Category: Daily Readings

  • March 8, 2024

    Hosea 14: 2- 10

    14:2Israel, convert to the Lord your God. For you have been ruined by your own iniquity.
    14:3Take these words with you and return to the Lord. And say to him, “Remove all iniquity and accept the good. And we will repay the calves of our lips.
    14:4Assur will not save us; we will not ride on horses. Neither will we say any more, ‘The works of our hands are our gods,’ for those that are in you will have mercy on the orphan.”
    14:5I will heal their contrition; I will love them spontaneously. For my wrath has been turned away from them.
    14:6I will be like the dew; Israel will spring forth like the lily, and his root will spread out like that of the cedars of Lebanon.
    14:7His branches will advance, and his glory will be like the olive tree, and his fragrance will be like that of the cedars of Lebanon.
    14:8They will be converted, sitting in his shadow. They will live on wheat, and they will grow like a vine. His memorial will be like the wine of the cedars of Lebanon.
    14:9Ephraim will say, “What are idols to me any more?” I will listen to him, and I will set him straight like a healthy spruce tree. Your fruit has been found by me.
    14:10Who is wise and will understand this? Who has understanding and will know these things? For the ways of the Lord are straight, and the just will walk in them, but truly, the traitors will fall in them.

    Mark 12: 28- 34

    12:28And one of the scribes, who had heard them arguing, drew near to him. And seeing that he had answered them well, he questioned him as to which was the first commandment of all.
    12:29And Jesus answered him: “For the first commandment of all is this: ‘Listen, O Israel. The Lord your God is one God.
    12:30And you shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart, and from your whole soul, and from your whole mind, and from your whole strength. This is the first commandment.’
    12:31But the second is similar to it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
    12:32And the scribe said to him: Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth that there is one God, and there is no other beside him;
    12:33and that he should be loved from the whole heart, and from the whole understanding, and from the whole soul, and from the whole strength. And to love one’s neighbor as one’s self is greater than all holocausts and sacrifices.”
    12:34And Jesus, seeing that he had responded wisely, said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared to question him.
  • March 7, 2024

    Jeremiah 7: 23- 28

    7:23But on this matter I did instruct them, saying: Listen to my voice, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. And walk in the entire way that I have commanded you, so that it may be well with you.
    7:24But they did not listen, nor did they incline their ear. Instead, they walked by their own will and in the depravity of their own wicked heart. And so, they went backward, and not forward,
    7:25from the day when their fathers went forth from the land of Egypt, even to this day. And I have sent all my servants, the prophets, to you, throughout the day, rising at first light and sending them.
    7:26But they have not listened to me, nor have they inclined their ear. Instead, they have stiffened their neck, and they have behaved worse than their fathers did.
    7:27And so, you will speak to them all these words, but they will not listen to you. And you will call to them, but they will not respond to you.
    7:28And you will say to them: This is the nation that has not listened to the voice of the Lord their God, nor accepted discipline. Faith has perished and been taken away from their mouth.

    Luke 11: 14- 23

    11:14And he was casting out a demon, and the man was mute. But when he had cast out the demon, the mute man spoke, and so the crowds were amazed.
    11:15But some of them said, “It is by Beelzebub, the leader of demons, that he casts out demons.”
    11:16And others, testing him, required a sign from heaven of him.
    11:17But when he perceived their thoughts, he said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself will become desolate, and house will fall upon house.
    11:18So then, if Satan is also divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that it is by Beelzebub that I cast out demons.
    11:19But if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your own sons cast them out? Therefore, they shall be your judges.
    11:20Moreover, if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then certainly the kingdom of God has overtaken you.
    11:21When a strong armed man guards his entrance, the things that he possesses are at peace.
    11:22But if a stronger one, overwhelming him, has defeated him, he will take away all his weapons, in which he trusted, and he will distribute his spoils.
    11:23Whoever is not with me, is against me. And whoever does not gather with me, scatters.
  • March 6, 2024

    Deuteronomy 4: 1, 5- 9

    4:1“And now, O Israel, listen to the precepts and judgments which I am teaching to you, so that, by doing these, you may live, and you may enter and possess the land, which the Lord, the God of your fathers, will give to you.
    4:5You know that I have taught you precepts as well as justices, just as the Lord my God has commanded me. And so shall you do in the land that you will possess.
    4:6And you shall observe and fulfill these in practice. For this is your wisdom and understanding in the sight of the peoples, so that, upon hearing all these precepts, they may say: ‘Lo, a wise and understanding people, a great nation.’
    4:7Neither is there any other nation so great, which has its gods so near to them, as our God is present to all our petitions.
    4:8For what other nation is there so renowned as to have ceremonies, and just judgments, and the entire law that I will set forth today before your eyes?
    4:9And so, guard yourself and your soul carefully. You should not forget the words that your eyes have seen, and do not let them be cut away from your heart, throughout all the days of your life. You shall teach them to your sons and to your grandsons,

    Matthew 5: 17- 19

    5:17Do not think that I have come to loosen the law or the prophets. I have not come to loosen, but to fulfill.
    5:18Amen I say to you, certainly, until heaven and earth pass away, not one iota, not one dot shall pass away from the law, until all is done.
    5:19Therefore, whoever will have loosened one of the least of these commandments, and have taught men so, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever will have done and taught these, such a one shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

  • March 5, 2024

    Daniel 3: 25, 34- 43

    3:25Then Azariah, while standing, prayed in this manner, and opening his mouth in the midst of the fire, he said:
    3:34Do not hand us over forever, we ask you, because of your name, and do not abolish your covenant.
    3:35And do not withdraw your mercy from us, because of Abraham, your beloved, and Isaac, your servant, and Israel, your holy one.
    3:36You have spoken with them, promising that you would multiply their offspring like the stars of heaven and like the sand on the seashore.
    3:37For we, O Lord, are diminished more than all other peoples, and we are brought low throughout all the earth, this day, because of our sins.
    3:38Neither is there, at this time, a leader, or a ruler, or a prophet, nor any holocaust, or sacrifice, or oblation, or incense, or place of first fruits, in your eyes,
    3:39so that we may be able to find your mercy. Nevertheless, with a contrite soul and humble spirit, let us be accepted.
    3:40Just as in the holocausts of rams and bullocks, and as in thousands of fat lambs, so let our sacrifice be in your sight this day, in order to please you. For there is no shame for those who trust in you.
    3:41And now we follow you wholeheartedly, and we fear you, and we seek your face.
    3:42Do not put us to shame, but deal with us in agreement with your clemency and according to the multitude of your mercies.
    3:43And rescue us by your wonders and give glory to your name, O Lord.

    Matthew 18: 21- 35

    18:21Then Peter, drawing near to him, said: “Lord, how many times shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Even seven times?”
    18:22Jesus said to him: “I do not say to you, even seven times, but even seventy times seven times.
    18:23Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is compared to a man who was king, who wanted to take account of his servants.
    18:24And when he had begun taking account, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.
    18:25But since he did not have any way to repay it, his lord ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children, and all that he had, in order to repay it.
    18:26But that servant, falling prostrate, begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will repay it all to you.’
    18:27Then the lord of that servant, being moved with pity, released him, and he forgave his debt.
    18:28But when that servant departed, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him one hundred denarius. And taking hold of him, he choked him, saying: ‘Repay what you owe.’
    18:29And his fellow servant, falling prostrate, petitioned him, saying: ‘Have patience with me, and I will repay it all to you.’
    18:30But he was not willing. Instead, he went out and had him sent to prison, until he would repay the debt.
    18:31Now his fellow servants, seeing what was done, were greatly saddened, and they went and reported to their lord all that was done.
    18:32Then his lord called him, and he said to him: ‘You wicked servant, I forgave you all your debt, because you pleaded with me.
    18:33Therefore, should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I also had compassion on you?’
    18:34And his lord, being angry, handed him over to the torturers, until he repaid the entire debt.
    18:35So, too, shall my heavenly Father do to you, if each one of you will not forgive his brother from your hearts.”
  • March 4, 2024

    Second Book of Kings 5: 1- 15

    5:1Naaman, the leader of the military of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man with his lord. For through him the Lord gave salvation to Syria. And he was a strong and rich man, but a leper.
    5:2Now robbers had gone out from Syria, and they had led away captive, from the land of Israel, a little girl. And she was in the service of the wife of Naaman.
    5:3And she said to her lady: “I wish that my lord had been with the prophet who is in Samaria. Certainly, he would have cured him of the leprosy that he has.”
    5:4And so, Naaman entered to his lord, and he reported to him, saying: “The girl from the land of Israel spoke in such a manner.”
    5:5And the king of Syria said to him, “Go, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” And when he had set out, he had taken with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand gold coins, and ten changes of fine clothing.
    5:6And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, in these words: “When you will receive this letter, know that I have sent to you my servant, Naaman, so that you may heal him of his leprosy.”
    5:7And when the king of Israel had read the letter, he tore his garments, and he said: “Am I God, so that I could take or give life, or so that this man would send to me to cure a man from his leprosy? Take notice and see that he is seeking occasions against me.”
    5:8And when Elisha, the man of God, had heard this, specifically, that the king of Israel had torn his garments, he sent to him, saying: “Why have you torn your garments? Let him come to me, and let him know that there is a prophet in Israel.”
    5:9Therefore, Naaman arrived with his horses and chariots, and he stood at the door of the house of Elisha.
    5:10And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go, and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will receive health, and you will be clean.”
    5:11And becoming angry, Naaman went away, saying: “I thought that he would have come out to me, and, standing, would have invoked the name of the Lord, his God, and that he would have touched the place of the leprosy with his hand, and so have healed me.
    5:12Are not the Abana and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel, so that I might wash in them and be cleansed?” But then, after he had turned himself away and was leaving with indignation,
    5:13his servants approached him, and they said to him: “If the prophet had told you, father, to do something great, certainly you ought to have done it. How much more so, now that he has said to you: ‘Wash, and you will be clean?’ ”
    5:14So he descended and washed in the Jordan seven times, in accord with the word of the man of God. And his flesh was restored, like the flesh of a little child. And he was made clean.
    5:15And returning to the man of God, with his entire retinue, he arrived, and stood before him, and he said: “Truly, I know there is no other God, in all the earth, except in Israel. And so I beg you to accept a blessing from your servant.”

    Luke 4: 24- 30

    4:24Then he said: “Amen I say to you, that no prophet is accepted in his own country.
    4:25In truth, I say to you, there were many widows in the days of Elijah in Israel, when the heavens were closed for three years and six months, when a great famine had occurred throughout the entire land.
    4:26And to none of these was Elijah sent, except to Zarephath of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
    4:27And there were many lepers in Israel under the prophet Elisha. And none of these was cleansed, except Naaman the Syrian.”
    4:28And all those in the synagogue, upon hearing these things, were filled with anger.
    4:29And they rose up and drove him beyond the city. And they brought him all the way to the edge of the mount, upon which their city had been built, so that they might thrown him down violently.
    4:30But passing through their midst, he went away.
  • March 3, 2024

    Exodus 20: 1- 17

    20:1And the Lord spoke all these words:
    20:2“I am the Lord your God, who led you away from the land of Egypt, out of the house of servitude.
    20:3You shall not have strange gods before me.
    20:4You shall not make for yourself a graven image, nor a likeness of anything that is in heaven above or on earth below, nor of those things which are in the waters under the earth.
    20:5You shall not adore them, nor shall you worship them. I am the Lord your God: strong, zealous, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the sons to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,
    20:6and showing mercy to thousands of those who love me and keep my precepts.
    20:7You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. For the Lord will not hold harmless one who takes the name of the Lord his God falsely.
    20:8Remember that you are to sanctify the day of the Sabbath.
    20:9For six days, you will work and accomplish all your tasks.
    20:10But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. You shall not do any work in it: you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, your beast and the newcomer who is within your gates.
    20:11For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all the things that are in them, and so he rested on the seventh day. For this reason, the Lord has blessed the day of the Sabbath and sanctified it.
    20:12Honor your father and your mother, so that you may have a long life upon the land, which the Lord your God will give to you.
    20:13You shall not murder.
    20:14You shall not commit adultery.
    20:15You shall not steal.
    20:16You shall not speak false testimony against your neighbor.
    20:17You shall not covet the house of your neighbor; neither shall you desire his wife, nor male servant, nor female servant, nor ox, nor donkey, nor anything that is his.”

    First Corinthians 1: 22- 25

    1:22For the Jews ask for signs, and the Greeks seek wisdom.
    1:23But we are preaching Christ crucified. Certainly, to the Jews, this is a scandal, and to the Gentiles, this is foolishness.
    1:24But to those who have been called, Jews as well as Greeks, the Christ is the virtue of God and the wisdom of God.
    1:25For what is foolishness to God is considered wise by men, and that which is weakness to God is considered strong by men.

    John 2: 13- 25

    2:13And the Passover of the Jews was near, and so Jesus ascended to Jerusalem.
    2:14And he found, sitting in the temple, sellers of oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers.
    2:15And when he had made something like a whip out of little cords, he drove them all out of the temple, including the sheep and the oxen. And he poured out the brass coins of the moneychangers, and he overturned their tables.
    2:16And to those who were selling doves, he said: “Take these things out of here, and do not make my Father’s house into a house of commerce.”
    2:17And truly, his disciples were reminded that it is written: “Zeal for your house consumes me.”
    2:18Then the Jews responded and said to him, “What sign can you show to us, that you may do these things?”
    2:19Jesus responded and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
    2:20Then the Jews said, “This temple has been built up over forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?”
    2:21Yet he was speaking about the Temple of his body.
    2:22Therefore, when he had resurrected from the dead, his disciples were reminded that he had said this, and they believed in the Scriptures and in the word that Jesus had spoken.
    2:23Now while he was at Jerusalem during the Passover, on the day of the feast, many trusted in his name, seeing his signs that he was accomplishing.
    2:24But Jesus did not trust himself to them, because he himself had knowledge of all persons,
    2:25and because he had no need of anyone to offer testimony about a man. For he knew what was within a man.
  • March 2, 2024

    Micah 7: 14- 15, 18- 20

    7:14With your rod, pasture your people, the flock of your inheritance, living alone in the narrow forest, in the midst of Carmel. They will graze in Bashan and Gilead, as in the ancient days.
    7:15As in the days of your departure from the land of Egypt, I will reveal miracles to him.
    7:18What God is like you, who takes away iniquity and passes over the sin of the remnant of your inheritance? No longer will he send forth his fury, because he is willing to be merciful.
    7:19He will turn back and have mercy on us. He will put away our iniquities, and he will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.
    7:20You will give the truth to Jacob, mercy to Abraham, which you swore to our fathers from the ancient days.

    Luke 15: 1- 3, 11- 32

    15:1Now tax collectors and sinners were drawing near to him, so that they might listen to him.
    15:2And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, “This one accepts sinners and eats with them.”
    15:3And he told this parable to them, saying:
    15:11And he said: “A certain man had two sons.
    15:12And the younger of them said to the father, ‘Father, give me the portion of your estate which would go to me.’ And he divided the estate between them.
    15:13And after not many days, the younger son, gathering it all together, set out on a long journey to a distant region. And there, he dissipated his substance, living in luxury.
    15:14And after he had consumed it all, a great famine occurred in that region, and he began to be in need.
    15:15And he went and attached himself to one of the citizens of that region. And he sent him to his farm, in order to feed the swine.
    15:16And he wanted to fill his belly with the scraps that the swine ate. But no one would give it to him.
    15:17And returning to his senses, he said: ‘How many hired hands in my father’s house have abundant bread, while I perish here in famine!
    15:18I shall rise up and go to my father, and I will say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.
    15:19I am not worthy to be called your son. Make me one of your hired hands.’
    15:20And rising up, he went to his father. But while he was still at a distance, his father saw him, and he was moved with compassion, and running to him, he fell upon his neck and kissed him.
    15:21And the son said to him: ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. Now I am not worthy to be called your son.’
    15:22But the father said to his servants: ‘Quickly! Bring out the best robe, and clothe him with it. And put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet.
    15:23And bring the fatted calf here, and kill it. And let us eat and hold a feast.
    15:24For this son of mine was dead, and has revived; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to feast.
    15:25But his elder son was in the field. And when he returned and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.
    15:26And he called one of the servants, and he questioned him as to what these things meant.
    15:27And he said to him: ‘Your brother has returned, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has received him safely.’
    15:28Then he became indignant, and he was unwilling to enter. Therefore, his father, going out, began to plead with him.
    15:29And in response, he said to his father: ‘Behold, I have been serving you for so many years. And I have never transgressed your commandment. And yet, you have never given me even a young goat, so that I might feast with my friends.
    15:30Yet after this son of yours returned, who has devoured his substance with loose women, you have killed the fatted calf for him.’
    15:31But he said to him: ‘Son, you are with me always, and all that I have is yours.
    15:32But it was necessary to feast and to rejoice. For this brother of yours was dead, and has revived; he was lost, and is found.’ ”
  • March 1, 2024

    Genesis 37: 3-4, 12- 13, 17- 28

    37:3Now Israel loved Joseph above all his sons, because he had conceived him in his old age. And he made him a tunic, woven of many colors.
    37:4Then his brothers, seeing that he was loved by his father more than all his other sons, hated him, and they were not able to say anything peacefully to him.
    37:12And while his brothers were lodging at Shechem, pasturing their father’s flocks,
    37:13Israel said to him: “Your brothers are pasturing the sheep at Shechem. Come, I will send you to them.” And when he answered,
    37:17And the man said to him: “They have withdrawn from this place. But I heard them saying, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” Therefore, Joseph continued on after his brothers, and he found them at Dothan.
    37:18And, when they had seen him from afar, before he approached them, they decided to kill him.
    37:19And they said one to another: “Behold, the dreamer approaches.
    37:20Come, let us kill him and cast him into the old cistern. And let us say: ‘an evil wild beast has devoured him.’ And then it will become apparent what his dreams will do for him.”
    37:21But Reuben, on hearing this, strove to free him from their hands, and he said:
    37:22“Do not take away his life, nor shed blood. But throw him into this cistern, which is in the wilderness, and so keep your hands harmless.” But he said this, wanting to rescue him from their hands, so as to return him to his father.
    37:23And so, as soon as he came to his brothers, they very quickly stripped him of his tunic, which was ankle-length and woven of many colors,
    37:24and they cast him into an old cistern, which held no water.
    37:25And sitting down to eat bread, they saw some Ishmaelites, travelers coming from Gilead, with their camels, carrying spices, and resin, and oil of myrrh into Egypt.
    37:26Therefore, Judah said to his brothers: “What will it profit us, if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?
    37:27It is better that he be sold to the Ishmaelites, and then our hands will not be defiled. For he is our brother and our flesh.” His brothers agreed to his words.
    37:28And when the Midianite merchants were passing by, they drew him from the cistern, and they sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And these led him into Egypt.

    Matthew 21: 33- 43, 45- 46

    21:33Listen to another parable. There was a man, the father of a family, who planted a vineyard, and surrounded it with a hedge, and dug a press in it, and built a tower. And he loaned it out to farmers, and he set out to sojourn abroad.
    21:34Then, when the time of the fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the farmers, so that they might receive its fruits.
    21:35And the farmers apprehended his servants; they struck one, and killed another, and stoned yet another.
    21:36Again, he sent other servants, more than
    before; and they treated them similarly.
    21:37Then, at the very end, he sent his son to them, saying: ‘They will revere my son.’
    21:38But the farmers, seeing the son, said among themselves: ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and then we will have his inheritance.’
    21:39And apprehending him, they cast him outside the vineyard, and they killed him.
    21:40Therefore, when the lord of the vineyard arrives, what will he do to those farmers?”
    21:41They said to him, “He will bring those evil men to an evil end, and he will loan out his vineyard to other farmers, who shall repay to him the fruit in its time.”
    21:42Jesus said to them: “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders have rejected has become the cornerstone. By the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes?’
    21:43Therefore, I say to you, that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and it shall be given to a people who shall produce its fruits.
    21:45And when the leaders of the priests, and the Pharisees had heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them.
    21:46And though they sought to take hold of him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet.
  • February 29, 2024

    Jeremiah 17: 5- 10

    17:5Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is a man who trusts in man, and who establishes what is flesh as his right arm, and whose heart withdraws from the Lord.
    17:6For he will be like a saltcedar tree in the desert. And he will not perceive it, when what is good has arrived. Instead, he will live in dryness, in a desert, in a land of salt, which is uninhabitable.
    17:7Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, for the Lord will be his confidence.
    17:8And he will be like a tree planted beside waters, which sends out its roots to moist soil. And it will not fear when the heat arrives. And its leaves will be green. And in the time of drought, it will not be anxious, nor will it cease at any time to bear fruit.
    17:9The heart is depraved above all things, and it is unsearchable, who can know it?
    17:10I am the Lord, who examines the heart and tests the temperament, who gives to each one according to his way and according to the fruit of his own decisions.

    Luke 16: 19- 31

    16:19A certain man was wealthy, and he was clothed in purple and in fine linen. And he feasted splendidly every day.
    16:20And there was a certain beggar, named Lazarus, who lay at his gate, covered with sores,
    16:21wanting to be filled with the crumbs which were falling from the wealthy man’s table. But no one gave it to him. And even the dogs came and licked his sores.
    16:22Then it happened that the beggar died, and he was carried by the Angels into the bosom of Abraham. Now the wealthy man also died, and he was entombed in Hell.
    16:23Then lifting up his eyes, while he was in torments, he saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom.
    16:24And crying out, he said: ‘Father Abraham, take pity on me and send Lazarus, so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water to refresh my tongue. For I am tortured in this fire.’
    16:25And Abraham said to him: ‘Son, recall that you received good things in your life, and in comparison, Lazarus received bad things. But now he is consoled, and truly you are tormented.
    16:26And besides all this, between us and you a great chaos has been established, so that those who might want to cross from here to you are not able, nor can someone cross from there to here.’
    16:27And he said: ‘Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers,
    16:28so that he may testify to them, lest they also come into this place of torments.’
    16:29And Abraham said to him: ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.’
    16:30So he said: ‘No, father Abraham. But if someone were to go to them from the dead, they would repent.’
    16:31But he said to him: ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they believe even if someone has resurrected from the dead.’ ”
  • February 28, 2024

    Jeremiah 18: 18- 20

    18:18And they said: “Come, and let us devise a plan against Jeremiah. For the law will not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor a sermon from the prophet. Come, and let us strike him with the tongue, and let us pay no attention to any of his words.”
    18:19Attend to me, O Lord, and hear the voice of my adversaries.
    18:20Should evil be rendered for good? For they have dug a pit for my soul! Remember that I have stood in your sight, so as to speak on their behalf for good, and to avert your indignation from them.

    Matthew 20: 17- 28

    20:17And Jesus, ascending to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside in private and said to them:
    20:18“Behold, we are ascending to Jerusalem, and the Son of man shall be handed over to the leaders of the priests and to the scribes. And they shall condemn him to death.
    20:19And they shall hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified. And on the third day, he shall rise again.”
    20:20Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached him, with her sons, adoring him, and petitioning something from him.
    20:21And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Declare that these, my two sons, may sit, one at your right hand, and the other at your left, in your kingdom.”
    20:22But Jesus, responding, said: “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink from the chalice, from which I will drink?” They said to him, “We are able.”
    20:23He said to them: “From my chalice, indeed, you shall drink. But to sit at my right or my left is not mine to give to you, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”
    20:24And the ten, upon hearing this, became indignant with the two brothers.
    20:25But Jesus called them to himself and said: “You know that the first ones among the Gentiles are their rulers, and that those who are greater exercise power among them.
    20:26It shall not be this way among you. But whoever will want to be greater among you, let him be your minister.
    20:27And whoever will want to be first among you, he shall be your servant,
    20:28even as the Son of man has not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a redemption for many.”