Daily Readings - Thu Aug 16 2018
Ezekiel
1The word of the LORD also came unto me, saying,2Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.3Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee stuff for removing, and remove by day in their sight; and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight: it may be they will consider, though they be a rebellious house.4Then shalt thou bring forth thy stuff by day in their sight, as stuff for removing: and thou shalt go forth at even in their sight, as they that go forth into captivity.5Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby.6In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulders, and carry it forth in the twilight: thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not the ground: for I have set thee for a sign unto the house of Israel.7And I did so as I was commanded: I brought forth my stuff by day, as stuff for captivity, and in the even I digged through the wall with mine hand; I brought it forth in the twilight, and I bare it upon my shoulder in their sight.8And in the morning came the word of the LORD unto me, saying,9Son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said unto thee, What doest thou?10Say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; This burden concerneth the prince in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel that are among them.11Say, I am your sign: like as I have done, so shall it be done unto them: they shall remove and go into captivity.12And the prince that is among them shall bear upon his shoulder in the twilight, and shall go forth: they shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby: he shall cover his face, that he see not the ground with his eyes.13My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there.14And I will scatter toward every wind all that are about him to help him, and all his bands; and I will draw out the sword after them.15And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries.16But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they come; and they shall know that I am the LORD.
Matthew
21Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?22Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.23Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.24And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.25But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.26The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.27Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.28But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.29And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.30And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.31So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.32Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:33Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?34And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.35So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
1And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan;
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter powerful lessons about God’s mercy, human stubbornness, and the call to live as instruments of forgiveness and compassion. Ezekiel’s prophetic actions in the first reading are a stark reminder of God’s judgment on those who refuse to see and hear. By packing his bags and leaving in the dark, Ezekiel enacts the fate of Jerusalem’s leaders, who will be carried away in exile. The people of Israel, despite their physical sight and hearing, are spiritually blind and deaf to God’s warnings. Ezekiel’s actions are a call to repentance, urging the people to recognize their sins and turn back to the Lord.
In the Gospel, Jesus teaches Peter and the disciples about the boundless nature of forgiveness. When Peter asks how many times he should forgive a brother, Jesus responds with the shocking figure of seventy times seven, emphasizing that forgiveness is not limited by numbers but is an endless act of mercy. The parable of the unforgiving servant drives this point home. The servant who is forgiven a massive debt but refuses to forgive a smaller one is condemned for his hardness of heart. Jesus makes it clear that receiving God’s mercy requires us to extend that same mercy to others.
These readings challenge us to reflect on our own relationship with God’s mercy and how we treat others. Ezekiel’s prophecy reminds us that God’s patience is not endless and that we must respond to His call while there is still time. Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness calls us to let go of grudges and resentments, not because others deserve it, but because we ourselves have been forgiven so much. As we go about our daily lives, let us ask ourselves: Do we see and hear God’s presence in our lives? Are we living as instruments of His mercy and compassion? May we strive to be people of forgiveness and love, reflecting the boundless mercy of our heavenly Father.