Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is from the Gospel
of Matthew chapter 23, the Gospel of Mark chapter
13, and the Gospel of Luke chapter 21. Matthew
chapter 23. Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes
and to his disciples, saying, The scribes and
the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. Therefore,
whatever they tell you to observe, that observe
and do. but do not do according to their works
for they say and do not do for they bind heavy
burdens hard to bear and lay them on men's shoulders
but they themselves will not move them with one
of their fingers but all their works they do
to be seen by men they make their phylacteries
broad and enlarge the borders of their garments
they love the best places at feasts the best
seats in the synagogues greetings in the market
places and to be called by men rabbi rabbi but
you do not be called rabbi for one is your teacher
the christ and you are all brethren do not call
anyone on earth your father for one is your father
he who is in heaven and do not be called teachers
for one is your teacher the christ but he who
is greatest among you shall be your servant and
whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he
who humbles himself will be exalted. But woe
to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For
you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men,
for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you
allow those who are entering to go in. Woe to
you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you
devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make
long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater
condemnation. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites, for you travel land and sea to win
one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him
twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. Woe
to you, blind guides, who say whoever swears
by the temple, it is nothing, but whoever swears
by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform
it. Fools and blind, for which is greater, the
gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?
And whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing.
But whoever swears by the gift that is on it,
he is obliged to perform it. Fools and blind,
for which is greater, the gift or the altar that
sanctifies the gift? Therefore, he who swears
by the altar swears by it and by all things on
it. He who swears by the temple swears by it
and by him who dwells in it. And he who swears
by heaven swears by the throne of God and by
him who sits on it. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites, for you pay tithe of mint and anise
and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters
of the law, justice and mercy and faith. These
you ought to have done without leaving the others
undone, blind guides who strain out a gnat and
swallow a camel. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites, for you cleanse the outside of the
cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion
and self -indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse
the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside
of them may be clean also. Woe to you, scribes
and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you are like whitewashed
tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly,
but inside are full of dead men's bones and all
uncleanness. Even so, you also outwardly appear
righteous to men, but inside you are full of
hypocrisy and lawlessness. Woe to you, scribes
and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you build
the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments
of the righteous, and say, If we had lived in
the days of our fathers, we would not have been
partakers with them in the blood of the martyrs.
Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves
that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.
Fill up, then, the measure of your father's guilt.
Serpents, brood of vipers, how can you escape
the condemnation of hell? Therefore, indeed,
I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes. Some
of them you will kill and crucify, and some of
them you will scourge in your synagogues and
persecute from city to city, that on you may
come all the righteous blood shed on the earth,
from the blood of the righteous Abel to the blood
of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered
between the temple and the altar. Assuredly,
I say to you, all these things will come upon
this generation. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the
one who kills the prophets and stones those who
are sent to her, how often I wanted to gather
your children together, as a hen gathers her
chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.
See, your house is left to you desolate, for
I say to you, you shall see me no more till you
say, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the
Lord. Mark chapter 13 Then as he went out of
the temple, one of his disciples said to him,
Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings
are here. And Jesus answered and said to him,
Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone
shall be left upon another that shall not be
thrown down. Now as he sat on the Mount of Olives
opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and
Andrew asked him privately, Tell us, when will
these things be? And what will be the sign when
all these things will be fulfilled? And Jesus
answering them began to say, Take heed that no
one deceives you, for many will come in my name,
saying, I am he, and will deceive many. But when
you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be
troubled, for such things must happen, but the
end is not yet. For nation will rise against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there
will be earthquakes. in various places, and there
will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings
of sorrows. But watch out for yourselves, for
they will deliver you up to councils, and you
will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be
brought before rulers and kings for my sake,
for a testimony to them. And the gospel must
first be preached to all the nations. But when
they arrest you and deliver you up, Do not worry
beforehand or premeditate what you will speak.
But whatever is given you in that hour, speak
that. For it is not you who speak, but the Holy
Spirit. Now a brother will betray a brother to
death, and a father his child. And children will
rise up against parents and cause them to be
put to death. And you will be hated by all for
my name's sake. But he who endures to the end
shall be saved. So when you see the abomination
of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet,
standing where it ought not, let the reader understand.
Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
Let him who is on the housetop not go down into
the house, nor enter to take anything out of
his house. And let him who is in the field not
go back to get his clothes. But woe to those
who are pregnant, and to those who are nursing
babies in those days. and pray that your flight
may not be in winter. For in those days there
will be tribulation, such as has not been since
the beginning of the creation, which God created
until this time, nor ever shall be. And unless
the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would
be saved. But for the elect's sake, whom he chose,
he shortened the days. Then if anyone says to
you, Look, here is the Christ, or look, he is
there. Do not believe it. For false Christs and
false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders
to deceive, if possible, even the elect. But
take heed. See, I have told you all things beforehand.
But in those days, after the tribulation, the
sun will be darkened and the moon will not give
its light. The stars of heaven will fall and
the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then
they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds
with great power and glory. And then he will
send his angels and gather together his elect
from the four winds, from the farthest part of
the earth to the farthest part of heaven. Now
learn this parable from the fig tree. When its
branch has already become tender and put forth
leaves, you know that summer is near. So you
also, when you see these things happening, know
that it is near at the doors. Assuredly, I say
to you, this generation will by no means pass
away till all these things take place. Heaven
and earth will pass away, but my words will by
no means pass away. But of that day and hour
no one knows, not even the angels in heaven,
nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed,
watch and pray, for you do not know when the
time is. It is like a man going to a far country,
who left his house and gave authority to his
servants, and to each his work, and commanded
the doorkeeper to watch. Watch therefore, for
you do not know when the master of the house
is coming, in the evening, at midnight, at the
crowing of the rooster, or in the morning, lest
coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what
I say to you, I say to all, watch. Luke chapter
21 And he looked up and saw the rich putting
their gifts into the treasury. and he saw also
a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So
he said, Truly I say to you that this poor widow
has put in more than all, for all these out of
their abundance have put in offerings for God,
but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood
that she had. Then as some spoke of the temple,
how it was adorned with beautiful stones and
donations, he said, These things which you see,
The days will come in which not one stone shall
be left upon another that shall not be thrown
down. So they asked him, saying, Teacher, but
when will these things be? And what sign will
there be when these things are about to take
place? And he said, Take heed that you not be
deceived, for many will come in my name, saying,
I am he, and the time has drawn near. Therefore
do not go after them. But when you hear of wars
and commotions, do not be terrified, for these
things must come to pass first, but the end will
not come immediately. Then he said to them, Nation
will rise against nation and kingdom against
kingdom, and there will be great earthquakes
in various places and famines and pestilences,
and there will be fearful sights and great signs
from heaven. But before all these things, they
will lay their hands on you and persecute you.
delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons.
You will be brought before kings and rulers for
my name's sake, but it will turn out for you
as an occasion for testimony. Therefore, settle
it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand
on what you will answer, for I will give you
a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries
will not be able to contradict or resist. You
will be betrayed even by parents and brothers,
relatives and friends, and they will put some
of you to death. And you will be hated by all
for my name's sake. But not a hair of your head
shall be lost. By your patience possess your
souls. But when you see Jerusalem surrounded
by armies, then know that its desolation is near.
Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
Let those who are in the midst of her depart.
And let not those who are in the country enter
her. For these are the days of vengeance, that
all things which are written may be fulfilled.
But woe to those who are pregnant and to those
who are nursing babies in those days, for there
will be great distress in the land and wrath
upon this people. And they will fall by the edge
of the sword and be led away captive into all
nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles
until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon,
and in the stars, and on the earth distress of
nations, with perplexity the sea and the waves
roaring. men's hearts failing them from fear
and the expectation of those things which are
coming on the earth for the powers of the heavens
will be shaken then they will see the son of
man coming in a cloud with power and great glory
now when these things begin to happen look up
and lift up your heads because your redemption
draws near then he spoke to them a parable look
at the fig tree and all the trees When they are
already budding, you see and know for yourselves
that summer is now near. So you also, when you
see these things happening, know that the kingdom
of God is near. Assuredly I say to you, this
generation will by no means pass away till all
things take place. Heaven and earth will pass
away, but my words will by no means pass away.
But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts
be weighed down with carousing. drunkenness and
cares of this life and that day come on you unexpectedly
for it will come as a snare on all those who
dwell on the face of the whole earth watch therefore
and pray always that you may be counted worthy
to escape all these things that will come to
pass and to stand before the son of man and in
the daytime he was teaching in the temple but
at night he went out and stayed on the mountain
called olivet then early in the morning All the
people came to him in the temple to hear him.
I hope you enjoyed today's reading as much as
I did and I look forward to seeing you again
tomorrow to continue on our journey. God bless
you and have a great day.