Daily Catholic Mass Readings for August 4, 2021
First Reading: Numbers 13.1-2, 25-33; 14.1-2b, 26-29, 34-35
1The LORD said to Moses,2"Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders."25At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the land.26They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land.27They gave Moses this account: "We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit.28But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there.29The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan."30Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it."31But the men who had gone up with him said, "We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are."32And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, "The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.33We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them."
1That night all the people of the community raised their voices and wept aloud.2All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, "If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert!26The LORD said to Moses and Aaron:27"How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites.28So tell them, 'As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very things I heard you say:29In this desert your bodies will fall-every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me.34For forty years-one year for each of the forty days you explored the land-you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.'35I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this desert; here they will die."
Psalm 106
1Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.2Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the LORD or fully declare his praise?3Blessed are they who maintain justice, who constantly do what is right.4Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people, come to my aid when you save them,5that I may enjoy the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may share in the joy of your nation and join your inheritance in giving praise.6We have sinned, even as our fathers did; we have done wrong and acted wickedly.7When our fathers were in Egypt, they gave no thought to your miracles; they did not remember your many kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea.8Yet he saved them for his name's sake, to make his mighty power known.9He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up; he led them through the depths as through a desert.10He saved them from the hand of the foe; from the hand of the enemy he redeemed them.11The waters covered their adversaries; not one of them survived.12Then they believed his promises and sang his praise.13But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his counsel.14In the desert they gave in to their craving; in the wasteland they put God to the test.15So he gave them what they asked for, but sent a wasting disease upon them.16In the camp they grew envious of Moses and of Aaron, who was consecrated to the LORD.17The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan; it buried the company of Abiram.18Fire blazed among their followers; a flame consumed the wicked.19At Horeb they made a calf and worshiped an idol cast from metal.20They exchanged their Glory for an image of a bull, which eats grass.21They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt,22miracles in the land of Ham and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.23So he said he would destroy them- had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him to keep his wrath from destroying them.24Then they despised the pleasant land; they did not believe his promise.25They grumbled in their tents and did not obey the LORD.26So he swore to them with uplifted hand that he would make them fall in the desert,27make their descendants fall among the nations and scatter them throughout the lands.28They yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods;29they provoked the LORD to anger by their wicked deeds, and a plague broke out among them.30But Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was checked.31This was credited to him as righteousness for endless generations to come.32By the waters of Meribah they angered the LORD, and trouble came to Moses because of them;33for they rebelled against the Spirit of God, and rash words came from Moses' lips.34They did not destroy the peoples as the LORD had commanded them,35but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs.36They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them.37They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons.38They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood.39They defiled themselves by what they did; by their deeds they prostituted themselves.40Therefore the LORD was angry with his people and abhorred his inheritance.41He handed them over to the nations, and their foes ruled over them.42Their enemies oppressed them and subjected them to their power.43Many times he delivered them, but they were bent on rebellion and they wasted away in their sin.44But he took note of their distress when he heard their cry;45for their sake he remembered his covenant and out of his great love he relented.46He caused them to be pitied by all who held them captive.47Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.48Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Let all the people say, "Amen!" Praise the LORD.
Gospel: Matthew 15.21-28
21Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.22A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession."23Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us."24He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."25The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said.26He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."27"Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."28Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
Sermon
The readings today present us with two powerful stories that invite us to reflect on faith, trust, and the human condition. In the first reading from Numbers, we hear the story of the Israelites as they stand at the threshold of the Promised Land. Despite the promise of a land "flowing with milk and honey," the people are paralyzed by fear and doubt. The spies they sent to scout the land return with a mixed report: while the land is indeed fertile and abundant, its inhabitants are strong and formidable. Faced with this uncertainty, the people murmur against Moses and God, refusing to trust in God's plan. Their lack of faith leads to a tragic consequence: they will wander in the wilderness for forty years, a generation lost to unbelief.
In the Gospel, we encounter a very different kind of faith. A Canaanite woman, desperate for her daughter’s healing, approaches Jesus with persistence and humility. Despite being a Gentile and facing initial rejection, she refuses to give up. Her bold declaration of faith—"Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table"—moves Jesus to commend her faith and grant her request. This woman’s story stands in stark contrast to the Israelites in the wilderness. While the Israelites allowed fear to dominate their hearts, this woman allowed faith to guide her actions, even in the face of uncertainty.
These readings remind us that faith is not about having all the answers or being free from fear. It is about trusting in God’s providence, even when the path ahead seems uncertain. Like the Canaanite woman, we are called to approach God with persistence and humility, trusting that He hears us and desires our good. At the same time, the story of the Israelites warns us about the dangers of letting fear and doubt take root in our hearts. May we learn to trust in God’s plan, even when the challenges seem insurmountable. Let us ask for the grace to have the kind of faith that perseveres and seeks God’s will, no matter the obstacles we face.