Daily Readings - Fri Aug 04 2023
Leviticus
1And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying4Therefore, these are the feasts of the Lord, which you must celebrate in their times5The first month, the fourteenth day of the month, at evening, is the Passover of the Lord6And the fifteenth day of this month is the solemnity of the unleavened bread of the Lord. For seven days shall you eat unleavened bread7The first day shall be greatly honored and holy to you; you shall do no servile work in it8But you shall offer a sacrifice with fire, for seven days, to the Lord. Then the seventh day shall be more honored and more holy; and you shall do no servile work in it9And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying10Speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them: When you will have entered into the land which I will give to you, and you will have harvested your grain fields, you shall carry the sheaves of grain, the first-fruits of your harvest, to the priest11He shall lift up a sheaf before the Lord, on the day after the Sabbath, so that it may be acceptable for you, and he shall sanctify it15Therefore, you shall number from the day after the Sabbath, in which you offered a sheaf of the first-fruits, seven full weeks16all the way to the day after the completion of the seventh week, that is, fifty days, and then you shall offer a new sacrifice to the Lord27The tenth day of this seventh month shall be the day of atonement; it shall be most honored, and it shall be called holy. And you shall afflict your souls on that day, and you shall offer a holocaust to the Lord34Say to the sons of Israel: From the fifteenth day of this seventh month, there shall be the Feast of Tabernacles: seven days for the Lord35The first day shall be called most honored and most holy; you shall do no servile work in it36And for seven days you shall offer holocausts to the Lord. Likewise, the eighth day shall be most honored and most holy, and you shall offer holocausts to the Lord. For it is the day of assembly and gathering. You shall do no servile work in it37These are the feasts of the Lord, which you shall call most honored and most holy, and in them you shall offer oblations to the Lord: holocausts and libations according to the rite of each particular day
Matthew
54And arriving in his own country, he taught them in their synagogues, so much so that they wondered and said: "How can such wisdom and power be with this one55Is this not the son of a workman? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brothers, James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Jude56And his sisters, are they not all with us? Therefore, from where has this one obtained all these things?57And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country and in his own house.58And he did not work many miracles there, because of their unbelief
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter two profound reflections on faith and community. The first reading from Leviticus details the sacred feasts of the Israelites, each a testament to God's presence and action in their history. These feasts—Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Pentecost, Atonement, and Tabernacles—served as moments for the Israelites to remember their liberation, the harvest, and their covenant with God. They were not just historical commemorations but living encounters with the divine, meant to sanctify and transform the people.
In the Gospel, Matthew presents Jesus returning to his hometown, where his teachings and miracles are met with skepticism. The people's familiarity with Jesus as "the son of a carpenter" leads to unbelief, limiting his ability to perform miracles. This narrative highlights the challenge of recognizing the sacred in the familiar and the prophetic in our midst. It invites us to reflect on how our own familiarity with faith can sometimes breed complacency or unbelief.
These readings remind us to maintain a sense of awe and reverence in our spiritual lives. Just as the Israelites set aside time to remember God's actions, we should regularly reflect on God's presence in our lives. Let us avoid the unbelief that hinders spiritual growth and remain open to recognizing God's work, even in unexpected or familiar places. May we embrace the sacred moments and encounters, allowing them to transform us and deepen our faith.