Daily Readings - Sat Jul 08 2017
Genesis
1When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called Esau his older son and said to him, "My son"; and he answered, "Here I am."2He said, "Behold, I am old; I do not know the day of my death.3Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me,4and prepare for me delicious food, such as I love, and bring it to me so that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die."5Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it,9Go to the flock and bring me two good young goats, so that I may prepare from them delicious food for your father, such as he loves.10And you shall bring it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies."15Then Rebekah took the best garments of Esau her older son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son.16And the skins of the young goats she put on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.17And she put the delicious food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.18So he went in to his father and said, "My father." And he said, "Here I am. Who are you, my son?"19Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me; now sit up and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me."20But Isaac said to his son, "How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?" He answered, "Because the LORD your God granted me success."21Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are really my son Esau or not."22So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, who felt him and said, "The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau."23And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands. So he blessed him.24He said, "Are you really my son Esau?" He answered, "I am."25Then he said, "Bring it near to me, that I may eat of my son's game and bless you." So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank.26Then his father Isaac said to him, "Come near and kiss me, my son."27So he came near and kissed him. And Isaac smelled the smell of his garments and blessed him and said, "See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed!28May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine.29Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you!"
Matthew
14Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"15And Jesus said to them, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.16No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made.17Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved."
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two distinct stories that invite us to reflect on the nature of God’s plan, human ingenuity, and the call to live in harmony with divine will. The first reading from Genesis tells the story of Jacob and Esau, a tale of deception and unintended consequences. Rebekah, Jacob’s mother, schemes to ensure her favored son receives the blessing meant for Esau, the firstborn. By dressing Jacob in Esau’s garments and preparing a meal to deceive Isaac, Rebekah disrupts the natural order of inheritance. While Jacob succeeds in obtaining the blessing, the story reveals the complexities of human ambition and the unpredictable ways God’s plan unfolds.
The Gospel reading from Matthew shifts our focus to Jesus’ response to the question about fasting. Jesus explains that His disciples do not fast because they are in the presence of the Bridegroom, symbolizing the joy and fulfillment of the Kingdom’s arrival. He then uses the parable of the wineskins to emphasize that the newness of His teaching cannot be contained in the old structures of tradition. Just as new wine must be poured into new wineskins to preserve both, so too must we be open to the fresh ways God is working in our lives.
Both readings remind us that God’s plan often surpasses our expectations and challenges us to embrace change. In Genesis, Jacob’s actions, though deceptive, ultimately further God’s plan to establish a covenant with His people. In Matthew, Jesus calls us to let go of old practices and embrace the new life He offers. In our daily lives, we are invited to trust in God’s providence, even when the path is unclear. Let us ask for the grace to be open to the new ways God is working in our lives, just as Jacob and Jesus teach us.