Daily Catholic Mass Readings for August 28, 2025
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
In today’s readings, we encounter two powerful messages about faith, vigilance, and the call to live as disciples of Christ. The first reading from 1 Thessalonians expresses St. Paul’s deep affection and concern for the early Christian community. Despite the trials and tribulations they face, Paul finds joy in their steadfast faith. He prays for their continued growth in love and for the grace to see them again, that he might help complete what is lacking in their faith. This passage highlights Paul’s paternal care for his spiritual children and his desire for their holiness and blamelessness before God.
The Gospel from Matthew takes us into a different but complementary theme. Jesus warns us to be vigilant and prepared for His return, using the parable of the faithful and unfaithful servants. The faithful servant is prudent, trustworthy, and hardworking, while the unfaithful servant becomes complacent and abusive when he thinks his master is delayed. Jesus emphasizes that we do not know the hour of His return, so we must always be ready, living as faithful stewards of the gifts and responsibilities entrusted to us.
Both readings remind us that our faith is not a passive reality but an active way of life. Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians and Jesus’ call to vigilance invite us to reflect on how we are living our daily lives. Are we growing in love and holiness? Are we faithful in fulfilling our duties and caring for one another? The moral lesson is clear: we are called to live with purpose and integrity, trusting in God’s plan and remaining prepared to meet Him at any moment. Let us ask for the grace to be faithful servants, living with hope and love, so that when the Lord comes, He may find us ready and fruitful in our faith.