Daily Readings - Mon Jun 25 2018
2 Kings
5Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.6In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.7For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods,8And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made.13Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.14Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God.15And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them.18Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.
Matthew
1Judge not, that ye be not judged.2For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.3And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?4Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?5Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
Sermon
In today's readings, we are presented with two profound reflections on sin, judgment, and the call to self-examination. The first reading from 2 Kings recounts the fall of Israel, which occurred because the people turned away from God and followed the idolatrous practices of neighboring nations. Despite the warnings of prophets, they hardened their hearts and refused to return to the Lord, leading to their exile and suffering. This passage serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of spiritual complacency and the importance of fidelity to God’s covenant.
The Gospel reading from Matthew complements this theme, as Jesus teaches about the dangers of hypocrisy and judgment. He warns us not to judge others harshly, for we will be judged by the same standard we use on others. Jesus uses the vivid image of a splinter and a board to emphasize the need for self-reflection. Before we can help others see their faults, we must first acknowledge and address our own shortcomings. This teaching calls us to humility and honesty in our relationships with others and with God.
These readings remind us that true faith requires both a willingness to acknowledge our sins and a commitment to personal conversion. Just as the Israelites were called to return to the Lord, we too are invited to examine our lives, repent of our sins, and live according to God’s will. By doing so, we avoid the hypocrisy of judging others while ignoring our own faults. Let us approach life with humility, seeking to grow in holiness and to love others as God loves us.