Daily Readings - Thu Aug 12 2021
Joshua
7And the LORD said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses.8Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: 'When you reach the edge of the Jordan's waters, go and stand in the river.'"9Joshua said to the Israelites, "Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God.10This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites.11See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you.13And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the LORD -the Lord of all the earth-set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap."14So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them.15Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge,16the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea ) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.17The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.
Matthew
21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"22Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.23"Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.24As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him.25Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.26"The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.'27The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.28"But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.29"His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'30"But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.31When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.32"Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.33Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?'34In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.35"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."
1When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on trust in God’s providence and the call to live out mercy and forgiveness in our lives. In the first reading from Joshua, we witness the miraculous crossing of the Jordan River, a pivotal moment in Israel’s journey into the Promised Land. The Lord assures Joshua that He will be with him just as He was with Moses, and the stopping of the Jordan’s waters is a powerful sign of God’s presence and power. This event reminds us that faith often requires us to step into the unknown, trusting that God will provide a way forward, even when the path seems impossible.
In the Gospel, Jesus teaches us about the boundless nature of forgiveness. Peter’s question about how many times we should forgive reflects a human tendency to limit God’s mercy, but Jesus responds by expanding our understanding: forgiveness is not a matter of counting but of generosity. The parable of the unforgiving servant underscores this message. The servant who is forgiven a great debt but refuses to forgive a smaller one is condemned for his lack of compassion. Jesus makes it clear that receiving God’s mercy requires us to extend that same mercy to others.
These readings are deeply connected. Just as the Israelites had to trust in God’s power to cross the Jordan, we too must trust in God’s mercy and allow it to transform our lives. Forgiveness is not just an act of the will; it is a spiritual response to the grace we have received. In our daily lives, we are called to imitate God’s mercy, even when it is difficult. Let us ask for the grace to trust in God’s plan and to forgive as we have been forgiven, that we might live as true children of the kingdom of heaven.