Daily Catholic Mass Readings for August 4, 2024
First Reading: Exodus 16.2-4, 12-15, 31a
2In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.3The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the LORD's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death."4Then the LORD said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.12"I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, 'At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.'"13That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp.14When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor.15When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat.31The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey.
Psalm 78
1O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth.2I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old-3what we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us.4We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done.5He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children,6so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.7Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.8They would not be like their forefathers- a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him.9The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle;10they did not keep God's covenant and refused to live by his law.11They forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them.12He did miracles in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.13He divided the sea and led them through; he made the water stand firm like a wall.14He guided them with the cloud by day and with light from the fire all night.15He split the rocks in the desert and gave them water as abundant as the seas;16he brought streams out of a rocky crag and made water flow down like rivers.17But they continued to sin against him, rebelling in the desert against the Most High.18They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved.19They spoke against God, saying, "Can God spread a table in the desert?20When he struck the rock, water gushed out, and streams flowed abundantly. But can he also give us food? Can he supply meat for his people?"21When the LORD heard them, he was very angry; his fire broke out against Jacob, and his wrath rose against Israel,22for they did not believe in God or trust in his deliverance.23Yet he gave a command to the skies above and opened the doors of the heavens;24he rained down manna for the people to eat, he gave them the grain of heaven.25Men ate the bread of angels; he sent them all the food they could eat.26He let loose the east wind from the heavens and led forth the south wind by his power.27He rained meat down on them like dust, flying birds like sand on the seashore.28He made them come down inside their camp, all around their tents.29They ate till they had more than enough, for he had given them what they craved.30But before they turned from the food they craved, even while it was still in their mouths,31God's anger rose against them; he put to death the sturdiest among them, cutting down the young men of Israel.32In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in spite of his wonders, they did not believe.33So he ended their days in futility and their years in terror.34Whenever God slew them, they would seek him; they eagerly turned to him again.35They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer.36But then they would flatter him with their mouths, lying to him with their tongues;37their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to his covenant.38Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath.39He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.40How often they rebelled against him in the desert and grieved him in the wasteland!41Again and again they put God to the test; they vexed the Holy One of Israel.42They did not remember his power- the day he redeemed them from the oppressor,43the day he displayed his miraculous signs in Egypt, his wonders in the region of Zoan.44He turned their rivers to blood; they could not drink from their streams.45He sent swarms of flies that devoured them, and frogs that devastated them.46He gave their crops to the grasshopper, their produce to the locust.47He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamore-figs with sleet.48He gave over their cattle to the hail, their livestock to bolts of lightning.49He unleashed against them his hot anger, his wrath, indignation and hostility- a band of destroying angels.50He prepared a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death but gave them over to the plague.51He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, the firstfruits of manhood in the tents of Ham.52But he brought his people out like a flock; he led them like sheep through the desert.53He guided them safely, so they were unafraid; but the sea engulfed their enemies.54Thus he brought them to the border of his holy land, to the hill country his right hand had taken.55He drove out nations before them and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance; he settled the tribes of Israel in their homes.56But they put God to the test and rebelled against the Most High; they did not keep his statutes.57Like their fathers they were disloyal and faithless, as unreliable as a faulty bow.58They angered him with their high places; they aroused his jealousy with their idols.59When God heard them, he was very angry; he rejected Israel completely.60He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent he had set up among men.61He sent the ark of his might into captivity, his splendor into the hands of the enemy.62He gave his people over to the sword; he was very angry with his inheritance.63Fire consumed their young men, and their maidens had no wedding songs;64their priests were put to the sword, and their widows could not weep.65Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, as a man wakes from the stupor of wine.66He beat back his enemies; he put them to everlasting shame.67Then he rejected the tents of Joseph, he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;68but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loved.69He built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth that he established forever.70He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens;71from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance.72And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.
Second Reading: Ephesians 4.17, 20-24
17So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.20You, however, did not come to know Christ that way.21Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;23to be made new in the attitude of your minds;24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Gospel: John 6.24-35
24Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.25When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?"26Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.27Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."28Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?"29Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."30So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?31Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"32Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.33For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."34"Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread."35Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter themes of provision, transformation, and the call to seek what truly satisfies. The first reading from Exodus describes the Israelites’ murmuring in the wilderness, dissatisfied with their circumstances and longing for the comforts of Egypt. God responds by providing manna, a miraculous bread from heaven, to sustain them on their journey. This story reminds us of God’s faithfulness and provision, even in times of uncertainty and complaint. The second reading from Ephesians shifts our focus to the spiritual realm, urging us to set aside our old, sinful ways and be renewed in Christ. It calls us to live in the “new man,” created in God’s image, marked by justice and holiness. Finally, the Gospel from John 6 deepens this theme as Jesus reveals himself as the “bread of life,” the true and lasting fulfillment of our deepest hungers. He invites us to seek not merely physical sustenance but eternal life, found in believing in him.
The readings are interconnected in their emphasis on transformation and the pursuit of what truly satisfies. The Israelites in Exodus were focused on physical hunger, but God provided manna as a sign of his care and a call to trust in his providence. Similarly, in Ephesians, we are called to move beyond the “old man” of sin and worldly desires, embracing a new life in Christ. In the Gospel, Jesus takes this a step further, revealing that he is the ultimate bread from heaven, the source of eternal life. Together, these readings invite us to reflect on where we place our trust and what we truly seek in life. Are we content with temporary satisfactions, or do we hunger for something deeper?
As we apply these readings to our daily lives, we are reminded to trust in God’s providence, even when we feel uncertain or dissatisfied. Like the Israelites, we may grumble about our circumstances, but God is always working to provide for us in ways we may not fully understand. The call to “put on the new man” in Ephesians challenges us to examine our habits, attitudes, and priorities, inviting us to live in a way that reflects the holiness and love of Christ. And in the Gospel, Jesus invites us to seek him above all else, to hunger for the bread that gives eternal life. May we, like the crowd in Capernaum, ask Jesus for this bread, and may we find in him the fulfillment of our deepest longings.