Daily Readings - Thu Aug 12 2021
Joshua
7And the Lord said to Joshua: "Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so that they may know that, just as I was with Moses, so also am I with you8Now instruct the priests, who are carrying the ark of the covenant, and say to them, ‘When you will have entered into a part of the water of the Jordan, stand still in it.’ 9And Joshua said to the sons of Israel, "Approach to here, and listen to the word of the Lord your God.10And again, he said: "By this shall you know that the Lord, the living God, is in your midst, and that he shall scatter in your sight, the Canaanite and the Hittite, the Hivite and the Perizzite, likewise the Girgashite, and the Jebusite, and the Amorite11Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth shall go before you through the Jordan13And when the priests who are carrying the ark of the Lord, the God of the entire earth, will have placed the steps of their feet in the waters of the Jordan, the waters that are lower will run down and pass away, and those that are approaching above will stand together in a mass.14And the people departed from their tents, so that they might cross the Jordan. And the priests who were carrying the ark of the covenant were advancing before them15And as soon as they entered into the Jordan, and their feet were dipped in a portion of the water, (now the Jordan, since it was the time of the harvest, had filled the banks of its channel,16the descending waters stood still in one place, and, swelling up like a mountain, they were seen from far away, from the city that is called Adam, even as far as the place of Zarethan. But those that were lower ran down into the Sea of the Wilderness, (which is now called the Dead Sea,) until they entirely passed away17Then the people advanced opposite Jericho. And the priests who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord were standing, fully-dressed, upon dry soil in the midst of the Jordan, and all the people passed over, through the channel that was dried up
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
The readings today invite us to reflect on trust in God’s providence and the call to live out mercy and forgiveness in our lives. In the first reading from Joshua, we witness the miraculous crossing of the Jordan River, a pivotal moment in Israel’s journey into the Promised Land. The Lord assures Joshua that He will be with him just as He was with Moses, and the stopping of the Jordan’s waters is a powerful sign of God’s presence and power. This event reminds us that faith often requires us to step into the unknown, trusting that God will provide a way forward, even when the path seems impossible.
In the Gospel, Jesus teaches us about the boundless nature of forgiveness. Peter’s question about how many times we should forgive reflects a human tendency to limit God’s mercy, but Jesus responds by expanding our understanding: forgiveness is not a matter of counting but of generosity. The parable of the unforgiving servant underscores this message. The servant who is forgiven a great debt but refuses to forgive a smaller one is condemned for his lack of compassion. Jesus makes it clear that receiving God’s mercy requires us to extend that same mercy to others.
These readings are deeply connected. Just as the Israelites had to trust in God’s power to cross the Jordan, we too must trust in God’s mercy and allow it to transform our lives. Forgiveness is not just an act of the will; it is a spiritual response to the grace we have received. In our daily lives, we are called to imitate God’s mercy, even when it is difficult. Let us ask for the grace to trust in God’s plan and to forgive as we have been forgiven, that we might live as true children of the kingdom of heaven.