Daily Mass Readings for October 03, 2026: Gospel — Lc 10,17-24

¹ Then Job answered the Lord: ² “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted; ³ you asked, ‘Who is this who darkens counsel without knowledge?’ But I have declared without understanding things too wonderful for me to know. 5 :¹ “Call now! Is there anyone who will answer you? To which of the holy ones will you turn? ² For wrath kills the foolish person, and anger slays the silly one. ³ I myself have seen the fool taking root, but suddenly I cursed his place of residence. ⁴ His children are far from safety, and they are crushed at the place where judgment is rendered, nor is there anyone to deliver them. ⁵ The hungry eat up his harvest, and take it even from behind the thorns, and the thirsty pant for their wealth. ⁶ For evil does not come up from the dust, nor does trouble spring up from the ground, ⁷ but people are born to trouble, as surely as the sparks fly upward. ⁸ “But as for me, I would seek God, and to God I would set forth my case. ⁹ He does great and unsearchable things, marvelous things without number; 1 ⁰ he gives rain on the earth, and sends water on the fields; 1 ¹ he sets the lowly on high, that those who mourn are raised to safety. 1 ² He frustrates the plans of the crafty so that their hands cannot accomplish what they had planned. 1 ³ He catches the wise in their own craftiness, and the counsel of the cunning is brought to a quick end. 1 ⁴ They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope about in the noontime as if it were night. 1 ⁵ So he saves from the sword that comes from their mouth, even the poor from the hand of the powerful. 1 ⁶ Thus the poor have hope, and iniquity shuts its mouth. 1 ⁷ “Therefore, blessed is the man whom God corrects, so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. 1 ⁸ For he wounds, but he also bandages; he strikes, but his hands also heal. 1 ⁹ He will deliver you from six calamities; yes, in seven no evil will touch you. 2 ⁰ In time of famine he will redeem you from death, and in time of war from the power of the sword. 2 ¹ You will be protected from malicious gossip and will not be afraid of the destruction when it comes. 2 ² You will laugh at destruction and famine and need not be afraid of the beasts of the earth. 2 ³ For you will have a pact with the stones of the field, and the wild animals will be at peace with you. 2 ⁴ And you will know that your home will be secure, and when you inspect your domains, you will not be missing anything. 2 ⁵ You will also know that your children will be numerous and your descendants like the grass of the earth. 2 ⁶ You will come to your grave in a full age, As stacks of grain are harvested in their season. 2 ⁷ Look, we have investigated this, so it is true. Hear it, and apply it for your own good.” 6 :¹ Then Job responded: ² “Oh, if only my grief could be weighed, and my misfortune laid on the scales too! ³ But because it is heavier than the sand of the sea, that is why my words have been wild. ⁴ For the arrows of the Almighty are within me; my spirit drinks their poison; God’s sudden terrors are arrayed against me. ⁵ “Does the wild donkey bray when it is near grass? Or does the ox bellow over its fodder? ⁶ Can food that is tasteless be eaten without salt? Or is there any taste in the white of an egg? ⁷ I have refused to touch such things; they are like loathsome food to me. ⁸ “Oh that my request would be realized, and that God would grant me what I long for! ⁹ And that God would be willing to crush me, that he would let loose his hand and kill me. 1 ⁰ Then I would yet have my comfort, then I would rejoice, in spite of pitiless pain, for I have not concealed the words of the Holy One. 1 ¹ What is my strength, that I should wait? And what is my end, that I should prolong my life? 1 ² Is my strength like that of stones? Or is my flesh made of bronze? 1 ³ Is not my power to help myself nothing, and has not every resource been driven from me? 1 ⁴ “To the one in despair, kindness should come from his friend even if he forsakes the fear of the Almighty. 1 ⁵ My brothers have been as treacherous as a seasonal stream, and as the riverbeds of the intermittent streams that flow away. 1 ⁶ They are dark because of ice; snow is piled up over them. 1 ⁷ When they are scorched, they dry up, when it is hot, they vanish from their place. 1 ⁸ Caravans turn aside from their routes; they go into the wasteland and perish. 1 ⁹ The caravans of Tema looked intently for these streams; the traveling merchants of Sheba hoped for them. 2 ⁰ They were distressed because each one had been so confident; they arrived there, but were disappointed. 2 ¹ For now you have become like these streams that are no help; you see a terror and are afraid. 2 ² “Have I ever said, ‘Give me something, and from your fortune make gifts in my favor’? 2 ³ Or, ‘Deliver me from the enemy’s power, and from the hand of tyrants ransom me’? 2 ⁴ “Teach me, and I, for my part, will be silent; explain to me how I have been mistaken. 2 ⁵ How painful are honest words! But what does your reproof prove? 2 ⁶ Do you intend to criticize mere words, and treat the words of a despairing man as wind? 2 ⁷ Yes, you would gamble for the fatherless, and auction off your friend. 2 ⁸ “Now then, be good enough to look at me; and I will not lie to your face! 2 ⁹ Relent, let there be no falsehood; reconsider, for my righteousness is intact! 3 ⁰ Is there any falsehood on my lips? Can my mouth not discern evil things? 1 2 :¹ Then Job answered: ² “Without a doubt you are the people, and wisdom will die with you. ³ I also have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Who does not know such things as these? ⁴ I am a laughingstock to my friends, I, who called on God and whom he answered— a righteous and blameless man is a laughingstock! ⁵ For calamity, there is derision (according to the ideas of the fortunate)— a fate for those whose feet slip. ⁶ But the tents of robbers are peaceful, and those who provoke God are confident— who carry their god in their hands. ⁷ “But now, ask the animals and they will teach you, or the birds of the sky and they will tell you. ⁸ Or speak to the earth and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea declare to you. ⁹ Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? 1 ⁰ In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all the human race. 1 ¹ Does not the ear test words, as the tongue tastes food? 1 ² Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding? 1 ³ With God are wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his. 1 ⁴ If he tears down, it cannot be rebuilt; if he imprisons a person, there is no escape. 1 ⁵ If he holds back the waters, then they dry up; if he releases them, they destroy the land. 1 ⁶ With him are strength and prudence; both the one who goes astray and the one who misleads are his. 1 ⁷ He leads counselors away stripped and makes judges into fools. 1 ⁸ He loosens the bonds of kings and binds a loincloth around their waist. 1 ⁹ He leads priests away stripped and overthrows the potentates. 2 ⁰ He deprives the trusted advisers of speech and takes away the discernment of elders. 2 ¹ He pours contempt on noblemen and disarms the powerful. 2 ² He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings deep shadows into the light. 2 ³ He makes nations great and destroys them; he extends the boundaries of nations and disperses them. 2 ⁴ He deprives the leaders of the earth of their understanding; he makes them wander in a trackless desert waste. 2 ⁵ They grope about in darkness without light; he makes them stagger like drunkards. 1 3 :¹ “Indeed, my eyes have seen all this; my ears have heard and understood it. ² What you know, I know also; I am not inferior to you! ³ But I wish to speak to the Almighty, and I desire to argue my case with God. ⁴ But you, however, are inventors of lies; all of you are worthless physicians! ⁵ If only you would keep completely silent! For you, that would be wisdom. ⁶ Listen now to my argument, and be attentive to my lips’ contentions. ⁷ Will you speak wickedly on God’s behalf? Will you speak deceitfully for him? ⁸ Will you show him partiality? Will you argue the case for God? ⁹ Would it turn out well if he would examine you? Or as one deceives a man would you deceive him? 1 ⁰ He would certainly rebuke you if you secretly showed partiality. 1 ¹ Would not his splendor terrify you and the fear he inspires fall on you? 1 ² Your maxims are proverbs of ashes; your defenses are defenses of clay. 1 ³ “Refrain from talking with me so that I may speak; then let come to me what may. 1 ⁴ Why do I put myself in peril, and take my life in my hands? 1 ⁵ Even if he slays me, I will hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face. 1 ⁶ Moreover, this will become my deliverance, for no godless person would come before him. 1 ⁷ Listen carefully to my words; let your ears be attentive to my explanation. 1 ⁸ See now, I have prepared my case; I know that I am right. 1 ⁹ Who will contend with me? If anyone can, I will be silent and die. 2 ⁰ Only in two things spare me, O God, and then I will not hide from your face: 2 ¹ Remove your hand far from me and stop making me afraid with your terror. 2 ² Then call, and I will answer, or I will speak, and you respond to me. 2 ³ How many are my iniquities and sins? Show me my transgression and my sin. 2 ⁴ Why do you hide your face and regard me as your enemy? 2 ⁵ Do you wish to torment a windblown leaf and chase after dry chaff? 2 ⁶ For you write down bitter things against me and cause me to inherit the sins of my youth. 2 ⁷ And you put my feet in the stocks and you watch all my movements; you put marks on the soles of my feet. 2 ⁸ So I waste away like something rotten, like a garment eaten by moths. 1 4 :¹ “Man, born of woman, lives but a few days, and they are full of trouble. ² He grows up like a flower and then withers away; he flees like a shadow and does not remain. ³ Do you fix your eye on such a one? And do you bring me before you for judgment? ⁴ Who can make a clean thing come from an unclean? No one! ⁵ Since man’s days are determined, the number of his months is under your control; you have set his limit, and he cannot pass it. ⁶ Look away from him and let him desist, until he fulfills his time like a hired man. ⁷ “But there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail. ⁸ Although its roots may grow old in the ground and its stump begins to die in the soil, ⁹ at the scent of water it will flourish and put forth shoots like a new plant. 1 ⁰ But man dies and is powerless; he expires—and where is he? 1 ¹ As water disappears from the sea, or a river drains away and dries up, 1 ² so man lies down and does not rise; until the heavens are no more, they will not awake nor arise from their sleep. 1 ³ “O that you would hide me in Sheol, and conceal me till your anger has passed! O that you would set me a time and then remember me! 1 ⁴ If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait until my release comes. 1 ⁵ You will call and I—I will answer you; you will long for the creature you have made. 1 ⁶ “Surely now you count my steps; then you would not mark my sin. 1 ⁷ My offenses would be sealed up in a bag; you would cover over my sin. 1 ⁸ But as a mountain falls away and crumbles, and as a rock will be removed from its place, 1 ⁹ as water wears away stones, and torrents wash away the soil, so you destroy man’s hope. 2 ⁰ You overpower him once for all, and he departs; you change his appearance and send him away. 2 ¹ If his sons are honored, he does not know it; if they are brought low, he does not see it. 2 ² His flesh only has pain for him, and he mourns for himself.” 1 5 :¹ Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered: ² “Does a wise man answer with blustery knowledge, or fill his belly with the east wind? ³ Does he argue with useless talk, with words that have no value in them? ⁴ But you even break off piety and hinder meditation before God. ⁵ Your sin inspires your mouth; you choose the language of the crafty. ⁶ Your own mouth condemns you, not I; your own lips testify against you. ⁷ “Were you the first man ever born? Were you brought forth before the hills? ⁸ Do you listen in on God’s secret council? Do you limit wisdom to yourself? ⁹ What do you know that we don’t know? What do you understand that we don’t understand? 1 ⁰ The gray-haired and the aged are on our side, men far older than your father. 1 ¹ Are God’s consolations too trivial for you, or a word spoken in gentleness to you? 1 ² Why has your heart carried you away, and why do your eyes flash, 1 ³ when you turn your rage against God and allow such words to escape from your mouth? 1 ⁴ What is man that he should be pure, or one born of woman, that he should be righteous? 1 ⁵ If God places no trust in his holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes, 1 ⁶ how much less man, who is abominable and corrupt, who drinks in evil like water! 1 ⁷ I will explain to you; listen to me, and what I have seen, I will declare, 1 ⁸ what wise men declare, hiding nothing, from the tradition of their ancestors, 1 ⁹ to whom alone the land was given when no foreigner passed among them. 2 ⁰ All his days the wicked man suffers torment, throughout the number of the years that are stored up for the tyrant. 2 ¹ Terrifying sounds fill his ears; in a time of peace marauders attack him. 2 ² He does not expect to escape from darkness; he is marked for the sword; 2 ³ he wanders about—food for vultures— he knows that the day of darkness is at hand. 2 ⁴ Distress and anguish terrify him; they prevail against him like a king ready to launch an attack, 2 ⁵ for he stretches out his hand against God, and vaunts himself against the Almighty, 2 ⁶ defiantly charging against him with a thick, strong shield! 2 ⁷ Because he covered his face with fat and made his hips bulge with fat, 2 ⁸ he lived in ruined towns and in houses where no one lives, where they are ready to crumble into heaps. 2 ⁹ He will not grow rich, and his wealth will not endure, nor will his possessions spread over the land. 3 ⁰ He will not escape the darkness; a flame will wither his shoots, and he will depart by the breath of God’s mouth. 3 ¹ Let him not trust in what is worthless, deceiving himself; for worthlessness will be his reward. 3 ² Before his time he will be paid in full, and his branches will not flourish. 3 ³ Like a vine he will let his sour grapes fall, and like an olive tree he will shed his blossoms. 3 ⁴ For the company of the godless is barren, and fire consumes the tents of those who accept bribes. 3 ⁵ They conceive trouble and bring forth evil; their belly prepares deception.” 1 6 :¹ Then Job replied: ² “I have heard many things like these before. What miserable comforters are you all! ³ Will there be an end to your windy words? Or what provokes you that you answer? ⁴ I also could speak like you, if you were in my place; I could pile up words against you, and I could shake my head at you. ⁵ But I would strengthen you with my words; comfort from my lips would bring you relief. ⁶ “But if I speak, my pain is not relieved, and if I refrain from speaking, how much of it goes away? ⁷ Surely now he has worn me out; you have devastated my entire household. ⁸ You have seized me, and it has become a witness; my leanness has risen up against me and testifies against me. ⁹ His anger has torn me and persecuted me; he has gnashed at me with his teeth; my adversary locks his eyes on me. 1 ⁰ People have opened their mouths against me; they have struck my cheek in scorn; they unite together against me. 1 ¹ God abandons me to evil men, and throws me into the hands of wicked men. 1 ² I was in peace, and he has shattered me. He has seized me by the neck and crushed me. He has made me his target; 1 ³ his archers surround me. Without pity he pierces my kidneys and pours out my gall on the ground. 1 ⁴ He breaks through against me, time and time again; he rushes against me like a warrior. 1 ⁵ I have sewed sackcloth on my skin and buried my horn in the dust; 1 ⁶ my face is reddened because of weeping, and on my eyelids there is a deep darkness, 1 ⁷ although there is no violence in my hands and my prayer is pure. 1 ⁸ “O earth, do not cover my blood, nor let there be a secret place for my cry. 1 ⁹ Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high. 2 ⁰ My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; 2 ¹ and he contends with God on behalf of man as a man pleads for his friend. 2 ² For the years that lie ahead are few, and then I will go on the way of no return.