Daily Catholic Mass Readings for July 20, 2020
First Reading: Micah 6.1-4, 6-8
1Hear what the LORD says: Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice.2Hear, you mountains, the indictment of the LORD, and you enduring foundations of the earth, for the LORD has an indictment against his people, and he will contend with Israel.3"O my people, what have I done to you? How have I wearied you? Answer me!4For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.6"With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?7Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?"8He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Psalm 50
1The Mighty One, God the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.2Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.3Our God comes; he does not keep silence; before him is a devouring fire, around him a mighty tempest.4He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people:5"Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!"6The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge! Selah7"Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you. I am God, your God.8Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me.9I will not accept a bull from your house or goats from your folds.10For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.11I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine.12"If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine.13Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?14Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High,15and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me."16But to the wicked God says: "What right have you to recite my statutes or take my covenant on your lips?17For you hate discipline, and you cast my words behind you.18If you see a thief, you are pleased with him, and you keep company with adulterers.19"You give your mouth free rein for evil, and your tongue frames deceit.20You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother's son.21These things you have done, and I have been silent; you thought that I was one like yourself. But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.22"Mark this, then, you who forget God, lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver!23The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!"
Gospel: Matthew 12.38-42
38Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you."39But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.40For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.41The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.42The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the nature of faith and our response to God’s presence in our lives. In the first reading from Micah, the prophet challenges Israel to recognize God’s judgment and to understand what truly pleases Him. Micah emphasizes that God does not desire elaborate sacrifices or outward displays of piety but rather a life lived with justice, mercy, and humility. This message was spoken in a time when Israel had turned away from God’s covenant, pursuing instead corruption and injustice. Micah calls the people back to the heart of their relationship with God, reminding them that true worship is about how they live, not just what they say.
In the Gospel, Jesus responds to the Pharisees and scribes who demand a sign from him. He rejects their request, pointing out that their generation is evil and adulterous because it seeks signs rather than responding to the presence of God already among them. Jesus then references Jonah and the Queen of the South, who repented at the preaching of Jonah and sought the wisdom of Solomon, respectively. He makes it clear that He is greater than Jonah and Solomon, and yet, many still refuse to see the sign of His presence. This passage highlights the tension between those who seek proof and those who trust in God’s Word.
These readings remind us that faith is not about seeking signs or guarantees but about trusting in God’s presence and living in accordance with His will. Like the people of Micah’s time, we are called to act with justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. And like the generation in Jesus’ time, we must not let our hearts grow hard or our eyes blind to the signs of God’s love already at work in our lives. Let us ask ourselves: Are we living in a way that reflects our faith? Are we trusting in God’s presence, or are we waiting for some sign before we act? May we respond to God’s call with humility, mercy, and openness to His will.