Daily Catholic Mass Readings for June 20, 2022
First Reading: 2 Kings 17.5-8, 13-15a, 18
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.
Psalm 60
1O God, thou hast cast us off, thou hast scattered us, thou hast been displeased; O turn thyself to us again.2Thou hast made the earth to tremble; thou hast broken it: heal the breaches thereof; for it shaketh.3Thou hast shewed thy people hard things: thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment.4Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.5That thy beloved may be delivered; save with thy right hand, and hear me.6God hath spoken in his holiness; I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth.7Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of mine head; Judah is my lawgiver;8Moab is my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe: Philistia, triumph thou because of me.9Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom?10Wilt not thou, O God, which hadst cast us off? and thou, O God, which didst not go out with our armies?11Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.12Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.
Gospel: Matthew 7.1-5
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
The first reading from 2 Kings recounts the fall of Israel, highlighting their disobedience and idolatry, which led to their captivity. The Israelites turned away from God, worshipped false idols, and ignored the prophets' warnings, resulting in their exile. This serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of spiritual rebellion and the importance of heeding divine guidance.
In the Gospel, Matthew 7:1-5, Jesus teaches about the dangers of hypocrisy and judgment. He urges us to examine our own faults before correcting others, using the vivid metaphor of a plank in one's own eye. This emphasizes the need for self-awareness and humility in our interactions with others.
Both readings connect through their focus on self-reflection and accountability. The fall of Israel reminds us of the consequences of ignoring our sins, while Jesus' teaching encourages us to address our own shortcomings first. In daily life, this calls us to humility and introspection, prompting us to look inward before judging others. The moral lesson is clear: true wisdom lies in recognizing our own flaws and seeking personal growth, fostering a more compassionate and just community.