Daily Catholic Mass Readings for August 9, 2018
First Reading: Jeremiah 31.31-34
31"Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah,32not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD.33But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.34And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."
Psalm 51
1Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.2Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!3For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.4Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.5Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.6Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.7Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.8Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice.9Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.10Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.11Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.12Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.13Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.14Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.15O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.16For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.18Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem;19then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.
Gospel: Matthew 16.13-23
13Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"14And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."15He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"16Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."17And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.18And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."20Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.21From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.22And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you."23But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the nature of God’s covenant with us and the call to faith in the face of uncertainty. In the first reading from Jeremiah, we hear of a new covenant—one that is not like the old one broken by Israel’s infidelity. This new covenant is written on the heart, a promise of intimacy and transformation. No longer will people need to teach one another to “know the Lord,” for all will know Him, from the least to the greatest. This is a vision of a world deeply united to God, where His law is not an external rule but an inner reality guiding our lives.
In the Gospel, we see this covenant unfolding in the life of Jesus. When Jesus asks His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” it is Peter who confesses, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” This moment is pivotal. Peter’s confession is not just a statement of fact; it is a profession of faith, a recognition of who Jesus truly is. Jesus responds by calling Peter the rock upon which He will build His Church, a Church that will endure even against the gates of hell. Yet, immediately after this high point, Jesus reveals the cost of discipleship: He must suffer, die, and rise again. Peter’s resistance to this truth leads Jesus to remind him that following God often requires setting aside human thinking and embracing God’s plan, even when it is difficult.
These readings remind us that our faith is rooted in God’s initiative, not our own understanding. The new covenant Jeremiah speaks of is fulfilled in Christ, who writes His law on our hearts through the gift of the Holy Spirit. Like Peter, we are called to confess Jesus as Lord, not just with our lips but with our lives. This means trusting in God’s plan, even when it leads us through suffering or uncertainty. Let us ask for the grace to live as people of the new covenant, with hearts open to God’s will and minds fixed on the eternal truths of His kingdom.