Daily Catholic Mass Readings for August 12, 2017
First Reading: Deuteronomy 6.4-13
4Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.5Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.6These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.7Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.8Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.9Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.10When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you-a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build,11houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant-then when you eat and are satisfied,12be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.13Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name.
Psalm 18
1I love you, O LORD, my strength.2The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.3I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.4The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.5The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me.6In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.7The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry.8Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it.9He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet.10He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind.11He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him- the dark rain clouds of the sky.12Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning.13The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.14He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies, great bolts of lightning and routed them.15The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of breath from your nostrils.16He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.17He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.18They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support.19He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.20The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.21For I have kept the ways of the LORD; I have not done evil by turning from my God.22All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees.23I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin.24The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.25To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless,26to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.27You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.28You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.29With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.30As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.31For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?32It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.33He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights.34He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.35You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great.36You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn.37I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed.38I crushed them so that they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet.39You armed me with strength for battle; you made my adversaries bow at my feet.40You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed my foes.41They cried for help, but there was no one to save them- to the LORD, but he did not answer.42I beat them as fine as dust borne on the wind; I poured them out like mud in the streets.43You have delivered me from the attacks of the people; you have made me the head of nations; people I did not know are subject to me.44As soon as they hear me, they obey me; foreigners cringe before me.45They all lose heart; they come trembling from their strongholds.46The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior!47He is the God who avenges me, who subdues nations under me,48who saves me from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from violent men you rescued me.49Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD; I will sing praises to your name.50He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever.
Gospel: Matthew 17.14-20
14When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him.15"Lord, have mercy on my son," he said. "He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water.16I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him."17"O unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me."18Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.19Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"20He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
Sermon
The readings today remind us of the central call to faith and love in our relationship with God. In Deuteronomy, Moses exhorts the people to love God with all their heart, soul, and strength, and to pass on this love and the commandments to their children. This passage, known as the Shema, is a cornerstone of Jewish and Christian faith, emphasizing the oneness of God and the total dedication required of His people. It also warns against forgetting God’s blessings, especially when prosperity and comfort come, urging us to remain faithful and grateful. In the Gospel, we see a father’s desperate plea for his suffering son, and Jesus’ response highlights the importance of faith. The disciples’ failure to heal the boy is attributed to their lack of faith, but Jesus assures them that even a small amount of faith can move mountains.
These readings are deeply connected. Both emphasize the necessity of unwavering faith in God. In Deuteronomy, faith is expressed through loving obedience and gratitude, while in Matthew, it is demonstrated through trust in God’s power to overcome even the most daunting challenges. Together, they remind us that faith is not just intellectual assent but a lived commitment that shapes our actions and attitudes. Just as the Israelites were called to remember God’s covenant and blessings, we too are called to trust in God’s providence, even when circumstances seem impossible.
In our daily lives, these readings invite us to reflect on the state of our faith. Are we like the disciples, sometimes faltering in our trust? Or are we like the father, persistent in prayer and hopeful in God’s mercy? Let us ask ourselves: Do we love God with all our heart, soul, and strength? Are we passing on this love and faith to others? And when we face trials, do we turn to God with the humility and trust of the father in the Gospel? May we learn to live out our faith with greater fidelity, remembering that even a mustard seed of faith can accomplish great things in God’s hands.