Daily Catholic Mass Readings for July 29, 2023
First Reading: Exodus 24.3-8
3And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do.4And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.5And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD.6And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.7And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.8And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.
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: John 11.17-27 or Luke 10.38-42
17Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already.18Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off:19And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.20Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.21Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.22But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.23Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.24Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.25Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:26And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?27She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.
38Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.39And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.40But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.41And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:42But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the nature of covenant and faith. In the first reading from Exodus, Moses mediates a solemn covenant between God and the people of Israel. The Israelites, having heard the words of the Lord, commit themselves to obedience, and Moses seals this commitment by sprinkling the blood of sacrifice on the people. This act symbolizes the bond between God and His people, a bond rooted in fidelity and mutual obligation. The context of this passage is the giving of the Law at Sinai, where God establishes Israel as His chosen people, and they accept the responsibilities and blessings that come with this relationship.
In the Gospel, we encounter a different kind of covenant, one rooted in the person of Jesus Christ. Martha, in her grief over Lazarus’ death, expresses a deep faith in Jesus’ power to do the impossible. Jesus responds by revealing Himself as the Resurrection and the Life, offering a hope that transcends death. Martha’s affirmation, “I have believed that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” shows her acceptance of Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promises. While the first reading focuses on the external signs of covenant—blood, sacrifices, and written laws—the Gospel shifts our attention to the interior transformation brought by faith in Christ.
These readings remind us that our relationship with God is not just about external rituals or rules but about a living, personal bond. Like the Israelites, we are called to fidelity, but as Christians, we know that this fidelity is made possible by the grace of Christ. In our daily lives, we can apply this by trusting in God’s plan, even when circumstances seem uncertain, and by living with hope in the face of death and hardship. The moral lesson is clear: Christ is our life, and our faith in Him transforms us, enabling us to live in a way that reflects His love and truth.