Daily Readings - Sat Aug 09 2025
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 nature of faith, trust, and our relationship with God. In the first reading from Deuteronomy, Moses reminds the people of Israel of the fundamental commandment: to love God with all their heart, soul, and strength. He emphasizes the importance of living out this love by keeping God’s words close to their hearts and passing them on to future generations. This passage is set in the context of Moses preparing the Israelites to enter the Promised Land, a land they did not build or cultivate, but one given to them by God’s grace. Moses warns them not to forget the Lord who has brought them out of slavery and into freedom, lest they become complacent in their prosperity.
In the Gospel, we see a father’s desperate plea for his son’s healing. The boy suffers from epilepsy, and the father has already tried seeking help from Jesus’ disciples, but they were unable to heal him. Jesus responds with a rebuke, not of the father or the boy, but of the disciples’ lack of faith. He heals the boy, and later, when the disciples ask why they couldn’t cast out the demon, Jesus tells them it is because of their unbelief. He then reminds them that even a small amount of faith—like a mustard seed—can move mountains. This passage underscores the importance of trusting in God’s power and not relying solely on human effort or understanding.
Both readings call us to examine our own faith and relationship with God. Deuteronomy challenges us to remain faithful and grateful, even in times of abundance, while the Gospel reminds us that true power comes from trusting in God. In our daily lives, we often face challenges that seem insurmountable, just like the father of the epileptic boy. These readings encourage us to deepen our prayer life, to trust in God’s providence, and to remember that even the smallest act of faith can lead to extraordinary outcomes. Let us strive to love God wholeheartedly, as Moses commands, and to approach life’s difficulties with the humility and trust that Jesus exemplifies.