Daily Readings - Mon Jul 27 2020
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 messages that invite us to reflect on our relationship with God and the nature of His Kingdom. The first reading from Jeremiah presents a vivid symbolic act: a linen waistcloth that rots away, signifying the spiritual decay of Judah and Jerusalem due to their refusal to listen to God. This serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of turning away from divine guidance and pursuing false idols. The waistcloth, once pure and useful, becomes worthless, much like a people who reject God's word.
The Gospel, however, offers a contrasting yet complementary vision through the parables of the mustard seed and the leaven. These parables remind us that the Kingdom of Heaven begins small but grows exponentially, transforming everything it touches. Just as the tiny mustard seed becomes a shelter for birds and the leaven permeates the entire dough, our faith, though it may start as a small, seemingly insignificant act, has the power to bring about profound change in our lives and the world around us.
These readings together call us to a life of faith and fidelity. While Jeremiah warns us of the dangers of spiritual complacency and rebellion, Matthew encourages us to trust in the transformative power of God's grace. In our daily lives, we are invited to nurture our faith like the mustard seed and allow the leaven of God's love to work through us. Let us listen to God's word with open hearts, allowing it to guide us away from the path of decay and toward the path of growth, hope, and abundant life in His Kingdom.