Daily Mass Readings – Tuesday, 18 May 2027

1 Son, when thou comest to the service of God, stand in justice and in fear, and prepare thy soul for temptation.

2 Humble thy heart, and endure: incline thy ear, and receive the words of understanding: and make not haste in the time of clouds.

3 Wait on God with patience: join thyself to God, and endure, that thy life may be increased in the latter end.

4 Take all that shall be brought upon thee: and in thy sorrow endure, and in thy humiliation keep patience.

5 For gold and silver are tried in the fire, but acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation.

6 Believe God, and he will recover thee: and direct thy way, and trust in him. Keep his fear, and grow old therein.

7 Ye that fear the Lord, wait for his mercy: and go not aside from him, lest ye fall.

8 Ye that fear the Lord, believe him: and your reward shall not be made void.

9 Ye that fear the Lord, hope in him: and mercy shall come to you for your delight.

10 Ye that fear the Lord, love him, and your hearts shall be enlightened. My children behold the generations of men: and know ye that no one hath hoped in the Lord, and hath been confounded. For who hath continued in his commandment, and hath been forsaken? or who hath called upon him, and he despised him?

11 For God is compassionate and merciful, and will forgive sins in the day of tribulation: and he is a protector to all that seek him in truth.

R. (5) Commit your life to the Lord, and he will help you.

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good, and dwell in the land, and thou shalt be fed with its riches.

4 Delight in the Lord, and he will give thee the requests of thy heart.

R. Commit your life to the Lord, and he will help you.

18 The Lord knoweth the days of undefiled; and their inheritance shall be for ever.

19 They shall not be confounded in the evil time; and in the days of famine they shall be filled:

R. Commit your life to the Lord, and he will help you.

27 Decline from evil and do good, and dwell for ever and ever.

28 For the Lord loveth judgment, and will not forsake his saints: they shall be preserved for ever. The unjust shall be punished, and the seed of the wicked shall perish.

R. Commit your life to the Lord, and he will help you.

39 But the salvation of the just is from the Lord, and he is their protector in the time of trouble.

40 And the Lord will help them and deliver them: and he will rescue them from the wicked, and save them, because they have hoped in him.

R. Commit your life to the Lord, and he will help you.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

14 May I never boast except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

30 And departing from thence, they passed through Galilee, and he would not that any man should know it.

31 And he taught his disciples, and said to them: The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise again the third day.

32 But they understood not the word, and they were afraid to ask him.

33 And they came to Capharnaum. And when they were in the house, he asked them: What did you treat of in the way?

34 But they held their peace, for in the way they had disputed among themselves, which of them should be the greatest.

35 And sitting down, he called the twelve, and saith to them: If any man desire to be first, he shall be the last of all, and the minister of all.

36 And taking a child, he set him in the midst of them. Whom when he had embraced, he saith to them:

37 Whosoever shall receive one such child as this in my name, receiveth me. And whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.

Serving God does not place us beyond trial. Scripture speaks honestly of temptation, sorrow, humiliation, and the need to wait with patience. Yet these hardships are not signs that God has abandoned us. Like gold tested in fire, faith is purified when we remain joined to the Lord, trusting his mercy rather than turning aside. The psalm gives this surrender a practical shape: commit your life to God, do good, and hope in him, because he protects those who seek him.

Jesus reveals where this faithful surrender leads. While he speaks of his betrayal, death, and resurrection, the disciples are concerned with who is greatest. Christ answers by placing a child among them and teaching that greatness is found in becoming the servant of all. The Cross therefore exposes the desire for status and opens the way of humble love. To receive the small and dependent in Jesus’ name is to receive Jesus himself, and through him, the Father. In ordinary acts of patient service—especially when they bring no recognition—we can entrust ourselves to God and let the Cross reshape our hearts.

Lord Jesus, teach me to remain with you when faith is tested and life brings sorrow or humiliation. Keep me from seeking importance, praise, or first place. Give me the humility to serve quietly and the attentiveness to welcome those who depend on others, remembering that in them I welcome you. Strengthen my trust when your promises seem difficult to understand. May your Cross purify my desires, and may your mercy keep me faithful in patience, hope, and love. Help me commit my life entirely to you, confident that you will not forsake those who seek you. Amen.