Daily Readings - Sat Jul 23 2022
Jeremiah
1The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying2"Stand at the gate to the house of the Lord, and preach this word there, and say: Listen to the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who enter through these gates to adore the Lord3Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Make your ways and your intentions good, and I will live with you in this place4Do not choose to trust in lying words, saying: ‘This is the temple of the Lord! The temple of the Lord! The temple of the Lord!5For if you direct your ways and your intentions well, if you exercise judgment between a man and his neighbor6if you do not act with deceit toward the new arrival, the orphan, and the widow, and if you do not pour out innocent blood in this place, and if you do not walk after strange gods, which is to your own harm7then I will live with you in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers from the beginning and even forever8Behold, you trust in false words, which will not benefit you9so as to steal, to murder, to commit adultery, to swear falsely, to offer libations to Baal, and to go after strange gods, which you do not know10And you arrived and stood before me in this house, where my name is invoked, and you said: ‘We have been freed because we carried out all these abominations.11So then, has this house, where my name has been invoked, become a den of robbers in your eyes? It is I, I am, I have seen, says the Lord
Matthew
24He proposed another parable to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field25But while the men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds amid the wheat, and then went away26And when the plants had grown, and had produced fruit, then the weeds also appeared27So the servants of the Father of the family, approaching, said to him: ‘Lord, did you not sow good seed in your field? Then how is it that it has weeds?28And he said to them, ‘A man who is an enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Is it your will that we should go and gather them up?29And he said: ‘No, lest perhaps in gathering the weeds, you might also root out the wheat together with it30Permit both to grow until the harvest, and at the time of the harvest, I will say to the reapers: Gather first the weeds, and bind them into bundles to burn, but the wheat gather into my storehouse.’
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two powerful messages that invite us to reflect on our relationship with God and our commitment to living a life of faith and integrity. The first reading from Jeremiah confronts us with a call to repentance and authenticity in our worship of God. Jeremiah stands at the gates of the Temple, urging the people to examine their lives and their intentions. He warns them against false confidence in the Temple’s presence while continuing to live in sin and injustice. The Lord calls them to make their ways and intentions good, to act justly, and to care for the vulnerable. Jeremiah’s message is clear: true worship is not about rituals or empty words but about living a life that reflects God’s justice and love.
The Gospel reading from Matthew presents us with a parable about the kingdom of heaven, where good seed and weeds grow together in the same field. The master of the house allows both to grow until the harvest, trusting that in the end, the wheat will be separated from the weeds. This parable reminds us that the kingdom of God is not about quick fixes or immediate judgments but about patience and trust in God’s plan. It also challenges us to examine our own lives: are we the wheat, living in accordance with God’s will, or are we the weeds, allowing sin and selfishness to take root?
Both readings invite us to reflect on the state of our hearts and lives. Jeremiah’s call to justice and integrity and Jesus’ parable about the kingdom of heaven remind us that our faith must be lived out in concrete actions. We cannot simply go through the motions of religious practice while neglecting the call to love and serve others. True faith requires us to examine our intentions, to root out sin, and to trust in God’s plan, even when the journey is uncertain. Let us ask ourselves: Are we living in a way that reflects the justice and love of God? Do we trust in God’s plan, even when the world around us seems messy and imperfect? May we strive to be the wheat, growing in holiness and patience, as we await the harvest of God’s kingdom.