Daily Readings - Mon Jul 29 2024
Jeremiah
1This is what the LORD said to me: "Go and buy a linen belt and put it around your waist, but do not let it touch water."2So I bought a belt, as the LORD directed, and put it around my waist.3Then the word of the LORD came to me a second time:4"Take the belt you bought and are wearing around your waist, and go now to Perath and hide it there in a crevice in the rocks."5So I went and hid it at Perath, as the LORD told me.6Many days later the LORD said to me, "Go now to Perath and get the belt I told you to hide there."7So I went to Perath and dug up the belt and took it from the place where I had hidden it, but now it was ruined and completely useless.8Then the word of the LORD came to me:9"This is what the LORD says: 'In the same way I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.10These wicked people, who refuse to listen to my words, who follow the stubbornness of their hearts and go after other gods to serve and worship them, will be like this belt-completely useless!11For as a belt is bound around a man's waist, so I bound the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to me,' declares the LORD, 'to be my people for my renown and praise and honor. But they have not listened.'
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
In today's readings, we encounter two powerful messages that invite us to reflect on faith, hope, and the consequences of our choices. The first reading from Jeremiah presents a vivid metaphor: a waistcloth that rots away, symbolizing the spiritual decay of Judah and Jerusalem. This once symbol of closeness to God becomes worthless, much like our lives when we turn away from Him. The context is one of warning, urging us to recognize the futility of life without God.
In contrast, the Gospel offers a message of hope. Jesus, in His conversation with Martha, reveals Himself as the Resurrection and the Life. Martha's faith, though tinged with doubt, is met with Jesus' assurance of eternal life for believers. This exchange emphasizes that while sin leads to decay, faith in Jesus brings life. The two readings thus form a bridge: Jeremiah warns of the consequences of spiritual decay, while John points to the hope found in Jesus.
In our daily lives, these readings encourage us to examine our relationship with God. Like the waistcloth, our lives can become empty without Him. Yet, through faith in Jesus, we find purpose and eternal life. Let us nurture our faith, trusting in God's promise, even in times of doubt or hardship. For in Him, we find the source of all life and hope.