Daily Catholic Mass Readings for August 21, 2020
First Reading: Ezekiel 37.1-14
1The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones.2And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry.3And he said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord GOD, you know."4Then he said to me, "Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.5Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.6And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the LORD."7So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone.8And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them.9Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live."10So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.11Then he said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut off.'12Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel.13And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people.14And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD."
Psalm 107
1Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!2Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble3and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.4Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in;5hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.6Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.7He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in.8Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of men!9For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.10Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons,11for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High.12So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor; they fell down, with none to help.13Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.14He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart.15Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of men!16For he shatters the doors of bronze and cuts in two the bars of iron.17Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;18they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death.19Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.20He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.21Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of men!22And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!23Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters;24they saw the deeds of the LORD, his wondrous works in the deep.25For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea.26They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight;27they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits' end.28Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.29He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.30Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.31Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of men!32Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.33He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground,34a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the evil of its inhabitants.35He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water.36And there he lets the hungry dwell, and they establish a city to live in;37they sow fields and plant vineyards and get a fruitful yield.38By his blessing they multiply greatly, and he does not let their livestock diminish.39When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, evil, and sorrow,40he pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes;41but he raises up the needy out of affliction and makes their families like flocks.42The upright see it and are glad, and all wickedness shuts its mouth.43Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD.
Gospel: Matthew 22.34-40
34But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.35And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.36"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?"37And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.38This is the great and first commandment.39And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.40On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter powerful visions of renewal and love. Ezekiel’s prophetic vision of the dry bones reminds us of God’s promise to restore life and hope to His people. The bones, once dry and lifeless, are transformed by the Spirit of God, rising as a vast army—a testament to God’s power to revive even in the darkest of times. This vision was directed to the exiled Israelites, who felt hopeless and disconnected from God, their bones “dried out” and their spirits crushed. Ezekiel’s prophecy reassures them that God will not abandon them; He will open their tombs and bring them back to life, placing His Spirit within them.
In the Gospel, Jesus teaches us about the heart of God’s law. When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus responds by emphasizing love—love for God with our entire being and love for our neighbor as ourselves. These two commandments, He says, are the foundation of all the law and the prophets. This teaching cuts through the complexities of religious debates and gets to the core of what it means to follow God. Just as Ezekiel’s vision shows God’s Spirit bringing life to dry bones, Jesus shows us that love is the Spirit that animates all of life and faith.
These readings remind us that our faith is rooted in hope and love. Just as God promised to breathe new life into the exiles, He promises to breathe new life into us when we feel dry and hopeless. And just as Jesus taught, this new life is expressed in love—love for God and love for one another. Let us ask ourselves: Where in our lives do we feel like dry bones, devoid of hope or vitality? How can we allow God’s Spirit to revive us? And how can we live out the commandment to love, not just in grand gestures, but in the everyday moments where we encounter our neighbors? May we trust in God’s promise to bring life out of death and may we strive to love as He has loved us.