Daily Mass Readings – Wednesday, 16 September 2026

31 But be zealous for the better gifts. And I shew unto you yet a more excellent way.

13:1 If I speak with the tongues of men, and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

2 And if I should have prophecy and should know all mysteries, and all knowledge, and if I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

3 And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

4 Charity is patient, is kind: charity envieth not, dealeth not perversely; is not puffed up;

5 Is not ambitious, seeketh not her own, is not provoked to anger, thinketh no evil;

6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with the truth;

7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

8 Charity never falleth away: whether prophecies shall be made void, or tongues shall cease, or knowledge shall be destroyed.

9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

10 But when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away.

11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But, when I became a man, I put away the things of a child.

12 We see now through a glass in a dark manner; but then face to face. Now I know in part; but then I shall know even as I am known.

13 And now there remain faith, hope, and charity, these three: but the greatest of these is charity.

R. (12) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

2 Give praise to the Lord on the harp; sing to him with the psaltery, the instrument of ten strings.

3 Sing to him a new canticle, sing well unto him with a loud noise.

R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

4 For the word of the Lord is right, and all his works are done with faithfulness.

5 He loveth mercy and judgment; the earth is full of the mercy of the Lord.

R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord: the people whom he hath chosen for his inheritance.

22 Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, as we have hoped in thee.

R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

63c, 68cYour words, Lord, are Spirit and life, you have the words of everlasting life.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

31 And the Lord said: Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like?

32 They are like to children sitting in the marketplace, and speaking one to another, and saying: We have piped to you, and you have not danced: we have mourned, and you have not wept.

33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and you say: He hath a devil.

34 The Son of man is come eating and drinking: and you say: Behold a man that is a glutton and a drinker of wine, a friend of publicans and sinners.

35 And wisdom is justified by all her children.

God’s mercy surrounds us, and his word gives life, yet we can still resist the grace placed before us. Jesus describes people who refuse both John’s call to repentance and his own joyful presence. Their standards keep changing, because they have already decided not to receive the messenger. The same danger can touch us when we judge God’s work by our preferences instead of allowing his wisdom to form us.

Saint Paul shows what a life shaped by God’s word looks like: patient, kind, humble, truthful, free from envy and self-seeking. Gifts, knowledge, sacrifice, and even impressive faith have no lasting value when charity is absent. Love is the mature response to the Lord’s mercy, and it remains when partial understanding passes away. We do not yet see clearly; we know only in part. That should make us humble and ready to listen. When Scripture challenges our reactions, or when Christ comes to us in an unexpected way, charity helps us receive rather than dismiss. The Lord’s chosen people are blessed by living under his mercy, and his wisdom is shown in the children it produces.

Lord Jesus, your words are Spirit and life. Deliver me from the hardness that refuses your voice when you speak in a way I do not expect. Give me a humble and listening heart, ready to receive correction, repentance, joy, and mercy. Teach me to measure every gift by charity: patience in difficulty, kindness in speech, truthfulness in judgment, and freedom from seeking my own way. Since I know only in part, keep me faithful to you while I wait for clearer vision. May your mercy bear fruit in my life and make me a patient witness to your wisdom. Amen.