Daily Catholic Mass Readings for March 18, 2021
First Reading: Exodus 32.7-14
7And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:8They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.9And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:10Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.11And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?12Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.13Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.14And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.
Psalm 106
1Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.2Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? who can shew forth all his praise?3Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times.4Remember me, O LORD, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people: O visit me with thy salvation;5That I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance.6We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.7Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red sea.8Nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known.9He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up: so he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness.10And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.11And the waters covered their enemies: there was not one of them left.12Then believed they his words; they sang his praise.13They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel:14But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert.15And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.16They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron the saint of the LORD.17The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram.18And a fire was kindled in their company; the flame burned up the wicked.19They made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped the molten image.20Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass.21They forgat God their saviour, which had done great things in Egypt;22Wondrous works in the land of Ham, and terrible things by the Red sea.23Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them.24Yea, they despised the pleasant land, they believed not his word:25But murmured in their tents, and hearkened not unto the voice of the LORD.26Therefore he lifted up his hand against them, to overthrow them in the wilderness:27To overthrow their seed also among the nations, and to scatter them in the lands.28They joined themselves also unto Baalpeor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead.29Thus they provoked him to anger with their inventions: and the plague brake in upon them.30Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment: and so the plague was stayed.31And that was counted unto him for righteousness unto all generations for evermore.32They angered him also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes:33Because they provoked his spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips.34They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the LORD commanded them:35But were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works.36And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them.37Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils,38And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.39Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions.40Therefore was the wrath of the LORD kindled against his people, insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance.41And he gave them into the hand of the heathen; and they that hated them ruled over them.42Their enemies also oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their hand.43Many times did he deliver them; but they provoked him with their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity.44Nevertheless he regarded their affliction, when he heard their cry:45And he remembered for them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his mercies.46He made them also to be pitied of all those that carried them captives.47Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the heathen, to give thanks unto thy holy name, and to triumph in thy praise.48Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the LORD.
Gospel: John 5.18, 31-47
18Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.31If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.32There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true.33Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth.34But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved.35He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light.36But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.37And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.38And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.39Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.40And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.41I receive not honour from men.42But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you.43I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.44How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?45Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust.46For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.47But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the themes of sin, mercy, and faith. In the first reading from Exodus, we see the Israelites turning away from God and worshiping a golden calf, a clear rejection of the covenant they had just entered into with the Lord. Moses, their leader, intercedes for them, reminding God of His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and pleading for mercy. God, moved by Moses' prayer, spares His people from destruction. This passage reminds us of the fragility of human faith and the boundless mercy of God, who is always willing to forgive when we turn back to Him.
In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of His divine mission and the testimony that confirms His identity as the Son of God. He references John the Baptist and the works He performs, which are signs of His Father's presence in Him. Yet, despite these testimonies, the people refuse to believe, choosing instead to cling to their own understanding of the Scriptures. Jesus laments their hardness of heart, emphasizing that true faith requires humility and openness to God's revelation. This passage challenges us to examine our own hearts: do we allow God's Word to transform us, or do we resist it, holding onto our own limited perspectives?
Both readings call us to humility and trust in God's plan. Like the Israelites, we often wander and sin, but God's mercy is always available to us. Like the people in the Gospel, we may struggle with doubt or resistance to God's truth, but Jesus invites us to come to Him with open hearts. Let us learn from Moses' intercession and Jesus' words to seek God's mercy and to trust in His promises. May we turn away from sin and toward the love of the Father, who sent His Son to save us and give us life.