Daily Catholic Mass Readings for August 3, 2024
First Reading: Jeremiah 26.11-16, 24
11Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and to all the people, "This man deserves the sentence of death, because he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears."12Then Jeremiah spoke to all the officials and all the people, saying, "The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and this city all the words you have heard.13Now therefore mend your ways and your deeds, and obey the voice of the LORD your God, and the LORD will relent of the disaster that he has pronounced against you.14But as for me, behold, I am in your hands. Do with me as seems good and right to you.15Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood upon yourselves and upon this city and its inhabitants, for in truth the LORD sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears."16Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, "This man does not deserve the sentence of death, for he has spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God."24But the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah so that he was not given over to the people to be put to death.
Psalm 69
1Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck.2I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me.3I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God.4More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause; mighty are those who would destroy me, those who attack me with lies. What I did not steal must I now restore?5O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.6Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord GOD of hosts; let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel.7For it is for your sake that I have borne reproach, that dishonor has covered my face.8I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother's sons.9For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.10When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach.11When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them.12I am the talk of those who sit in the gate, and the drunkards make songs about me.13But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.14Deliver me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters.15Let not the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the pit close its mouth over me.16Answer me, O LORD, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.17Hide not your face from your servant; for I am in distress; make haste to answer me.18Draw near to my soul, redeem me; ransom me because of my enemies!19You know my reproach, and my shame and my dishonor; my foes are all known to you.20Reproaches have broken my heart, so that I am in despair. I looked for pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none.21They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.22Let their own table before them become a snare; and when they are at peace, let it become a trap.23Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see, and make their loins tremble continually.24Pour out your indignation upon them, and let your burning anger overtake them.25May their camp be a desolation; let no one dwell in their tents.26For they persecute him whom you have struck down, and they recount the pain of those you have wounded.27Add to them punishment upon punishment; may they have no acquittal from you.28Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; let them not be enrolled among the righteous.29But I am afflicted and in pain; let your salvation, O God, set me on high!30I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.31This will please the LORD more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs.32When the humble see it they will be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive.33For the LORD hears the needy and does not despise his own people who are prisoners.34Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and everything that moves in them.35For God will save Zion and build up the cities of Judah, and people shall dwell there and possess it;36the offspring of his servants shall inherit it, and those who love his name shall dwell in it.
Gospel: Matthew 14.1-12
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
The readings today present us with two powerful examples of courage and conviction in the face of adversity. In the first reading from Jeremiah, the prophet stands trial before the leaders of Jerusalem for speaking God’s truth, which is uncomfortable and challenging to hear. Jeremiah’s message is not his own but comes from the Lord, and he insists that his words are meant to call the people to repentance and to amend their ways. Despite the threat of death, Jeremiah remains steadfast, trusting in God’s providence. The leaders, moved by his sincerity and the recognition of his divine mission, spare his life, thanks in part to the intervention of Ahikam, a man of good will.
In the Gospel, we encounter a very different outcome. John the Baptist, a prophet and precursor of Jesus, suffers martyrdom at the hands of Herod. John’s crime is his bold denunciation of Herod’s sinful union with Herodias, his brother’s wife. Herod, though intrigued by John and aware of his holiness, allows his pride and fear of embarrassment to lead him to order John’s execution. The tragic story highlights the consequences of sin and the dangers of allowing personal desires to cloud judgment. John’s martyrdom, however, is not in vain; it bears witness to the truth and prepares the way for the ministry of Jesus.
Both readings remind us of the cost of living according to God’s will and the importance of moral courage. Jeremiah and John the Baptist are prophets who risk everything to speak the truth, even when it is unpopular or dangerous. Their examples challenge us to reflect on how we live our faith in daily life. Are we willing to stand up for what is right, even when it is difficult? Do we have the courage to confront sin in ourselves and in the world around us? The readings call us to trust in God’s providence, as Jeremiah did, and to remain faithful to our mission, as John the Baptist did, even in the face of adversity. Let us ask for the grace to live with integrity and to bear witness to the truth, knowing that our efforts, like those of the prophets, can lead to transformation and renewal.