Today’s readings speak of our daily and constant struggle to live our victory in Christ.

The Matins Psalm begins with an appeal to the soul for God’s goodness and Divine Mercy.

“According to Your mercy remember me, For Your goodness’ sake, O Lord.

Good and upright is the Lord;

For Your name’s sake, O Lord, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.” (Psalms 25)

 

The Matins gospel warns of the offenses that can deprive us of entering the kingdom.

“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched—”   (Mark 9)

 

He emphasizes love; the salt of life and its purity.

“”For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.

Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.” (Mark 9)

Pauline Epistle tackles with the issue of eating which was raised among Christians of Jewish origin, raising everyone’s eyes to life with God on Earth and in heaven, and blaming believers for being preoccupied with what does not serve their salvation and what weakens their love for one another.

“Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things.

He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it.

For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.

For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.

So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.”  (Romans 14)

 

It also shows the essence of the kingdom to which we are aiming.

“for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”   (Romans 14)

 

Catholic Epistle also declares it dangerous to listen and not to act, as it appears in our speech and explains the essence of sound religiosity accepted by God.

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.

Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”

(James 1)

As for Praxis, he declares the rejection of the Jews for salvation and the good news of the Gentiles and the expansion of the kingdom to accept them.

“Now it happened, when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance

and saw Him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive your testimony concerning Me.’

Then He said to me, ‘Depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles.’ ”  (Acts 22)

 

In the psalm of the liturgy, the soul hopes that the door of justice, that is, the door of the kingdom, will be opened for her so that she may praise the Lord and confess to Him forever.

“Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, And I will praise the Lord.

This is the gate of the Lord, Through which the righteous shall enter.”  (Psalms 118)

 

The Gospel of the liturgy concludes with the quality of the door leading to the kingdom and the importance of working with the will of the father to enter the kingdom and the appearance of the fruits of His goodness in us.

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.

Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”  (Matthew 7)

 

The strange thing about today’s readings is the topic of entry and exit, as offenses prevent us from entering eternal life (The Matins gospel), and whoever does not work with the word comes out and forgets how he was (Catholic Epistle)

The Lord invites St. Paul to leave Jerusalem after the rejection of the Jews (Praxis), the righteous enter the door of Justice (psalm of the liturgy), the invitation to enter through the narrow door (gospel of the liturgy), and between entering and leaving we will stand in front of the pulpit of Christ, glory be to Him (Pauline Epistle).

 

The summary of the readings

Our daily struggle is the entrance and path to our victory in Christ: the importance of love and peace among brothers.

The Matins gospel.

The danger of offenses blocks our entry into the kingdom.

The Matins gospel

The containment of the weak of faith. Pauline Epistle

Serving the needy and save man himself from the desecration of the world. Catholic Epistle

The rejection of the Jews for the good news of salvation and the call of the Gentiles to it. Praxis

The diligence of entering through the narrow door. The Gospel of the liturgy