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Memorial of Saint Pius X, Pope

Reading 1 : Ezekiel 37:1-14

The hand of the LORD came upon me,
and led me out in the Spirit of the LORD
and set me in the center of the plain,
which was now filled with bones.
He made me walk among the bones in every direction
so that I saw how many they were on the surface of the plain.
How dry they were!
He asked me:
Son of man, can these bones come to life?
I answered, “Lord GOD, you alone know that.”
Then he said to me:
Prophesy over these bones, and say to them:
Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!
Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones:
See! I will bring spirit into you, that you may come to life.
I will put sinews upon you, make flesh grow over you,
cover you with skin, and put spirit in you
so that you may come to life and know that I am the LORD.
I prophesied as I had been told,
and even as I was prophesying I heard a noise;
it was a rattling as the bones came together, bone joining bone.
I saw the sinews and the flesh come upon them,
and the skin cover them, but there was no spirit in them.
Then the LORD said to me:
Prophesy to the spirit, prophesy, son of man,
and say to the spirit: Thus says the Lord GOD
From the four winds come, O spirit,
and breathe into these slain that they may come to life.
I prophesied as he told me, and the spirit came into them;
they came alive and stood upright, a vast army.
Then he said to me:
Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.
They have been saying,
“Our bones are dried up,
our hope is lost, and we are cut off.”
Therefore, prophesy and say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD:
O my people, I will open your graves
and have you rise from them,
and bring you back to the land of Israel.
Then you shall know that I am the LORD,
when I open your graves and have you rise from them,
O my people!
I will put my spirit in you that you may live,
and I will settle you upon your land;
thus you shall know that I am the LORD.
I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD.

Responsorial Psalm : Psalm 107:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R. (1)  Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.
Let the redeemed of the LORD say,
those whom he has redeemed from the hand of the foe
And gathered from the lands,
from the east and the west, from the north and the south.
R. Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.
They went astray in the desert wilderness; 
the way to an inhabited city they did not find.
Hungry and thirsty,
their life was wasting away within them.
R. Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.
They cried to the LORD in their distress;
from their straits he rescued them.
And he led them by a direct way
to reach an inhabited city.
R. Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his mercy
and his wondrous deeds to the children of men,
Because he satisfied the longing soul
and filled the hungry soul with good things.
R. Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.

Alleluia : Psalm 25:4b, 5a

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Teach me your paths, my God,
guide me in your truth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel : Matthew 22:34-40

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,
they gathered together, and one of them,
a scholar of the law, tested him by asking,
“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”
He said to him,
“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

Message from the Readings

Today’s readings proclaim a life‑changing truth:
God brings life where there is death, hope where there is despair, and love where hearts have grown cold.
• Ezekiel shows God’s power to revive what seems beyond saving.
• The psalm celebrates God’s ability to satisfy the deepest hunger of the human heart.
• Jesus reveals that love—total love for God and authentic love for others—is the foundation of every command.
The message is clear: Where God’s Spirit breathes, life begins. Where love leads, faith flourishes.

Reflection for the Day

Ezekiel’s vision is one of the most dramatic scenes in Scripture.
A valley filled with dry bones. Not just dead—long dead. Not just lifeless—beyond hope.
God asks Ezekiel a question that echoes into every human heart:
“Can these bones come to life?”
Ezekiel answers with humility: “Lord God, You alone know.”
Then God commands him to speak—to prophesy life over what looks impossible.
And suddenly, bones rattle. Sinews form. Flesh covers. Breath enters. A vast army rises.
This is God’s message to His people: “I will open your graves. I will bring you back. I will put My Spirit within you.”
No situation is too dead. No heart is too dry. No life is too broken. No hope is too buried.
Psalm 107 continues the theme: God rescues the wandering, quenches the thirsty, and fills the hungry. He meets us in our emptiness and restores us with abundance.
Then Jesus gives the heart of the Gospel in two commandments:
Love God completely. Love others authentically.
This is the breath that revives dry bones. This is the Spirit that restores life. This is the foundation of every command, every teaching, every act of faith.
Today’s readings invite us to three movements:

1. Believe God can revive what feels dead.
   Your hope, your joy, your prayer life, your relationships—nothing is beyond His reach.
2. Let His Spirit breathe into your dryness.
   Ask Him to fill the places where you feel empty, tired, or discouraged.
3. Live the two great commandments.
   Love God with your whole being. Love others with sincerity and compassion.
   Let today be a day of revival, renewal, and love.

 Prayer for Today

Lord Jesus, breathe life into the dry places of my heart. Revive my hope, strengthen my faith, and restore what feels broken within me.
Fill me with Your Spirit so I may love You with all my heart, all my soul, and all my mind.
Teach me to love others with the same mercy and compassion You show to me every day.
Make my life a witness to Your power to restore and renew.
Amen.