Daily Readings - Fri Jul 21 2023

Exodus

Chapter 11

¹⁰Now Moses and Aaron did all the wonders that are written, in the sight of Pharaoh. And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh; neither did he release the sons of Israel from his land

¹The Lord also said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt²"This month will be for you the beginning of the months. It will be first in the months of the year³Speak to the entire assembly of the sons of Israel, and say to them: On the tenth day of this month, let everyone take a lamb, by their families and houses⁴But if the number is less than may suffice to be able to consume the lamb, he shall accept his neighbor, who has been joined with his house according to the number of souls that may suffice to be able to eat the lamb⁵And it shall be a lamb without blemish, a one year old male. According to this rite, you shall also take a young goat⁶And you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month. And the entire multitude of the sons of Israel shall immolate it toward evening⁷And they shall take from its blood, and place it on both the door posts and the upper threshold of the houses, in which they will consume it⁸And that night they shall eat the flesh, roasted by fire, and unleavened bread with wild lettuce⁹You shall not consume anything from it raw, nor boiled in water, but only roasted by fire. You shall devour the head with its feet and entrails¹⁰Neither shall there remain anything from it until morning. If anything will have been left over, you shall burn it with fire¹¹Now you shall consume it in this way: You shall gird your waist, and you shall have shoes on your feet, holding staves in your hands, and you shall consume it in haste. For it is the Passover (that is, the Crossing) of the Lord¹²And I will cross through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from man, even to cattle. And I will bring judgments against all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord¹³But the blood will be for you as a sign in the buildings where you will be. And I will see the blood, and I will pass over you. And the plague will not be with you to destroy, when I strike the land of Egypt¹⁴Then you shall have this day as a memorial, and you shall celebrate it as a solemnity to the Lord, in your generations, as an everlasting devotion

Matthew

Chapter 12

¹At that time, Jesus went out through the ripe grain on the Sabbath. And his disciples, being hungry, began to separate the grain and to eat²Then the Pharisees, seeing this, said to him, "Behold, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbaths.³But he said to them: "Have you not read what David did, when he was hungry, and those who were with him⁴how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests⁵Or have you not read in the law, that on the Sabbaths the priests in the temple violate the Sabbath, and they are without guilt⁶But I say to you, that something greater than the temple is here⁷And if you knew what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would never have condemned the innocent⁸For the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath.

Sermon

In today’s readings, we encounter two powerful narratives that invite us to reflect on God’s mercy, freedom, and the importance of understanding the deeper meaning behind sacred laws. The first reading from Exodus recounts the institution of the Passover, a pivotal moment in Israel’s history. God instructs the Israelites to mark their doorposts with the blood of a lamb so that the angel of death will “pass over” their homes, sparing their firstborn sons. This rite is not just a ritual; it is a sign of God’s covenant love and His plan to free His people from slavery. The Passover becomes a perpetual reminder of God’s saving action and the foundation of Israel’s identity as a people set apart for Him. In the Gospel, Jesus challenges the Pharisees’ rigid interpretation of the Sabbath law when His disciples pick grain to eat on the Sabbath. Jesus defends their actions by referencing King David, who ate the bread of the Presence reserved for priests, and by pointing out that the priests themselves work on the Sabbath in the temple. He emphasizes that the Sabbath was made for humanity, not humanity for the Sabbath. Jesus declares Himself the Lord of the Sabbath, asserting His authority to interpret God’s law in a way that prioritizes mercy and human need over strict legalism. These readings are connected by the theme of freedom and the proper understanding of God’s laws. In Exodus, the Passover is a law that brings freedom, while in Matthew, Jesus frees us from a narrow, legalistic interpretation of the Sabbath. Both readings remind us that God’s commands are not arbitrary rules but expressions of His love and care for His people. As we apply this to our daily lives, we are called to approach rules and traditions with discernment, ensuring that they serve the greater good and do not become obstacles to compassion and mercy. Let us ask ourselves: Do we allow God’s mercy and love to guide our actions, or do we get caught up in rigid adherence to rules? May we, like Jesus, always prioritize love and freedom, remembering that we are called to be instruments of God’s mercy in the world.