Daily Readings - Fri Jun 19 2020

⁶For you are a holy people to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you so that you would be his particular people out of all the peoples who are upon the earth⁷It is not because you surpass all the nations in number that the Lord has joined with you and has chosen you, for you are the least numerous of any people⁸But it is because the Lord has loved you, and has kept his oath, which he swore to your fathers. And he has led you away with a strong hand, and he has redeemed you from the house of servitude, from the hand of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt⁹And you shall know that the Lord your God himself is a strong and faithful God, preserving his covenant and his mercy for those who love him and those who keep his precepts for a thousand generations¹⁰and promptly repaying those who hate him, so as to utterly ruin them, without further delay, quickly rendering to them what they deserve¹¹Therefore, keep the precepts and ceremonies as well as the judgments, which I command to you this day, so that you may do them

1 John

Chapter 4

⁷Most beloved, let us love one another. For love is of God. And everyone who loves is born of God and knows God⁸Whoever does not love, does not know God. For God is love⁹The love of God was made apparent to us in this way: that God sent his only-begotten Son into the world, so that we might live through him¹⁰In this is love: not as if we had loved God, but that he first loved us, and so he sent his Son as a propitiation for our sins¹¹Most beloved, if God has so loved us, we also ought to love one another¹²No one has ever seen God. But if we love one another, God abides in us, and his love is perfected in us¹³In this way, we know that we abide in him, and he in us: because he has given to us from his Spirit¹⁴And we have seen, and we testify, that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world¹⁵Whoever has confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God¹⁶And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love. And he who abides in love, abides in God, and God in him

Matthew

Chapter 11

²⁵At that time, Jesus responded and said: "I acknowledge you, Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the prudent, and have revealed them to little ones²⁶Yes, Father, for this was pleasing before you²⁷All things have been delivered to me by my Father. And no one knows the Son except the Father, nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and those to whom the Son is willing to reveal him²⁸Come to me, all you who labor and have been burdened, and I will refresh you²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you shall find rest for your souls³⁰For my yoke is sweet and my burden is light.

Sermon

In today’s readings, we are reminded of God’s profound love for us and our response to that love. The first reading from Deuteronomy emphasizes that God chose the Israelites not because of their size or strength, but simply because He loved them. This love is not random; it is tied to a covenant, a mutual commitment. Moses reminds the people to keep God’s commandments as a way of living out this covenant. The second reading from 1 John deepens this theme, telling us that love comes from God and that we are called to love one another. John reminds us that God’s love was revealed in the gift of His Son, Jesus, and that if we love one another, God’s love is perfected in us. Finally, in the Gospel, Jesus invites all who are burdened to come to Him, promising rest. He reveals that His yoke is easy and His burden light, contrasting the heavy weights of the world with the gentle load of following Him. These readings are deeply connected. Deuteronomy sets the stage by showing God’s initiative in love and the importance of living according to His ways. 1 John builds on this by highlighting that love is not just a feeling but a way of life rooted in God’s very nature. The Gospel then brings us to Jesus, who is the ultimate expression of God’s love and the one who makes this love accessible to all. Jesus’ invitation is not just to believe in Him but to follow Him, to take on His way of life, which is marked by humility and trust in the Father. As we reflect on these readings, let us ask ourselves: How am I responding to God’s love? Am I living out my faith in a way that reflects the covenant God has made with me? Am I taking on the yoke of Christ, which is easy and light, or am I still trying to carry the heavy burdens of the world on my own? Let us trust in God’s love, live out our faith with humility, and remember that true rest and peace come not from the world but from following Jesus. May we abide in God’s love and let that love flow through us to others.