Daily Readings - Thu Aug 21 2025
Judges
29Then the Spirit of the LORD was upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh and passed on to Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed on to the Ammonites.30And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD and said, "If you will give the Ammonites into my hand,31then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the LORD's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering."32So Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the LORD gave them into his hand.33And he struck them from Aroer to the neighborhood of Minnith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel-keramim, with a great blow. So the Ammonites were subdued before the people of Israel.34Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah. And behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances. She was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.35And as soon as he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, "Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you have become the cause of great trouble to me. For I have opened my mouth to the LORD, and I cannot take back my vow."36And she said to him, "My father, you have opened your mouth to the LORD; do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, now that the LORD has avenged you on your enemies, on the Ammonites."37So she said to her father, "Let this thing be done for me: leave me alone two months, that I may go up and down on the mountains and weep for my virginity, I and my companions."38So he said, "Go." Then he sent her away for two months, and she departed, she and her companions, and wept for her virginity on the mountains.39And at the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow that he had made. She had never known a man, and it became a custom in Israel
Matthew
1And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying,2"The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son,3and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come.4Again he sent other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.'5But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business,6while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.7The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.8Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy.9Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.'10And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.11"But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment.12And he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless.13Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'14For many are called, but few are chosen."
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two powerful stories that invite us to reflect on the nature of faith, commitment, and the consequences of our choices. The first reading from Judges tells the tragic story of Jephthah, a judge of Israel, who makes a rash vow to God in exchange for victory over the Ammonites. Upon his triumph, his only daughter greets him with joy, unaware of the fate that awaits her. Jephthah, bound by his vow, sacrifices his daughter, and her only request is time to mourn her virginity before meeting her destiny. This story challenges us to consider the weight of our promises and the importance of discernment in our commitments to God.
The Gospel reading from Matthew presents a very different narrative, yet one that complements the first. Jesus tells the parable of the wedding feast, where those initially invited refuse to come, and others are gathered from the streets to fill the celebration. The king’s anger at the refusal of the invited guests reflects God’s disappointment with those who reject His invitation to life in the kingdom. The parable takes a deeper turn with the man who appears without a wedding garment, symbolizing the need for interior preparation and a life of faith to truly belong to the kingdom. This parable reminds us that being called is not enough; we must also respond with hearts and lives transformed by grace.
Both readings call us to examine our relationship with God and the choices we make in response to His call. Jephthah’s story warns us against making hasty or ill-considered commitments, while the parable of the wedding feast urges us to embrace the invitation to the kingdom with readiness and sincerity. In our daily lives, we are invited to live as children of God, to respond to His love, and to prepare our hearts for the eternal feast He has prepared for us. Let us ask ourselves: How do we respond to God’s invitation? Are we living in a way that reflects our commitment to Him? May we strive to be faithful and prepared, knowing that the choices we make have eternal consequences.