Daily Gospel - Readings for wednesday, august 19, 2020. Pope Reflection

Daily Gospel - Readings for august 19, 2020.

Daily prayer for august 19.

Lord, pour out a blessing of strength on my heart so that it will help me to fulfill my commitments, to have the capacity to organize my life according to your love. I do not want despair, anguish and anxiety to catch me and rob me of my peace. I open my heart to receive all the good that you want to give me at this moment. Amen.

Reading for wednesday. Daily gospel

First Reading for daily Gospel: Reading from the book of the Prophet Ezekiel 34:1-11.

The word of the Lord was addressed to me as follows: "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: "Shepherds, the Lord says this: Trouble for the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Shepherds ought to feed their flock, yet you have fed on milk, you have dressed yourselves in wool, you have sacrificed the fattest sheep, but failed to feed the flock. You have failed to make weak sheep strong, or to care for the sick ones, or bandage the wounded ones. You have failed to bring back strays or look for the lost. On the contrary, you have ruled them cruelly and violently. For lack of a shepherd they have scattered, to become the prey of any wild animal; they have scattered far. My flock is straying this way and that, on mountains and on high hills; my flock has been scattered all over the country; no one bothers about them and no one looks for them. "Well then, shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. As I live, I swear it, it is the Lord who speaks, since my flock has been looted and for lack of a shepherd is now the prey of any wild animal, since my shepherds have stopped bothering about my flock, since my shepherds feed themselves rather than my flock, in view of all this, shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. The Lord says this: I am going to call the shepherds to account. I am going to take my flock back from them and I shall not allow them to feed my flock. In this way the shepherds will stop feeding themselves. I shall rescue my sheep from their mouths; they will not prey on them any more." "For the Lord says this: "I am going to look after my flock myself and keep all of it in view."

Daily Psalm for wednesday.

Psalm 22(23).

"The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want." (R).

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Fresh and green are the pastures where he gives me repose. Near restful waters he leads me, to revive my drooping spirit. (R).

He guides me along the right path; he is true to his name. If I should walk in the valley of darkness no evil would I fear. You are there with your crook and your staff; with these you give me comfort. (R).

You have prepared a banquet for me in the sight of my foes. My head you have anointed with oil; my cup is overflowing. (R).

Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life. In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever. (R).

Daily Gospel Acclamation.

"The word of God is something alive and active: it can judge secret emotions and thoughts. Alleluia!" (Cfr. Heb 4:12)

Daily Gospel for august 19. Matthew 20:1-16.

Daily Gospel reading for wednesday, august 19 (Parable of the workers of the last hour): "At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: "The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner going out at daybreak to hire workers for his vineyard. He made an agreement with the workers for one denarius a day, and sent them to his vineyard. Going out at about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place and said to them, "You go to my vineyard too and I will give you a fair wage." So they went. At about the sixth hour and again at about the ninth hour, he went out and did the same. Then at about the eleventh hour he went out and found more men standing round, and he said to them, "Why have you been standing here idle all day?" "Because no one has hired us" they answered. He said to them, "You go into my vineyard too." In the evening, the owner of the vineyard said to his bailiff, "Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last arrivals and ending with the first." So those who were hired at about the eleventh hour came forward and received one denarius each. When the first came, they expected to get more, but they too received one denarius each. They took it, but grumbled at the landowner. "The men who came last" they said "have done only one hour, and you have treated them the same as us, though we have done a heavy day’s work in all the heat." He answered one of them and said, "My friend, I am not being unjust to you; did we not agree on one denarius? Take your earnings and go. I choose to pay the last comer as much as I pay you. Have I no right to do what I like with my own? Why be envious because I am generous?" Thus the last will be first, and the first, last.".

Daily Gospel reflection by Pope Francis.

"The last will be first and the first will be last".

In the reading of the daily Gospel, we see that in the parable that Jesus tells, the Lord went out at least five times: at dawn, at nine o´clock, at noon, at three o´clock and at five o´clock in the afternoon. We still have time for him to come to us, eh? He was in such need in the vineyard and this gentleman has had all the time to go out into the streets and squares of the country to look for workers.

Think about that last hour: no one had called him; who knows how they could have felt, because at the end of the day they would not have taken home anything to feed their children. This is what daily Gospel tells us.

This, to all those who are responsible for pastoral work, you can find a nice example in this parable. Go out at different times of the day to go and meet those who are in search of the Lord. To reach out to the weakest and the most needy to give them the support to feel useful in the Lord´s vineyard, even if it is only for an hour.

(...) At times it seems that we are more concerned with multiplying activities rather than being attentive to people and their encounter with God. A ministry that does not have this attention gradually becomes sterile.

In the daily Gospel, let us not forget to do as Jesus did with his disciples: after they had gone through the villages to bring the Gospel proclamation, they returned happy for the success; but Jesus takes them aside, to an isolated place to be with them

Pastoral work without prayer and contemplation can never reach people´s hearts. It will stop at the surface without allowing the seed of the Word of God to be born, germinate, grow and bear fruit

(...) Let us do good, but without expecting the reward. Let us sow and bear witness. Witnessing is the beginning of an evangelization that touches the heart and transforms it. Witnessing is what leads to and gives validity to words. (Daily Gospel reflection. Audience with the participants in the International Meeting "The Pastoral Project of Evangelii Gaudium, September 19, 2014)

Daily Gospel Prayer for august 19.

Lord, your Word enlightens my heart so that I do not feel defeated. You tell me that the first will be the last and the last the first, so I must follow your humble steps. Make me understand that I can only be a faithful and useful servant when I am not tied to passing goods and that I must work with joy and without any complaint. Free me from the useless jealousy I feel for those who I think have not made the effort to give you the best. Fill me with confidence to feel that it is You who are guiding me. Give me courage and enthusiasm to bring consolation to those who seek you with difficulty. Thank You for encouraging me. I trust in your power and in the balance of your justice that lies in truth and love. Amen. (Healing with prayer daily gospel)

The Pope´s daily quotation.

"Dear sick brothers and sisters, do not lose hope, even in the most difficult moments. Christ is at your side" (Pope Francis)

Purpose for daily Gospel.

Today, I will take a little time alone and dedicate it to reading and meditating on the whole of Psalm 23, it is a powerful healing psalm to overcome loneliness.

🎧 Video of the daily Gospel.

Enjoy now the video meditation for wednesday, for the daily Gospel august 19, 2020. Matthew 20:1-16. Wednesday of the 20th Week in Ordinary Time.

Map of readings for the day.

• Initial readings

• Daily Gospel Readings

• Pope reflection

• Daily Gospel Prayer

• Daily Gospel Purpose

• Video meditation for the Gospel

Daily Gospel Intentions for august 19.

With the readings daily Gospel, let us pray for all those prayer intentions for today, wednesday, that you wish to express. When you meditate on the daily readings, you deepen your personal relationship with God and grow in love. Write down in the commentaries all that you want God to give you or heal you through the reading of his Word in the daily Gospel for august 19, 2020. God Bless you.