Daily Catholic Mass Readings for July 11, 2022
First Reading: Isaiah 1.10-17
10Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.11To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.12When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?13Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.14Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.15And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.16Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;17Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
Psalm 50
1The mighty God, even the LORD, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.2Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.3Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.4He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people.5Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.6And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah.7Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against thee: I am God, even thy God.8I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt offerings, to have been continually before me.9I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy folds.10For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.11I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.12If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.13Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?14Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High:15And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.16But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth?17Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee.18When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers.19Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit.20Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mother's son.21These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.22Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.23Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.
Gospel: Matthew 10.34 – 11.1
34Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.35For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.36And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.37He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.38And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.39He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.40He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.41He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.42And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.
1And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter a profound call to authenticity and commitment in our faith. The first reading from Isaiah 1:10-17 confronts us with God's displeasure towards empty rituals. The Israelites are going through the motions of sacrifice and festivals, yet their hearts are far from God, marked by injustice and oppression. Isaiah emphasizes that true worship is not about rituals but about living justly and compassionately.
In the Gospel, Matthew 10:34–11:1, Jesus challenges us with a radical message. He comes not to bring comfort but to disrupt, even within families, calling us to prioritize Him above all else. Following Jesus means taking up our cross, embracing sacrifice, and standing for righteousness. Jesus also highlights the importance of receiving prophets and the righteous, and even small acts of kindness, like giving a cup of water, are rewarded.
These readings connect by emphasizing that true faith transcends rituals. Isaiah calls for justice, while Jesus demands unwavering commitment. Together, they remind us that faith must be lived authentically, transforming our actions and relationships. In our daily lives, this means more than attending church; it involves standing up for justice, helping the needy, and making tough choices to follow God's will. Let us reflect on how we can live our faith with authenticity, allowing it to transform our world.