Daily Readings - Thu Jul 06 2017

First Reading - Genesis 22.1-19

¹And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.²And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.³And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.⁴Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.⁵And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.⁶And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.⁷And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?⁸And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.⁹And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.¹⁰And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.¹¹And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.¹²And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.¹³And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.¹⁴And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.¹⁵And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,¹⁶And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:¹⁷That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;¹⁸And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.¹⁹So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.

Gospel - Matthew 9.1-8

Matthew

Chapter 9

¹And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city.²And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.³And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.⁴And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?⁵For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?⁶But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.⁷And he arose, and departed to his house.⁸But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.

Sermon

In today's readings, we encounter powerful narratives that invite us to reflect on faith, trust, and God's providence. The first reading from Genesis presents Abraham, a man of deep faith, who is tested by God. He is asked to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, as a burnt offering. This test pushes Abraham to the limits of human understanding, yet he obeys without hesitation, trusting in God's promise. His unwavering faith is rewarded when God provides a ram as a substitute for Isaac, confirming His faithfulness and mercy. The Gospel from Matthew shifts our focus to Jesus, who encounters a paralytic brought to Him by friends. Their faith moves Jesus to first forgive the man's sins and then heal his body. This miracle not only demonstrates Jesus' divine authority but also highlights the connection between spiritual and physical healing. The scribes, skeptical of Jesus' power to forgive sins, are silenced by the tangible evidence of the man's healing. This story reminds us that true healing comes from God and that faith can lead to extraordinary transformations in our lives. Both readings call us to trust in God's plan, even when it seems unclear or challenging. Like Abraham, we are invited to place our faith in God, knowing that He will provide. Like the paralytic and his friends, we are reminded that our faith can lead to healing and restoration. In our daily lives, let us embrace this faith, trusting that God will guide us through life's trials and bring us closer to Him. May we, like Abraham and the paralytic, experience the transformative power of God's love and mercy.