Daily Catholic Mass Readings for August 26, 2021
First Reading: 1 Thessalonians 3.7-13
7for this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith.8For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord.9For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God,10as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?11Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you,12and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you,13so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
Psalm 90
1Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.2Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.3You return man to dust and say, "Return, O children of man!"4For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.5You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning:6in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.7For we are brought to an end by your anger; by your wrath we are dismayed.8You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.9For all our days pass away under your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh.10The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.11Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you?12So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.13Return, O LORD! How long? Have pity on your servants!14Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.15Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil.16Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.17Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!
Gospel: Matthew 24.42-51
42Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.43But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.44Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.45"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time?46Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.47Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.48But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed,'49and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards,50the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know51and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Sermon
The readings today remind us of the importance of faithfulness and preparedness in our relationship with God. In the first reading from 1 Thessalonians, St. Paul expresses his deep joy and gratitude for the steadfast faith of the Thessalonian community despite the trials and tribulations they endured. He prays for their continued growth in holiness and for the grace to be reunited with them. This passage highlights the mutual support and encouragement that should exist between believers, as well as the hope of ultimate union with Christ.
In the Gospel, Jesus teaches us to be vigilant and prepared for His return. Using the parable of the faithful and unfaithful servants, He emphasizes the importance of living in such a way that we are ready to meet Him at any moment. The faithful servant is diligent in fulfilling his duties, while the unfaithful one becomes complacent and neglects his responsibilities. This parable serves as a warning to remain faithful and not to take God’s mercy for granted, lest we face judgment.
Together, these readings call us to live with purpose and integrity, trusting in God’s plan while being mindful of our responsibility to remain faithful. In our daily lives, we are invited to imitate the Thessalonians by standing firm in our faith despite challenges, and to embrace the attitude of the faithful servant by being attentive to our duties and living in a way that reflects our love for God. Let us ask for the grace to keep our hearts focused on Him, so that we may be found faithful when He comes.