Thursday, October 29, 2026
Thursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary 482
First Reading — Ephesians 6:10–20
Ephesians 6:10–11 — Draw your strength from the Lord and His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so you can stand firm against the devil's schemes.
Ephesians 6:12–13 — Our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual powers of darkness. Be prepared to stand firm in the day of evil.
Ephesians 6:14–15 — Stand firmly in truth, wear righteousness as your breastplate, and be ready to proclaim the Gospel of peace.
Ephesians 6:16–17 — Take up faith as your shield, salvation as your helmet, and God's Word as the sword of the Spirit.
Ephesians 6:18–20 — Pray continually in the Spirit. Paul asks believers to pray that he may boldly proclaim the mystery of the Gospel, even while imprisoned.
Paul reminds first-century Christians that their strength comes from God. They are to remain faithful, spiritually prepared, and courageous in proclaiming Jesus Christ.
Responsorial Psalm — Psalm 144:1b, 2, 9–10
Response: Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
Psalm 144:1 — Praise the Lord, our rock, who strengthens and prepares His people for battle.
Psalm 144:2 — God is our fortress, deliverer, shield, and refuge. He is the One in whom we place our trust.
Psalm 144:9–10 — Sing a new song of praise to God, who grants victory to kings and delivers His servant David from danger.
The psalm celebrates God's faithfulness and protection. True security comes from trusting in His strength.
Alleluia — Luke 19:38; 2:14
Luke 19:38 — Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.
Luke 2:14 — Glory to God in heaven, and peace on earth to those who receive His favor.
Gospel — Luke 13:31–35
Luke 13:31 — Some Pharisees warn Jesus to leave the area because Herod wants to kill Him.
Luke 13:32 — Jesus refuses to be intimidated. He declares that He will continue casting out demons and healing people until His appointed work is accomplished.
Luke 13:33 — Jesus continues toward Jerusalem, knowing that His mission will lead Him to the city where the prophets have suffered and died.
Luke 13:34 — Jesus laments over Jerusalem, which has rejected and killed God's messengers. He longed to gather its people under His protection, as a hen gathers her chicks, but they were unwilling.
Luke 13:35 — Jesus warns that Jerusalem's house will be abandoned. He also speaks of a time when people will acknowledge the One who comes in the Lord's name.
Jesus reveals both His compassion and the seriousness of rejecting God's message. He desires to gather His people, yet warns that their unwillingness to receive Him will have consequences.
Kingdom Connection
Today's readings reveal God's faithfulness, the authority of Jesus Christ, and the approaching judgment upon Jerusalem.
Paul encourages first-century believers to stand firm in the strength of the Lord, clothed in truth, righteousness, faith, and salvation.
Jesus mourns over Jerusalem because its people had repeatedly rejected God's messengers. His warning that their house would be abandoned points toward the judgment that culminated in the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple in AD 70.
Yet Jesus' mission continued toward His sacrificial death and resurrection, establishing the New Covenant through which God's people are gathered into His everlasting Kingdom.
The Lord desired to gather His people, and through Jesus Christ, the way into God's eternal household was opened to all who believe.
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