Daily Catholic Mass Readings for June 18, 2022
First Reading: 2 Chronicles 24.17-25
17Now after the death of Jehoiada the princes of Judah came and paid homage to the king. Then the king listened to them.18And they abandoned the house of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols. And wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs.19Yet he sent prophets among them to bring them back to the LORD. These testified against them, but they would not pay attention.20Then the Spirit of God clothed Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood above the people, and said to them, "Thus says God, 'Why do you break the commandments of the LORD, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, he has forsaken you.'"21But they conspired against him, and by command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the LORD.22Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness that Jehoiada, Zechariah's father, had shown him, but killed his son. And when he was dying, he said, "May the LORD see and avenge!"23At the end of the year the army of the Syrians came up against Joash. They came to Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus.24Though the army of the Syrians had come with few men, the LORD delivered into their hand a very great army, because Judah had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers. Thus they executed judgment on Joash.25When they had departed from him, leaving him severely wounded, his servants conspired against him because of the blood of the son of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings.
Psalm 89
1I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.2For I said, "Steadfast love will be built up forever; in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness."3You have said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant:4'I will establish your offspring forever, and build your throne for all generations.'" Selah5Let the heavens praise your wonders, O LORD, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!6For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD? Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD,7a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him?8O LORD God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O LORD, with your faithfulness all around you?9You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.10You crushed Rahab like a carcass; you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.11The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours; the world and all that is in it, you have founded them.12The north and the south, you have created them; Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.13You have a mighty arm; strong is your hand, high your right hand.14Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.15Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O LORD, in the light of your face,16who exult in your name all the day and in your righteousness are exalted.17For you are the glory of their strength; by your favor our horn is exalted.18For our shield belongs to the LORD, our king to the Holy One of Israel.19Of old you spoke in a vision to your godly one, and said: "I have granted help to one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people.20I have found David, my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him,21so that my hand shall be established with him; my arm also shall strengthen him.22The enemy shall not outwit him; the wicked shall not humble him.23I will crush his foes before him and strike down those who hate him.24My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him, and in my name shall his horn be exalted.25I will set his hand on the sea and his right hand on the rivers.26He shall cry to me, 'You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.'27And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.28My steadfast love I will keep for him forever, and my covenant will stand firm for him.29I will establish his offspring forever and his throne as the days of the heavens.30If his children forsake my law and do not walk according to my rules,31if they violate my statutes and do not keep my commandments,32then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes,33but I will not remove from him my steadfast love or be false to my faithfulness.34I will not violate my covenant or alter the word that went forth from my lips.35Once for all I have sworn by my holiness; I will not lie to David.36His offspring shall endure forever, his throne as long as the sun before me.37Like the moon it shall be established forever, a faithful witness in the skies." Selah38But now you have cast off and rejected; you are full of wrath against your anointed.39You have renounced the covenant with your servant; you have defiled his crown in the dust.40You have breached all his walls; you have laid his strongholds in ruins.41All who pass by plunder him; he has become the scorn of his neighbors.42You have exalted the right hand of his foes; you have made all his enemies rejoice.43You have also turned back the edge of his sword, and you have not made him stand in battle.44You have made his splendor to cease and cast his throne to the ground.45You have cut short the days of his youth; you have covered him with shame. Selah46How long, O LORD? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire?47Remember how short my time is! For what vanity you have created all the children of man!48What man can live and never see death? Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah49Lord, where is your steadfast love of old, which by your faithfulness you swore to David?50Remember, O Lord, how your servants are mocked, and how I bear in my heart the insults of all the many nations,51with which your enemies mock, O LORD, with which they mock the footsteps of your anointed.52Blessed be the LORD forever! Amen and Amen.
Gospel: Matthew 6.24-34
24"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.25"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?26Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?27And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?28And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,29yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?31Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'32For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.33But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.34"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the consequences of turning away from God and the peace that comes from trusting in His providence. In the first reading from 2 Chronicles, we see the tragic story of King Joash, who, after the death of the priest Jehoiada, abandoned the Lord and led Judah into sin. Despite the warnings of the prophets, Joash and the people refused to return to God, leading to devastating consequences. This story reminds us that when we forsake God, we lose the foundation of true life and stability. The death of Zechariah, Jehoiada’s son, serves as a stark reminder of the cost of rejecting God’s truth.
In the Gospel, Jesus teaches us about the futility of anxiety and the importance of seeking God’s kingdom first. He uses the examples of the birds of the air and the lilies of the field to show how God provides for even the smallest creatures. Jesus invites us to trust in our heavenly Father, who knows all our needs. This teaching contrasts sharply with the greed and faithlessness of Joash and the leaders of Judah. While they sought power and wealth, Jesus calls us to seek God’s justice and His kingdom, promising that all else will be given to us as well.
These readings challenge us to examine our priorities and our faith. Like Joash, we often let worldly concerns and desires distract us from God. But Jesus assures us that true peace comes from trusting in God’s providence. Let us seek first the kingdom of God, letting go of our anxieties and doubts. May we learn from the lessons of history and the wisdom of Christ, turning our hearts back to God and living with faith and gratitude.