Daily Readings - Sat Jul 31 2021
Leviticus
1The LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying,8"You shall count seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, so that the time of the seven weeks of years shall give you forty-nine years.9Then you shall sound the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land.10And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan.11That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of itself nor gather the grapes from the undressed vines.12For it is a jubilee. It shall be holy to you. You may eat the produce of the field.13"In this year of jubilee each of you shall return to his property.14And if you make a sale to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor, you shall not wrong one another.15You shall pay your neighbor according to the number of years after the jubilee, and he shall sell to you according to the number of years for crops.16If the years are many, you shall increase the price, and if the years are few, you shall reduce the price, for it is the number of the crops that he is selling to you.17You shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God, for I am the LORD your God.
Matthew
1At that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus,2and he said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him."3For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife,4because John had been saying to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her."5And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a prophet.6But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod,7so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.8Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter."9And the king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given.10He sent and had John beheaded in the prison,11and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.12And his disciples came and took the body and buried it, and they went and told Jesus.
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two profound narratives that invite us to reflect on justice, integrity, and the consequences of our choices. The first reading from Leviticus presents the Jubilee year, a time of renewal and restoration. Every 50 years, debts were forgiven, land was returned to its original owners, and society was reset to ensure equality and fairness. This practice was rooted in the belief that all things belong to God, and it served as a reminder of God’s justice and mercy. The Jubilee was not just an economic or social policy but a spiritual imperative, calling the people to trust in God’s providence and to live in harmony with one another.
The Gospel reading from Matthew contrasts this vision of justice with a story of grave injustice. Herod, influenced by his own desires and the manipulations of Herodias, has John the Baptist beheaded. John had spoken truth to power, calling Herod to account for his sinful actions, and this cost him his life. This passage reminds us that living according to God’s will can sometimes lead to suffering, but it also highlights the importance of standing up for what is right, even in the face of adversity. John’s martyrdom is a testament to the enduring power of truth and the ultimate triumph of God’s justice over human corruption.
These readings challenge us to reflect on how we live out our faith in our daily lives. The Jubilee year calls us to consider how we treat others, especially those in need, and to strive for fairness and compassion in all our interactions. John the Baptist’s courage in the face of death reminds us to stand firm in our commitment to justice and to trust in God’s plan, even when the consequences are difficult. May we, like John, have the strength to speak truth and, like the Jubilee, create spaces of renewal and reconciliation in our world.