Daily Readings - Sat Jul 08 2017
First Reading - Genesis 27.1-5, 9-10, 15-29
Genesis
And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I.And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death:Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth:And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son:And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck:And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son?And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD thy God brought it to me.And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him.And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank.And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed:Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.
Gospel - Matthew 9.14-17
Matthew
Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two distinct stories that invite us to reflect on the nature of God’s plan, human ingenuity, and the call to live in harmony with divine will. The first reading from Genesis tells the story of Jacob and Esau, a tale of deception and unintended consequences. Rebekah, Jacob’s mother, schemes to ensure her favored son receives the blessing meant for Esau, the firstborn. By dressing Jacob in Esau’s garments and preparing a meal to deceive Isaac, Rebekah disrupts the natural order of inheritance. While Jacob succeeds in obtaining the blessing, the story reveals the complexities of human ambition and the unpredictable ways God’s plan unfolds.
The Gospel reading from Matthew shifts our focus to Jesus’ response to the question about fasting. Jesus explains that His disciples do not fast because they are in the presence of the Bridegroom, symbolizing the joy and fulfillment of the Kingdom’s arrival. He then uses the parable of the wineskins to emphasize that the newness of His teaching cannot be contained in the old structures of tradition. Just as new wine must be poured into new wineskins to preserve both, so too must we be open to the fresh ways God is working in our lives.
Both readings remind us that God’s plan often surpasses our expectations and challenges us to embrace change. In Genesis, Jacob’s actions, though deceptive, ultimately further God’s plan to establish a covenant with His people. In Matthew, Jesus calls us to let go of old practices and embrace the new life He offers. In our daily lives, we are invited to trust in God’s providence, even when the path is unclear. Let us ask for the grace to be open to the new ways God is working in our lives, just as Jacob and Jesus teach us.