Daily Readings - Sat Jul 04 2020
Amos
11"In that day I will restore David's fallen tent. I will repair its broken places, restore its ruins, and build it as it used to be,12so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that bear my name, "declares the LORD, who will do these things.13"The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills.14I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.15I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them," says the LORD your God.
Matthew
14Then John's disciples came and asked him, "How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"15Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.16"No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse.17Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter powerful messages of renewal and transformation. The first reading from Amos 9:11-15 speaks of God's promise to restore the tabernacle of David, rebuild the fallen, and bring prosperity to His people. This prophecy, delivered during a time of social injustice, offers hope to a nation in despair, promising a future where the land will be fertile and the people will thrive under God's care.
In the Gospel, Matthew 9:14-17, Jesus addresses the question of fasting posed by John's disciples. He uses the analogy of a groom and the parables of patches and wineskins to illustrate the incompatibility of old practices with the new message He brings. Jesus emphasizes that His presence brings joy and that the old traditions cannot contain the new life He offers, just as old garments and wineskins cannot hold the new without causing damage.
These readings together invite us to embrace the newness that God brings. Just as Amos foresees a restored Israel and Jesus introduces a new way of living, we are called to openness and trust in God's plan. In our daily lives, this means letting go of outdated ways and being receptive to the renewal God offers. The moral lesson here is clear: trust in God's plan for renewal and be open to the changes that bring new life and growth.