Daily Readings - Tue Jul 18 2017
Exodus
1Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman.2The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months.3When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank.4And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him.5Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it.6When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, "This is one of the Hebrews' children."7Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?"8And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go." So the girl went and called the child's mother.9And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages." So the woman took the child and nursed him.10When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, "Because," she said, "I drew him out of the water."11One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people.12He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.13When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, "Why do you strike your companion?"14He answered, "Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid, and thought, "Surely the thing is known."15When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well.
Matthew
20Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent.21"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.22But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you.23And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.24But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you."
Sermon
The first reading from Exodus tells the story of Moses’ early life, highlighting the courage and faith of his mother who defied Pharaoh’s decree to save her son. She placed Moses in a basket and set him afloat on the Nile, trusting in God’s providence. The story unfolds with Moses being discovered by Pharaoh’s daughter, who, moved by compassion, decides to adopt him. This narrative sets the stage for Moses’ eventual role as a leader of the Israelites, showcasing how God works through human actions and circumstances to fulfill His plan. The context of this reading is the oppression of the Israelites in Egypt, where Pharaoh’s fear of their growing population led to brutal measures, including the killing of Hebrew male infants. Moses’ survival is a testament to the power of trust in God’s plan and the courage of those who risk everything to do what is right.
The Gospel reading from Matthew presents Jesus rebuking cities that had witnessed many miracles but failed to repent. Jesus laments that if the same miracles had been performed in Tyre, Sidon, or Sodom, those cities would have repented long ago. He warns that on the day of judgment, these cities will be held to a higher accountability because of the graces they received. The context here is Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, where He performed numerous miracles, yet many people remained hardened in their unbelief. This reading emphasizes the importance of responding to God’s grace with faith and repentance, rather than taking it for granted.
Both readings remind us of the importance of faith and trust in God’s plan. In Exodus, Moses’ mother trusted in God’s providence, even in the face of danger, and her courage ultimately led to Moses’ survival and his future role as a leader. In Matthew, Jesus calls us to respond to God’s grace with repentance and faith, warning us against complacency. These readings invite us to reflect on our own trust in God and our response to His grace in our lives. Do we, like Moses’ mother, trust in God’s plan even when the future seems uncertain? Do we, like the cities Jesus rebuked, fail to respond to the graces we have received? Let us strive to live with courage, trust, and a willingness to repent, so that we may deepen our relationship with God and fulfill the mission He has entrusted to us.