Catholic lectionary for 14 November 2026

King James Version (en)

King James Version (en)

John, Chapter 1, verses 5-8

¹ The Divinity, Humanity and Office of Jesus Christ

⁵And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

⁶There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

⁷The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.

⁸He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

Read more:John, Chapter 1

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1

1:5 And the light shineth in darkness - Shines even on fallen man; but the darkness - Dark, sinful man, perceiveth it not.

1:6 There was a man - The evangelist now proceeds to him who testified of the light, which he had spoken of in the five preceding verses.

1:7 The same came for (that is, in order to give) a testimony - The evangelist, with the most strong and tender affection, interweaves his own testimony with that of John, by noble digressions, wherein he explains the office of the Baptist; partly premises and partly subjoins a farther explication to his short sentences. What St. Matthew, Mark, and Luke term the Gospel, in respect of the promise going before, St. John usually terms the testimony, intimating the certain knowledge of the relator; to testify of the light - Of Christ.

Luke, Chapter 18, verses 1-8

³ Of the importunate widow

¹And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

²Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:

³And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

⁴And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;

⁵Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.

⁶And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.

⁷And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

⁸I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Read more:Luke, Chapter 18

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18

18:1 He spake a parable to them - This and the following parable warn us against two fatal extremes, with regard to prayer: the former against faintness and weariness, the latter against self confidence.

18:7 And shall not God - The most just Judge, vindicate his own elect - Preserve the Christians from all their adversaries, and inparticular save them out of the general destruction, and avenge them of the Jews? Though he bear long with them - Though he does not immediately put an end, either to the wrongs of the wicked, or the sufferings of good men.

18:8 Yet when the Son of man cometh, will he find faith upon earth - Yet notwithstanding all the instances both of his long sufferingand of his justice, whenever he shall remarkably appear, against their enemies in this age or in after ages, how few true believers will be found upon earth!

NOTES

The story of the judge and the widow is full of comedy, and it is no coincidence that its plot comes to mind when reading one of Chekhov's short stories. One can just see this persistent woman, capable of exasperating anyone. But here is what is striking...

In what sense does Jesus call us to be “like children”? How is a child's perception of the world so different from ours? A hint of the answer can be found in the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee. It would seem that the Pharisee is telling the complete truth about himself. He was hardly being hypocritical when...

In what sense does Jesus call us to be “like children”? How is a child's perception of the world so different from ours? A hint of the answer can be found in the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee. It would seem that the Pharisee is telling the complete truth about himself. He was hardly being hypocritical when he thanked God that he was not like the tax collector standing beside him. No Pharisee would ever allow himself to commit a deliberate sin. There were exceptions, of course, but on the whole the Pharisees, as deeply and sincerely religious people, really did try to avoid every sin.

To become a publican, a tax collector, and cooperate with the Roman authorities was an obvious sin in the Pharisees' eyes. And the tax collector himself, it should be noted, has no doubt about this at all. He merely asks God to forgive the sins he has committed without even trying to justify himself. He understands no less well than the Pharisee standing beside him that apart from his sins he has nothing to present to God. The Pharisee is in a different position: he has something to say to God and something for which to thank Him. Indeed, what religious person does not thank God for the life He has given him? At least as long as that life proceeds more or less steadily, without serious crises or spiritual breakdowns.

The problem here is not what each of them has brought to God. The problem is whom the Pharisee is looking at and whom the tax collector is looking at. The Pharisee looks at himself. He lists his merits before God and admires himself. It is as though he were saying to God: look at how good You have made me! Thank You, Lord, that I have turned out so well in Your hands. And there would be nothing wrong even with such gratitude but for one thing: the Pharisee has no time to communicate with God. He is occupied with self-presentation. He is presenting himself to his God.

But God wants simple, ordinary communication. He already knows everyone; He knows that the Pharisee has succeeded in his religious life. What matters to Him is that the Pharisee should succeed equally well in his spiritual life. And for this a person must look not at himself, but at God, even if he is very religious, and perhaps especially if he is very religious. One can live a spiritual life only by keeping one's eyes fixed on God. Like the tax collector. He repents of his sins without taking his eyes off God. That is what matters most. God will do the rest. For Him there are no insurmountable sins. And this is where children find it easier than adults.

Up to a certain age, they usually pay almost no attention to themselves or to how they look in the eyes of others. They are not focused on themselves. Even if a child is a pronounced introvert, he does not look at himself. He simply lives in his inner world and looks at that inner world, not at himself. This freedom from self-absorption is the most important condition for a full spiritual life. Otherwise it is impossible to keep one's eyes fixed on God, and such a gaze is a necessary condition of salvation. Necessary and, on the whole, sufficient, for nothing is impossible to God's love.

Here the evangelist John speaks about the essence of what he witnessed: the earthly life of Jesus Christ. Looking back sixty years after the events described, he sees and names the main thing...

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