Daily Catholic Mass Readings for June 18, 2022
First Reading: 2 Chronicles 24.17-25
17Then, after Jehoiada passed away, the leaders of Judah entered and reverenced the king. And he was enticed by their obsequiousness, and so he acquiesced to them18And they abandoned the temple of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and they served sacred groves and graven images. And wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem because of this sin19And he sent prophets to them, so that they might return to the Lord. And though they were offering testimony, they were not willing to listen to them20And so the Spirit of God clothed Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada the priest. And he stood in the sight of the people, and he said to them: "Thus says the Lord God: Why have you transgressed the precept of the Lord, though it was not to your benefit, and why have you abandoned the Lord, so that he would then abandon you?21And gathering together against him, they stoned him, beside the place of the king, in the atrium of the house of the Lord22And king Joash did not remember the mercy with which Jehoiada, his father, had treated him; instead he put to death his son. And as he was dying, he said: "May the Lord see and take account.23And when a year had turned, the army of Syria ascended against him. And they went to Judah and Jerusalem. And they put to death all the leaders of the people. And they sent all the spoils to the king of Damascus24And although certainly there had arrived a very small number of Syrians, the Lord delivered into their hands an immense multitude. For they had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers. Also, against Joash they executed disgraceful judgments25And upon departing, they left him greatly debilitated. Then his servants rose up against him, in vengeance for the blood of the son of Jehoiada the priest. And they killed him on his bed, and he died. And they buried him in the City of David, but not in the sepulchers of the kings
Psalm 89
1The understanding of Ethan the Ezrahite. I will sing the mercies of the Lord in eternity. I will announce your truth with my mouth, from generation to generation2For you have said: Mercy will be built in the heavens, unto eternity. Your truth will be prepared there3I have set up a covenant with my elect. I have sworn to David my servant4I will prepare your offspring, even in eternity. And I will build up your throne, from generation to generation5The heavens will confess your miracles, Lord, and also your truth, in the Church of the saints6For who among the clouds is equal to the Lord? Who among the sons of God is like God7God is glorified by the counsel of the saints. He is great and terrible above all those who are around him8O Lord, God of hosts, who is like you? You are powerful, Lord, and your truth is all around you9You rule over the power of the sea, and you even mitigate the movement of its waves10You have humbled the arrogant one, like one who has been wounded. You have scattered your enemies with the arm of your strength11Yours are the heavens, and yours is the earth. You founded the whole world in all its fullness12You created the north and the sea. Tabor and Hermon will exult in your name13Your arm acts with power. Let your hand be strengthened, and let your right hand be exalted14Justice and judgment are the preparation of your throne. Mercy and truth will precede your face15Blessed is the people that knows jubilation. They will walk in the light of your countenance, O Lord16and they will exult in your name all day long, and they will be exalted in your justice17For you are the glory of their virtue, and in your goodness, our horn will be exalted18For our assumption is of the Lord, and it is of our king, the holy one of Israel19Then you spoke in a vision to your holy ones, and you said: I have stationed help with the powerful one, and I have exalted the elect one from my people20I have found my servant David. I have anointed him with my holy oil21For my hand will assist him, and my arm will fortify him22The enemy will have no advantage over him, nor will the son of iniquity be positioned to harm him23And I will cut down his enemies before his face. And those who hate him, I will turn to flight24And my truth and my mercy will be with him. And his horn will be exalted in my name25And I will place his hand on the sea and his right hand on the rivers26He will invoke me: "You are my father, my God, and the support of my salvation.27And I will make him the first-born, preeminent before the kings of the earth28I will preserve my mercy for him eternally, and my covenant for him faithfully29And I will set his offspring from generation to generation, and his throne like the days of heaven30But if his sons abandon my law, and if they do not walk in my judgments31if they profane my justices, and if they do not keep my commandments32I will visit their iniquities with a rod, and their sins with a beating33But I will not scatter my mercy from him, and I will not do harm to my truth34And I will not profane my covenant, and I will not make void that which proceeds from my lips35I have sworn by my holiness one time: I will not lie to David36his offspring will remain for eternity. And his throne will be like the sun in my sight37and, like the moon, it is perfected in eternity, and it is a faithful witness in heaven38Yet, truly, you have rejected and despised, you have pushed away, my Christ39You have overthrown the covenant of your servant. You have profaned his sanctuary on earth40You have destroyed all his fences. You have made his territory dreadful41All who pass by the way have plundered him. He has become a disgrace to his neighbors42You have exalted the right hand of those who oppress him. You have brought joy to all his enemies43You have diverted the help of his sword, and you have not assisted him in battle44You have torn him away from cleansing, and you have smashed his throne down to the ground45You have reduced the days of his time. You have flooded him with confusion46How long, O Lord? Will you turn away unto the end? Will your wrath flare up like a fire47Remember what my substance is. For could you really have appointed all the sons of men in vain48Who is the man that will live, and yet not see death? Who will rescue his own soul from the hand of the underworld49O Lord, where are your mercies of antiquity, just as you swore to David in your truth50Be mindful, O Lord, of the disgrace of your servants (which I have sustained in my sinews) among many nations51With these, your enemies have reproached you, O Lord; with these, they have reproached the commutation of your Christ52Blessed is the Lord for all eternity. Amen. Amen
Gospel: Matthew 6.24-34
24No one is able to serve two masters. For either he will have hatred for the one, and love the other, or he will persevere with the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth25And so I say to you, do not be anxious about your life, as to what you will eat, nor about your body, as to what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing26Consider the birds of the air, how they neither sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of much greater value than they are27And which of you, by thinking, is able to add one cubit to his stature28And as for clothing, why are you anxious? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither work nor weave29But I say to you, that not even Solomon, in all his glory, was arrayed like one of these30So if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and cast into the oven tomorrow, how much more will he care for you, O little in faith31Therefore, do not choose to be anxious, saying: ‘What shall we eat, and what shall we drink, and with what shall we be clothed?32For the Gentiles seek all these things. Yet your Father knows that you need all these things33Therefore, seek first the kingdom of God and his justice, and all these things shall be added to you as well34Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow; for the future day will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its evil.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the consequences of turning away from God and the peace that comes from trusting in His providence. In the first reading from 2 Chronicles, we see the tragic story of King Joash, who, after the death of the priest Jehoiada, abandoned the Lord and led Judah into sin. Despite the warnings of the prophets, Joash and the people refused to return to God, leading to devastating consequences. This story reminds us that when we forsake God, we lose the foundation of true life and stability. The death of Zechariah, Jehoiada’s son, serves as a stark reminder of the cost of rejecting God’s truth.
In the Gospel, Jesus teaches us about the futility of anxiety and the importance of seeking God’s kingdom first. He uses the examples of the birds of the air and the lilies of the field to show how God provides for even the smallest creatures. Jesus invites us to trust in our heavenly Father, who knows all our needs. This teaching contrasts sharply with the greed and faithlessness of Joash and the leaders of Judah. While they sought power and wealth, Jesus calls us to seek God’s justice and His kingdom, promising that all else will be given to us as well.
These readings challenge us to examine our priorities and our faith. Like Joash, we often let worldly concerns and desires distract us from God. But Jesus assures us that true peace comes from trusting in God’s providence. Let us seek first the kingdom of God, letting go of our anxieties and doubts. May we learn from the lessons of history and the wisdom of Christ, turning our hearts back to God and living with faith and gratitude.