Daily Readings - Sat Aug 12 2023
Deuteronomy
4Listen, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord5You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength6And these words, which I instruct to you this day, shall be in your heart7And you shall explain them to your sons. And you shall meditate upon them sitting in your house, and walking on a journey, when lying down and when rising up8And you shall bind them like a sign on your hand, and they shall be placed and shall move between your eyes9And you shall write them at the threshold and on the doors of your house10And when the Lord your God will have led you into the land, about which he swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and when he will have given to you great and excellent cities, which you did not build11houses full of goods, which you did not amass; cisterns, which you did not dig; vineyards and olive groves, which you did not plant12and when you will have eaten and been satisfied13take care diligently, lest you forget the Lord, who led you away from the land of Egypt, from the house of servitude. You shall fear the Lord your God, and you shall serve him alone, and you shall swear by his name
Matthew
14And when he had arrived at the multitude, a man approached him, falling to his knees before him, saying:15"Lord, take pity on my son, for he is an epileptic, and he suffers harm. For he frequently falls into fire, and often also into water16And I brought him to your disciples, but they were not able to cure him."17Then Jesus responded by saying: "What an unbelieving and perverse generation! How long shall I be with you? How long shall I endure you? Bring him here to me."18And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon went out of him, and the boy was cured from that hour19Then the disciples approached Jesus privately and said, "Why were we unable to cast him out?"20Jesus said to them: "Because of your unbelief. Amen I say to you, certainly, if you will have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it shall move. And nothing will be impossible for you
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the power of faith and the importance of remaining rooted in God’s love and commandments. In the first reading from Deuteronomy, Moses reminds the Israelites of the fundamental truth: the Lord our God is one, and they are to love Him with all their heart, soul, and strength. This love is not abstract but lived out in concrete ways—teaching the commandments to their children, meditating on them in daily life, and keeping them ever-present in their homes and actions. Moses warns them not to forget God when they enter the Promised Land and enjoy its blessings, lest they grow complacent and turn away from the One who has freed them.
In the Gospel, we see a father’s desperate plea for his epileptic son, whom the disciples could not heal. Jesus rebukes the unclean spirit, and the boy is cured. When the disciples ask why they failed, Jesus points to their lack of faith. He assures them that even a small amount of faith—like a mustard seed—can move mountains. This passage reminds us that faith is not about our own strength or understanding but about trusting in God’s power and presence, even when we face challenges that seem insurmountable.
Together, these readings call us to a deeper faith and a more intentional way of living. Like the Israelites, we are blessed by God in countless ways, but we must not let comfort or success lead us to forget Him. Like the father in the Gospel, we must bring our struggles and doubts to Jesus, trusting in His mercy and power. And like the disciples, we must recognize the limits of our own efforts and humbly rely on God’s grace. Let us ask for the faith to love God wholeheartedly, to trust Him in all circumstances, and to live out His commandments with joy and gratitude.