Daily Catholic Mass Readings for June 24, 2017
Psalm 139
1O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.2You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.3You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.4Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.5You hem me in-behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.7Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?8If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.9If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,10even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.11If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,"12even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.13For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.14I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.15My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,16your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.17How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!18Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.19If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!20They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.21Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against you?22I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.23Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.24See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Second Reading: Acts 13.22-26
22After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.'23"From this man's descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised.24Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel.25As John was completing his work, he said: 'Who do you think I am? I am not that one. No, but he is coming after me, whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.'26"Brothers, children of Abraham, and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent.
Sermon
In today's reading from Acts 13:22-26, we hear Paul's sermon in the synagogue at Antioch, where he recounts the transition from King Saul to King David. David, a man after God's own heart, is chosen by God to fulfill His will, setting the stage for the Messiah. The reading then shifts to John the Baptist, who humbly acknowledges his role as a precursor to Jesus, emphasizing that he is not the Messiah but one who prepares the way.
This passage is rooted in the context of Paul addressing both Jews and Gentiles, illustrating the progression of God's plan from the Old Testament to the New. David's kingship and John's baptism of repentance highlight the fulfillment of God's promises, leading to the arrival of Jesus Christ. The connection between the readings lies in their shared theme of preparation and fulfillment—David's obedience and John's humility both point to the coming of the Messiah.
In our daily lives, this teaches us to trust in God's plan and timing. Like David, we are called to be faithful and obedient, and like John, to humbly recognize our role in God's larger narrative. The moral lesson here is one of trust and humility—trusting in God's purpose and being open to how He works through us. Let us strive to be faithful in our roles, preparing the way for others to encounter Christ, just as John did.