Daily Catholic Mass Readings for July 23, 2024
First Reading: Micah 7.14-15, 18-20
14With your rod, pasture your people, the flock of your inheritance, living alone in the narrow forest, in the midst of Carmel. They will graze in Bashan and Gilead, as in the ancient days15As in the days of your departure from the land of Egypt, I will reveal miracles to him18What God is like you, who takes away iniquity and passes over the sin of the remnant of your inheritance? No longer will he send forth his fury, because he is willing to be merciful19He will turn back and have mercy on us. He will put away our iniquities, and he will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea20You will give the truth to Jacob, mercy to Abraham, which you swore to our fathers from the ancient days
Psalm 85
1Unto the end. A Psalm to the sons of Korah. O Lord, you have blessed your land. You have turned aside the captivity of Jacob2You have released the iniquity of your people. You have covered all their sins3You have mitigated all your wrath. You have turned aside from the wrath of your indignation4Convert us, O God, our Savior, and turn your anger away from us5Will you be angry with us forever? And will you extend your wrath from generation to generation6O God, you will turn back and revive us. And your people will rejoice in you7O Lord, reveal to us your mercy, and grant to us your salvation8I will listen to what the Lord God may be saying to me. For he will speak peace to his people, and to his saints, and to those who are being converted to the heart9So then, truly his salvation is near to those who fear him, so that glory may inhabit our land10Mercy and truth have met each other. Justice and peace have kissed11Truth has risen from the earth, and justice has gazed down from heaven12For so will the Lord give goodness, and our earth will give her fruit13Justice will walk before him, and he will set his steps upon the way
Gospel: Matthew 12.46, 48-50
46While he was still speaking to the crowds, behold, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak with him48But responding to the one speaking to him, he said, "Which one is my mother, and who are my brothers?49And extending his hand to his disciples, he said: "Behold: my mother and my brothers50For anyone who does the will of my Father, who is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter profound messages from both the Old and New Testaments that guide us in understanding God's mercy and our role within His family. The first reading from Micah offers a vision of hope and redemption. Micah, speaking to a distressed Israel, reminds us of God's faithfulness and mercy. He portrays God as a shepherd tending to His people, promising forgiveness and the casting away of sins. This message is set against the backdrop of Israel's struggles, emphasizing that even in darkness, God's mercy endures.
The Gospel from Matthew shifts our focus to Jesus, who redefines family. When His biological relatives approach, Jesus expands the concept of kinship to include all who do God's will. This teaching, rooted in the context of Jesus' ministry emphasizing the kingdom of God, invites us to see our spiritual family as those united in faith and action. Together, Micah and Matthew highlight the dual aspects of God's nature: His mercy and His call to live according to His will.
In our daily lives, these readings encourage us to embrace both the reception of God's mercy and the active pursuit of His will. We are called to live as part of God's family, not just by birth but by our deeds. This means serving others with love and compassion, reflecting God's mercy in our interactions. The moral lesson here is the transformative power of spiritual kinship and the call to embody God's love in all we do, thereby living as true members of His family.