Daily Readings - Tue Jul 18 2017
Exodus
1Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman,2and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months.3But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.4His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.5Then Pharaoh's daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the river bank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her slave girl to get it.6She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. "This is one of the Hebrew babies," she said.7Then his sister asked Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?"8"Yes, go," she answered. And the girl went and got the baby's mother.9Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you." So the woman took the baby and nursed him.10When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, "I drew him out of the water."11One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people.12Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.13The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, "Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?"14The man said, "Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid and thought, "What I did must have become known."15When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well.
Matthew
20Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent.21"Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.22But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.23And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day.24But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you."
Sermon
The first reading from Exodus tells the story of Moses’ early life, highlighting the courage and faith of his mother who defied Pharaoh’s decree to save her son. She placed Moses in a basket and set him afloat on the Nile, trusting in God’s providence. The story unfolds with Moses being discovered by Pharaoh’s daughter, who, moved by compassion, decides to adopt him. This narrative sets the stage for Moses’ eventual role as a leader of the Israelites, showcasing how God works through human actions and circumstances to fulfill His plan. The context of this reading is the oppression of the Israelites in Egypt, where Pharaoh’s fear of their growing population led to brutal measures, including the killing of Hebrew male infants. Moses’ survival is a testament to the power of trust in God’s plan and the courage of those who risk everything to do what is right.
The Gospel reading from Matthew presents Jesus rebuking cities that had witnessed many miracles but failed to repent. Jesus laments that if the same miracles had been performed in Tyre, Sidon, or Sodom, those cities would have repented long ago. He warns that on the day of judgment, these cities will be held to a higher accountability because of the graces they received. The context here is Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, where He performed numerous miracles, yet many people remained hardened in their unbelief. This reading emphasizes the importance of responding to God’s grace with faith and repentance, rather than taking it for granted.
Both readings remind us of the importance of faith and trust in God’s plan. In Exodus, Moses’ mother trusted in God’s providence, even in the face of danger, and her courage ultimately led to Moses’ survival and his future role as a leader. In Matthew, Jesus calls us to respond to God’s grace with repentance and faith, warning us against complacency. These readings invite us to reflect on our own trust in God and our response to His grace in our lives. Do we, like Moses’ mother, trust in God’s plan even when the future seems uncertain? Do we, like the cities Jesus rebuked, fail to respond to the graces we have received? Let us strive to live with courage, trust, and a willingness to repent, so that we may deepen our relationship with God and fulfill the mission He has entrusted to us.