Daily Catholic Mass Readings for August 21, 2020
First Reading: Ezekiel 37.1-14
1The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.2He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry.3He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know."4Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!5This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.6I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.'"7So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone.8I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.9Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.'"10So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet-a vast army.11Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.'12Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.13Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.14I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.'"
Psalm 107
1Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.2Let the redeemed of the LORD say this- those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,3those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.4Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle.5They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away.6Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.7He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle.8Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men,9for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.10Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains,11for they had rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High.12So he subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help.13Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.14He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains.15Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men,16for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron.17Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.18They loathed all food and drew near the gates of death.19Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.20He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.21Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.22Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy.23Others went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters.24They saw the works of the LORD, his wonderful deeds in the deep.25For he spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves.26They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away.27They reeled and staggered like drunken men; they were at their wits' end.28Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.29He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.30They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.31Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.32Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders.33He turned rivers into a desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground,34and fruitful land into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who lived there.35He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs;36there he brought the hungry to live, and they founded a city where they could settle.37They sowed fields and planted vineyards that yielded a fruitful harvest;38he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased, and he did not let their herds diminish.39Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled by oppression, calamity and sorrow;40he who pours contempt on nobles made them wander in a trackless waste.41But he lifted the needy out of their affliction and increased their families like flocks.42The upright see and rejoice, but all the wicked shut their mouths.43Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the LORD.
Gospel: Matthew 22.34-40
34Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together.35One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"37Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'38This is the first and greatest commandment.39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter powerful visions of renewal and love. Ezekiel’s prophetic vision of the dry bones reminds us of God’s promise to restore life and hope to His people. The bones, once dry and lifeless, are transformed by the Spirit of God, rising as a vast army—a testament to God’s power to revive even in the darkest of times. This vision was directed to the exiled Israelites, who felt hopeless and disconnected from God, their bones “dried out” and their spirits crushed. Ezekiel’s prophecy reassures them that God will not abandon them; He will open their tombs and bring them back to life, placing His Spirit within them.
In the Gospel, Jesus teaches us about the heart of God’s law. When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus responds by emphasizing love—love for God with our entire being and love for our neighbor as ourselves. These two commandments, He says, are the foundation of all the law and the prophets. This teaching cuts through the complexities of religious debates and gets to the core of what it means to follow God. Just as Ezekiel’s vision shows God’s Spirit bringing life to dry bones, Jesus shows us that love is the Spirit that animates all of life and faith.
These readings remind us that our faith is rooted in hope and love. Just as God promised to breathe new life into the exiles, He promises to breathe new life into us when we feel dry and hopeless. And just as Jesus taught, this new life is expressed in love—love for God and love for one another. Let us ask ourselves: Where in our lives do we feel like dry bones, devoid of hope or vitality? How can we allow God’s Spirit to revive us? And how can we live out the commandment to love, not just in grand gestures, but in the everyday moments where we encounter our neighbors? May we trust in God’s promise to bring life out of death and may we strive to love as He has loved us.