Daily Readings - Sat Jul 29 2023
Exodus
3When Moses went and told the people all the LORD's words and laws, they responded with one voice, "Everything the LORD has said we will do."4Moses then wrote down everything the LORD had said. He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel.5Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings to the LORD.6Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he sprinkled on the altar.7Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, "We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey."8Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, "This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words."
Gospel - John 11.17-27 or Luke 10.38-42
John
17On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.18Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem,19and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.20When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.21"Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died.22But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."23Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."24Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."25Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;26and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"27"Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."
Luke
38As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.39She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said.40But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"41"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things,42but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the nature of covenant and faith. In the first reading from Exodus, Moses mediates a solemn covenant between God and the people of Israel. The Israelites, having heard the words of the Lord, commit themselves to obedience, and Moses seals this commitment by sprinkling the blood of sacrifice on the people. This act symbolizes the bond between God and His people, a bond rooted in fidelity and mutual obligation. The context of this passage is the giving of the Law at Sinai, where God establishes Israel as His chosen people, and they accept the responsibilities and blessings that come with this relationship.
In the Gospel, we encounter a different kind of covenant, one rooted in the person of Jesus Christ. Martha, in her grief over Lazarus’ death, expresses a deep faith in Jesus’ power to do the impossible. Jesus responds by revealing Himself as the Resurrection and the Life, offering a hope that transcends death. Martha’s affirmation, “I have believed that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” shows her acceptance of Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promises. While the first reading focuses on the external signs of covenant—blood, sacrifices, and written laws—the Gospel shifts our attention to the interior transformation brought by faith in Christ.
These readings remind us that our relationship with God is not just about external rituals or rules but about a living, personal bond. Like the Israelites, we are called to fidelity, but as Christians, we know that this fidelity is made possible by the grace of Christ. In our daily lives, we can apply this by trusting in God’s plan, even when circumstances seem uncertain, and by living with hope in the face of death and hardship. The moral lesson is clear: Christ is our life, and our faith in Him transforms us, enabling us to live in a way that reflects His love and truth.