself physically. When that happens, it does complicate the intended platonic relationship. As a consequence, the relationship becomes complex and confusing. Hence, we need to be clear in how we want the friendship to be. Unless the relationship is pure and holy, it will become complicated.

Single and Celibate friendships can be very fulfilling too. Priests and religious are called to cultivate true friendships. The only difference is that for priests and religious, their friendship is inclusive and not exclusive. Even then, like Jesus, they will have a few close friends among themselves that they could share their life and ministry with. Jesus never asked His disciples to work alone in the ministry. He sent them out in pairs. In this way, they will never feel alone in life or in ministry. A celibate is not one who simply does not have a physical sexual relationship with his friend, but he is loving and capable of giving himself to all. His love and friendship are given to all. He is a friend to all even if he has a few close friends.

Greater still, if that friend is also your spouse. This is why marriage is the highest level of friendship. Husbands and wives are called to be true and loving friends to each other. When we choose someone to be our spouse, it is not for pragmatic reasons, that is, for security, so that we will not be alone, or to have children so that we can be taken care of when we are old. Rather, marriage is to find someone who is like us but yet different from us. God instituted marriage between a man and a woman so that they can complete each other. Marriage, then, is the ideal friendship that God intended for man and woman. So intense is the love between husband and wife that they share everything together. The sexual relationship between the man and the woman signifies that they hold nothing back and they are not just comfortable to be naked before each other, but also in their feelings, their joys and sorrows. They are able to share with each other. Their relationship is therefore not only faithful but also fruitful. The child is that expression of their love for each other and the fruit of their love. Together, not one or the other, but always together, they share their love and friendship with the child so that he or she would also learn how to love faithfully and joyfully.

But very often, the friendship breaks after sometime. Some of these factors are due to prolonged physical distancing because of migration, work and studies. This is true of platonic friendships, but also in marriage. It begins with each one taking the other person for granted. There is a lack of communication and sharing of joys and sorrows over time. Physical distancing also leads to emotional distancing. Eventually, they become distant, not just physically but emotionally and affectively as well. They become estranged. The marriage becomes reduced to a common obligation to look after the children and their parents and to support the family. Then there will be disagreements on how to raise the children, finance, taking care of the elderly, etc. When love becomes a duty, it leads to miscommunication, misunderstanding, suspicion, lack of trust and eventually love dies. But as the gospel tells us, God never intended us to betray each other in relationships, especially in marriage. At the same time, He recognized the weaknesses of human beings. We are weak and we are easily distracted and tempted.

So how can we prevent such relationships from breaking down? Marriage is often called a Covenantal love. It is analogous to the way God loves us. His love for us is unconditional, faithful, fruitful, true and loving. God does not stop loving us even when we are unfaithful to Him. Rather, He will continue to reach out to us. His love is manifested especially in His death on the cross. He loves us to the extent of sacrificing His own life for our salvation. So, whilst our friends will fail us, God does not fail us. All marriages and friendships therefore must be modelled after that of Christ as well. True friends too must learn to accept each other, both weaknesses and strengths. True friends forgive and never give up on each other. Ironically, the marriage, which is supposed to be the deepest form of friendship, is broken if one party is unfaithful or later realized to be incompatible. Today, love is no longer unconditional.

Consequently, to cultivate and sustain true friendships, the relationship must be holy as well. In a holy friendship, our model is that of Christ, loving each other the way Christ loves us. We are called to be sacrament, the sign of Christ’s love for us. This is true regardless whether it is marriage or just a relationship between two persons. True friends will treat each other the way Christ regards us. This reciprocity of love is free and patient. No one can force another person to love him or her. This is why, if we want to be true friends, we must first be friends with Jesus. He will teach us how to love selflessly and inclusively, faithfully and lovingly. The reason why marriages break down and friendships fail is because most of us love with the strength of our human love. Human love is weak and fragile. Human love tends to be selfish, inward-looking, protective of one’s interests and security before the other person.

Hence, it is important that we relive the love that Jesus has given us. For married people, we must make use of the graces given to us in the Sacrament of Marriage. Christ promises to be the centre of our marriage life and seal us together in love. So, too, in other relationships. The way to strengthen that relationship is through our common love for the Lord. Couples who found their relationships in the Lord will be grateful and humble with each other, learn and be purified in love in spite of difficulties. Praying together and reading the Word of God together will strengthen their bonds because both seek to put the Word of God into practice. Truly, good friends do not lead each other into sin but lead each other into the presence of God so that they can be holy.

DO NOT DELAY REPENTANCE

20250227 DO NOT DELAY REPENTANCE

27 February 2025, Thursday, 7th Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

Ecclesiasticus 5:1-10

Do not delay your return to the Lord

Do not give your heart to your money,

or say, ‘With this I am self-sufficient.’

Do not be led by your appetites and energy

to follow the passions of your heart.

And do not say, ‘Who has authority over me?’

for the Lord will certainly be avenged on you.

Do not say, ‘I sinned, and what happened to me?’

for the Lord’s forbearance is long.

Do not be so sure of forgiveness

that you add sin to sin.

And do not say, ‘His compassion is great,

he will forgive me my many sins’;

for with him are both mercy and wrath,

and his rage bears heavy on sinners.

Do not delay your return to the Lord,

do not put it off day after day;

for suddenly the Lord’s wrath will blaze out,

and at the time of vengeance you will be utterly destroyed.

Do not set your heart on ill-gotten gains,

they will be of no use to you on the day of disaster.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 1:1-4,6

Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.

Happy indeed is the man

who follows not the counsel of the wicked;

nor lingers in the way of sinners

nor sits in the company of scorners,

but whose delight is the law of the Lord

and who ponders his law day and night.

Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.

He is like a tree that is planted

beside the flowing waters,

that yields its fruit in due season

and whose leaves shall never fade;

and all that he does shall prosper.

Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.

Not so are the wicked, not so!

For they like winnowed chaff

shall be driven away by the wind:

for the Lord guards the way of the just

but the way of the wicked leads to doom.

Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.

Gospel Acclamation

cf.Lk8:15

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessed are those who,

with a noble and generous heart,

take the word of God to themselves

and yield a harvest through their perseverance.

Alleluia!

Or:

cf.1Th2:13

Alleluia, alleluia!

Accept God’s message for what it really is:

God’s message, and not some human thinking.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Mark 9:41-50

If your hand should cause you to sin, cut it off

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘If anyone gives you a cup of water to drink just because you belong to Christ, then I tell you solemnly, he will most certainly not lose his reward.

‘But anyone who is an obstacle to bring down one of these little ones who have faith, would be better thrown into the sea with a great millstone round his neck. And if your hand should cause you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life crippled, than to have two hands and go to hell, into the fire that cannot be put out. And if your foot should cause you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life lame, than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye should cause you to sin, tear it out; it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell where their worm does not die nor their fire go out. For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is a good thing, but if salt has become insipid, how can you season it again? Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another.’

DO NOT DELAY REPENTANCE

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Ecclesiasticus 5:1-10; Ps 1:1-4,6; Mk 9:41-50 ]

The scripture readings today call us to repentance. The book of Sirach warns us, “Do not delay your return to the Lord, do not put it off day after day; for suddenly the Lord’s wrath will blaze out, and at the time of vengeance you will be utterly destroyed.” So what are the reasons preventing people from seeking repentance? Why is the call to repentance taken so lightly?

Firstly, the danger for many of us is that we think we still have time to repent. This is what the Evil One wants us to think – that there is no hurry; that we still have a long runway on this earth. And so we continue to live in our sins. We say to ourselves, when I am closer to the end of my runway, then I will repent and live a good life. However, the truth is that one cannot die well unless one lives well. Conversion is not an overnight decision. What we do today will determine what we do tomorrow. The heart does not change overnight. Change is a process. Love does not come overnight. So if we think that we love God and desire Him, that love must begin here and now. It must grow from strength to strength. To be good, we must first begin to do good here and now. To think and act with compassion, we must begin here and now. Virtues for holiness require time to build up and be strengthened. So we must not deceive ourselves into thinking that we can take the short cut to holiness or sainthood. If we are serious about preparing ourselves to share the life of God, we must do it now.

Secondly, because we are presumptuous. Many of us realize that we are not living the life that God wants us to live. We know that we are living a sinful life. But we make excuses for ourselves, saying that we are weak and God is merciful and compassionate. Sirach again warns “Do not be so sure of forgiveness that you add sin to sin. And do not say, ‘His compassion is great, he will forgive me my many sins’; for with him are both mercy and wrath, and his wage bears heavy on sinners.” Whilst it is true that God is always merciful and compassionate, we cannot take His grace for granted. It is true that He will always forgive us when we repent, but we might not be in a disposition to receive His forgiveness when the time comes because our hearts could be hardened by then. We lose faith in God, and if we mess up our lives, we also lose faith in our fellowmen. We will blame everyone except ourselves, including God. Presumption is the offspring of pride and disobedience.

Thirdly, the delay in repentance is also due to our sense of self-sufficiency. Again, Sirach warns those of us who are rich and have many resources. “Do not give your heart to your money, or say, ‘With this I am self-sufficient.’ Do not be led by your appetites and energy to follow the passions of your heart. And do not say, ‘Who has authority over me?” Those of us who are rich tend to think that we are self-sufficient, and we do not really need God. We think that if we study hard and do well in our studies, we will always be successful in life. In truth, success is not just due to hard work or intelligence but to many unknown factors, like the people you know, the opportunities available to us, the circumstances, our health, etc. Those who are doing well in life today may not necessarily be the top students in school but were school dropouts. Whereas those who were scholars may earn a decent salary, those who were apparent failures in school are among the richest entrepreneurs, because they dared to venture out and take risks, are creative and resourceful.

For those who are already rich and powerful, God would be the last person they would turn to in their daily lives. In fact, God is often out of the picture. If they need God, it is only in time of crisis, when money and power cannot save the situation, as in a terminal illness or failed relationship. Also, we think that so long as we have plenty of money, we do not have to worry much because all our needs will be taken care of. It might be true, but then one has to worry about what to do with the money and how to make it grow and how to distribute it. With money, we do not know who is our true friend. At any rate, even if we have all the money in the world, there is no peace because our loved ones would be fighting over our property. So money is not the solution to everything in life. Money and power can be a curse because of the political wrangling among those who are waiting to grab our money and our power. This is why we must take heed of the counsel of Sirach, “Do not set your heart on ill-gotten gains, they will be of no use to you on the day of disaster.” The psalmist also says, “Not so are the wicked, not so! For they like winnowed chaff shall be driven away by the wind for the Lord guards the way of the just but the way of the wicked leads to doom.”

Consequently, we must take the call to repentance seriously. The Lord warns us, “if your hand should cause you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life crippled, than to have two hands and go to hell, into the fire that cannot be put out. And if your foot should cause you sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye should cause you to sin, tear it out; it is better for you to enter into kingdom of God with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell where their worm does not die nor their fire go out.” Indeed, we must weigh our priorities. Instead of focusing on what is temporary and transient, we must take a long-term view of what is eternal. We must not be short-sighted, in seeking the passing pleasures and glory of today and miss out on the joy and glory of being in the kingdom of God with our Lord for all eternity.

Indeed, the lack of a consciousness of the shortness of life and the truth about our immortality is one of the causes why people delay repentance. The psalmist reminds us, “You turn us back to dust, and say, ‘Turn back, you mortals.’ For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past, or like a watch in the night.” (Ps 90:3f) Many of us live as if there is only one life on this earth, and it finishes when we die. We have been influenced by atheism – that we are merely dust. There is no soul, no eternity, no life to come in the next world. In this world today, transcendence and hope do not have a place in man’s heart. Everything ends in this world, good or bad. All of us will suffer the same fate regardless of what we do. Hence, it is better for us not to miss out, but seek to enjoy ourselves as much as we can because everything would be over at our death. But this is against what the Lord warns us because the fire of hell would not be put out.

Because of the fact that we influence each other for good or for worse, all the more, we need to repent so that we do not perpetuate sin in this world. Jesus warns us, “‘But anyone who is an obstacle to bring down one of these little ones who have faith, would be better thrown into the sea with a great millstone round his neck.” What could be worse is to lead others to sin. Our sins not only affect us but affect our loved ones, our friends and colleagues. Sin is not just a personal matter but has a communitarian dimension. And when we realize that because of our negligence and indifference to sin, we lead others to sin, the gravity of our sins would be even heavier. When we realize the seriousness of our sins, we might not be able to forgive ourselves.

Hence, let us repent every day in our lives. Let us ask for the grace to live a virtuous life. We follow the counsel of the psalmist. “Happy indeed is the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked; nor lingers in the way of sinners nor sits in the company of scorners, but whose delight is the law of the Lord and who ponders his Law, day and night. He is like a tree that is planted beside the flowing waters, that yields its fruit in due season and whose leaves shall never fade; and all that he does shall prosper.” We must stay close to the Lord and drink from Him, the fountain of love and wisdom. We need to salt ourselves with the Word of God again and again, for the Lord said to us, “For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is a good thing, but if salt has become insipid, how can you season it again? Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another.” Truly, we need to be constantly purified by the Word of God and most of all by works of charity. The Lord assures us, “If anyone gives you a cup of water to drink just because you belong to Christ, then I tell you solemnly, he will most certainly not lose his reward.”

OUR ATTITUDE TOWARDS THOSE WHO HAVE IMPERFECT FAITH IN CHRIST

20250226 OUR ATTITUDE TOWARDS THOSE WHO HAVE IMPERFECT FAITH IN CHRIST

26 February 2025, Wednesday, 7th Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

Ecclesiasticus 4:12-22

Whoever loves wisdom loves life

Wisdom brings up her own sons,

and cares for those who seek her.

Whoever loves her loves life,

those who wait on her early will be filled with happiness.

Whoever holds her close will inherit honour,

and wherever he walks the Lord will bless him.

Those who serve her minister to the Holy One,

and the Lord loves those who love her.

Whoever obeys her judges aright,

and whoever pays attention to her dwells secure.

If he trusts himself to her he will inherit her,

and his descendants will remain in possession of her;

for though she takes him at first through winding ways,

bringing fear and faintness on him,

plaguing him with her discipline until she can trust him,

and testing him with her ordeals,

in the end she will lead him back to the straight road

and reveal her secrets to him.

If he wanders away she will abandon him,

and hand him over to his fate.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 118(119):165,168,171-172,174-175

The lovers of your law have great peace, O Lord.

The lovers of your law have great peace;

they never stumble.

I obey your precepts and your will;

all that I do is before you.

The lovers of your law have great peace, O Lord.

Let my lips proclaim your praise

because you teach me your statutes.

Let my tongue sing your promise

for your commands are just.

The lovers of your law have great peace, O Lord.

Lord, I long for your saving help

and your law is my delight.

Give life to my soul that I may praise you.

Let your decrees give me help.

The lovers of your law have great peace, O Lord.

Gospel Acclamation

Jn14:6

Alleluia, alleluia!

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord;

No one can come to the Father except through me.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Mark 9:38-40

You must not stop anyone from working miracles in my name

John said to Jesus, ‘Master, we saw a man who is not one of us casting out devils in your name; and because he was not one of us we tried to stop him.’ But Jesus said, ‘You must not stop him: no one who works a miracle in my name is likely to speak evil of me. Anyone who is not against us is for us.’

OUR ATTITUDE TOWARDS THOSE WHO HAVE IMPERFECT FAITH IN CHRIST

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Ecclesiasticus 4:12-22; Mk 9:38-40 ]

Today’s scripture readings challenge us to adopt a positive outlook towards those who have an imperfect faith in Christ.

In the gospel, we have an example of how Jesus dealt with those who have imperfect faith in Him. The gospel tells us of an instance when there were people using His name to work miracles. Of course, the disciples of Jesus were unhappy because they did not belong to their group officially. Thus, they wanted Jesus to forbid them from using His name. The response of Jesus was that so long as they are not against us, they are for us.

In other words, while they did not have a real relationship with Him, they were certainly doing good works in His name. Now, Jesus was not a leader who sought popularity and followers. It was not absolutely essential whether these people were officially His disciples or not. What was important for Jesus was that they were living the Kingdom life. By doing good works they were implicitly living the gospel values of the Kingdom. This means that they too had accepted Him. If that was the attitude of Jesus towards those who had imperfect faith in Him, then we must ask ourselves what kind of attitude we should adopt towards people of goodwill who profess different religions.

One thing is certain, we must realize that so long as people live in goodwill and seek the truth, they have in their own ways sought for Jesus. This is affirmed in today’s first reading as well. The reading from the book of Sirach tells us that those who seek wisdom will find life. Indeed, it is the lack of wisdom, or in the words of Buddha, ignorance, that causes us misery in life. To be enlightened in the truth is to find life itself. For it is wisdom (which is distinct from knowledge) that sets us free, since wisdom is an existential and total experience of truth.

And of course, as Christians, we know that Jesus as the Logos is the Wisdom of God. What was poetically illustrated in the Old Testament as an activity of God is now seen as incarnated in Jesus Himself. Consequently, all others who seek truth and wisdom have come to know Christ even though it is not explicit.

However, this imperfect faith must also be extended to us Christians. The truth is that people come to Jesus for different reasons. People make use of Jesus for their immediate and temporal ends. Some even make use of Jesus to justify their status and the established institutions. Such faith in Jesus is surely imperfect as well. These people no less than non-believers, need also to purify their faith.

Hence, for us as Christians, since it is our faith that Christ is Lord and God and therefore also the Wisdom of God, it is necessary that, first and foremost, we must seek Him deeper in our own ways. We must search deeper into Christ so that we can share in His wisdom and live an enlightened life of truth and love. We cannot presume that we have reached the fullness of truth yet, even though we know the way which is through Jesus, the truth and the life.

Indeed, our service to people of imperfect faith, be they of other faiths or Christians, presupposes that we ourselves have deepened our own faith in Jesus. Unless we have come to know Him personally, it is impossible to share Jesus with others. However, when we ourselves come to know Him intimately, and share in His vision of life, creation and reality and God, we will also be able to share confidently what we have found in Christ with others. Our task as Christians, therefore, is to deepen our own faith in Christ first, so that we can lead others, whether Christians or not, to a more perfect faith in Christ explicitly or at least implicitly by living the kingdom life more deeply.

Tuesday, 25 February 2025

CONFRONTING THE MOTIVES OF OUR VOCATION

20250225 CONFRONTING THE MOTIVES OF OUR VOCATION

25 February 2025, Tuesday, 7th Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

Ecclesiasticus 2:1-11

The chosen are tested like gold in the fire

My son, if you aspire to serve the Lord,

prepare yourself for an ordeal.

Be sincere of heart, be steadfast,

and do not be alarmed when disaster comes.

Cling to him and do not leave him,

so that you may be honoured at the end of your days.

Whatever happens to you, accept it,

and in the uncertainties of your humble state, be patient,

since gold is tested in the fire,

and chosen men in the furnace of humiliation.

Trust him and he will uphold you,

follow a straight path and hope in him.

You who fear the Lord, wait for his mercy;

do not turn aside in case you fall.

You who fear the Lord, trust him,

and you will not be baulked of your reward.

You who fear the Lord hope for good things,

for everlasting happiness and mercy.

Look at the generations of old and see:

who ever trusted in the Lord and was put to shame?

Or who ever feared him steadfastly and was left forsaken?

Or who ever called out to him, and was ignored?

For the Lord is compassionate and merciful,

he forgives sins, and saves in days of distress.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 36(37):3-4,18-19,27-28,39-40