Daily Readings - Mon Jul 30 2018
Jeremiah
1Thus says the LORD to me, "Go and buy a linen loincloth and put it around your waist, and do not dip it in water."2So I bought a loincloth according to the word of the LORD, and put it around my waist.3And the word of the LORD came to me a second time,4"Take the loincloth that you have bought, which is around your waist, and arise, go to the Euphrates and hide it there in a cleft of the rock."5So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me.6And after many days the LORD said to me, "Arise, go to the Euphrates, and take from there the loincloth that I commanded you to hide there."7Then I went to the Euphrates, and dug, and I took the loincloth from the place where I had hidden it. And behold, the loincloth was spoiled; it was good for nothing.8Then the word of the LORD came to me:9"Thus says the LORD: Even so will I spoil the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.10This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who stubbornly follow their own heart and have gone after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be like this loincloth, which is good for nothing.11For as the loincloth clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, declares the LORD, that they might be for me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory, but they would not listen.
Matthew
31He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.32It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."33He told them another parable. "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened."34All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable.35This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: "I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world."
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two powerful images from Scripture that invite us to reflect on God’s work in our lives and in the world. The first reading from Jeremiah describes a prophetic action where God instructs Jeremiah to bury a linen waistcloth by the Euphrates River. When he returns later, the cloth has rotted and is useless. This symbolizes the corruption and stubbornness of God’s people, who have turned away from His words and embraced false idols. Jeremiah’s message is one of warning: just as the waistcloth clings to the body but becomes worthless, so too can our relationship with God become meaningless if we do not listen to His voice and remain faithful.
In the Gospel, Jesus offers two parables about the kingdom of heaven: the mustard seed and the leaven. These images remind us that God’s work often begins small and unnoticed but grows to have a profound impact. The mustard seed, though tiny, becomes a tree that shelters birds, and the leaven transforms an entire batch of dough. These parables encourage us to trust in God’s power to transform even the smallest and seemingly insignificant aspects of our lives. While Jeremiah’s reading speaks of judgment, Jesus’ parables speak of hope and the transformative power of God’s kingdom.
Together, these readings challenge us to reflect on our spiritual state. Are we like the rotting waistcloth, clinging to sin and stubbornness, or are we allowing God’s kingdom to grow within us? Let us ask ourselves: Where are the small, hidden places in my life where God might be at work? How can I cooperate with His grace to let His kingdom grow? May we embrace the hope of transformation and the call to live as faithful disciples, trusting that even in darkness, God’s light can shine through.