Daily Readings - Thu Aug 16 2018
Ezekiel
1And the word of the Lord came to me, saying2"Son of man, you live in the midst of a provoking house. They have eyes to see, and they do not see; and ears to hear, and they do not hear. For they are a provoking house3As for you, then, son of man, prepare for yourself the supplies for traveling far away, and travel away in the daytime in their sight. And you shall travel from your place to another place in their sight, so that perhaps they may consider it. For they are a provoking house4And you shall carry your supplies outside, like the supplies of one who is traveling far away, in the daytime in their sight. Then you shall go forth in the evening in their presence, just as one goes forth who is moving far away5Dig for yourself through the wall, before their eyes. And you shall go out through it6In their sight, you shall be carried on shoulders, you shall be carried in the dark. You shall cover your face, and you shall not see the ground. For I have appointed you as a portent for the house of Israel.7Therefore, I did just as he had instructed me. I brought out my supplies in the daytime, like the supplies of one who is moving far away. And in the evening, I dug myself through the wall by hand. And I went out in the dark, and I was carried on shoulders, in their sight8And the word of the Lord came to me, in the morning, saying9"Son of man, has not the house of Israel, the provoking house, said to you: ‘What are you doing?10Say to them: Thus says the Lord God: This is the burden concerning my leader who is in Jerusalem, and concerning the entire house of Israel, who are in their midst11Say: I am your portent. Just as I have done, so shall it be done to them. They will be taken captive and moved far away12And the leader who is in their midst will be carried on shoulders; he will go forth in darkness. They will dig through the wall, so that they may lead him away. His face will be covered, so that he may not see the land with his eye13And I will extend my net over him, and he will be captured in my dragnet. And I will lead him to Babylon, into the land of the Chaldeans, but he himself will not see it. And there he shall die14And all who are around him, his guards and his companies, I will scatter into every wind. And I will unsheathe the sword after them15And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I will have dispersed them among the Gentiles, and will have sowed them among the lands16And I will leave behind a few men of them, apart from the sword, and the famine, and the pestilence, so that they may declare all their wicked deeds among the Gentiles, to whom they will go. And they shall know that I am the Lord.
Matthew
21Then Peter, drawing near to him, said: "Lord, how many times shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Even seven times?22Jesus said to him: "I do not say to you, even seven times, but even seventy times seven times23Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is compared to a man who was king, who wanted to take account of his servants24And when he had begun taking account, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents25But since he did not have any way to repay it, his lord ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children, and all that he had, in order to repay it26But that servant, falling prostrate, begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will repay it all to you.27Then the lord of that servant, being moved with pity, released him, and he forgave his debt28But when that servant departed, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him one hundred denarius. And taking hold of him, he choked him, saying: ‘Repay what you owe.29And his fellow servant, falling prostrate, petitioned him, saying: ‘Have patience with me, and I will repay it all to you.30But he was not willing. Instead, he went out and had him sent to prison, until he would repay the debt31Now his fellow servants, seeing what was done, were greatly saddened, and they went and reported to their lord all that was done32Then his lord called him, and he said to him: ‘You wicked servant, I forgave you all your debt, because you pleaded with me33Therefore, should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I also had compassion on you?34And his lord, being angry, handed him over to the torturers, until he repaid the entire debt35So, too, shall my heavenly Father do to you, if each one of you will not forgive his brother from your hearts.
1And it happened that, when Jesus had completed these words, he moved away from Galilee, and he arrived within the borders of Judea, across the Jordan
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter powerful lessons about God’s mercy, human stubbornness, and the call to live as instruments of forgiveness and compassion. Ezekiel’s prophetic actions in the first reading are a stark reminder of God’s judgment on those who refuse to see and hear. By packing his bags and leaving in the dark, Ezekiel enacts the fate of Jerusalem’s leaders, who will be carried away in exile. The people of Israel, despite their physical sight and hearing, are spiritually blind and deaf to God’s warnings. Ezekiel’s actions are a call to repentance, urging the people to recognize their sins and turn back to the Lord.
In the Gospel, Jesus teaches Peter and the disciples about the boundless nature of forgiveness. When Peter asks how many times he should forgive a brother, Jesus responds with the shocking figure of seventy times seven, emphasizing that forgiveness is not limited by numbers but is an endless act of mercy. The parable of the unforgiving servant drives this point home. The servant who is forgiven a massive debt but refuses to forgive a smaller one is condemned for his hardness of heart. Jesus makes it clear that receiving God’s mercy requires us to extend that same mercy to others.
These readings challenge us to reflect on our own relationship with God’s mercy and how we treat others. Ezekiel’s prophecy reminds us that God’s patience is not endless and that we must respond to His call while there is still time. Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness calls us to let go of grudges and resentments, not because others deserve it, but because we ourselves have been forgiven so much. As we go about our daily lives, let us ask ourselves: Do we see and hear God’s presence in our lives? Are we living as instruments of His mercy and compassion? May we strive to be people of forgiveness and love, reflecting the boundless mercy of our heavenly Father.