Daily Readings - Sat Aug 05 2017
Leviticus
1The LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying,8"You shall count seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, so that the time of the seven weeks of years shall give you forty-nine years.9Then you shall sound the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land.10And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan.11That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of itself nor gather the grapes from the undressed vines.12For it is a jubilee. It shall be holy to you. You may eat the produce of the field.13"In this year of jubilee each of you shall return to his property.14And if you make a sale to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor, you shall not wrong one another.15You shall pay your neighbor according to the number of years after the jubilee, and he shall sell to you according to the number of years for crops.16If the years are many, you shall increase the price, and if the years are few, you shall reduce the price, for it is the number of the crops that he is selling to you.17You shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God, for I am the LORD your God.
Matthew
1At that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus,2and he said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him."3For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife,4because John had been saying to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her."5And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a prophet.6But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod,7so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.8Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter."9And the king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given.10He sent and had John beheaded in the prison,11and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.12And his disciples came and took the body and buried it, and they went and told Jesus.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the themes of justice, integrity, and the consequences of our choices. In the first reading from Leviticus, we hear about the Jubilee year, a time when debts were forgiven, slaves were freed, and land was returned to its original owners. This practice was meant to restore balance and equality among God’s people, ensuring that no one would be permanently disadvantaged. It was a reminder that everything belongs to God, and we are only stewards of His creation. The Jubilee year was not just an economic or social policy but a deeply spiritual one, calling the people to live in harmony with God’s will and to trust in His providence.
In the Gospel, we see a stark contrast as Herod’s story unfolds. Herod, influenced by his sinful desires and fear of losing face, orders the beheading of John the Baptist. John had spoken the truth, calling out Herod’s immoral union with his brother’s wife, and for that, he paid the ultimate price. This passage reminds us of the cost of integrity and the dangers of allowing sin to take root in our hearts. Herod’s actions were driven by pride and fear, leading to a tragic outcome that could have been avoided if he had chosen to repent and seek justice.
These readings challenge us to examine our own lives. Like the Jubilee, we are called to live in a way that promotes fairness, compassion, and trust in God’s plan. We must not let sin and pride guide our decisions, as Herod did, but instead, we must strive to live with integrity, even when it is difficult. In our daily lives, this might mean standing up for what is right, even if it is unpopular, or letting go of grudges and injustices, just as the Jubilee required. Let us pray for the courage to follow God’s will and to trust in His justice, remembering that true freedom comes from living in harmony with His commandments.