Daily Readings - Thu Aug 21 2025
Judges
29Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah. He crossed Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from there he advanced against the Ammonites.30And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD: "If you give the Ammonites into my hands,31whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the LORD 's, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering."32Then Jephthah went over to fight the Ammonites, and the LORD gave them into his hands.33He devastated twenty towns from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith, as far as Abel Keramim. Thus Israel subdued Ammon.34When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of tambourines! She was an only child. Except for her he had neither son nor daughter.35When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, "Oh! My daughter! You have made me miserable and wretched, because I have made a vow to the LORD that I cannot break."36"My father," she replied, "you have given your word to the LORD. Do to me just as you promised, now that the LORD has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites.37But grant me this one request," she said. "Give me two months to roam the hills and weep with my friends, because I will never marry."38"You may go," he said. And he let her go for two months. She and the girls went into the hills and wept because she would never marry.39After the two months, she returned to her father and he did to her as he had vowed. And she was a virgin. From this comes the Israelite custom
Matthew
1Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying:2"The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.3He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.4"Then he sent some more servants and said, 'Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.'5"But they paid no attention and went off--one to his field, another to his business.6The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.7The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.8"Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.9Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.'10So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.11"But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.12'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless.13"Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'14"For many are invited, but few are chosen."
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two powerful stories that invite us to reflect on the nature of faith, commitment, and the consequences of our choices. The first reading from Judges tells the tragic story of Jephthah, a judge of Israel, who makes a rash vow to God in exchange for victory over the Ammonites. Upon his triumph, his only daughter greets him with joy, unaware of the fate that awaits her. Jephthah, bound by his vow, sacrifices his daughter, and her only request is time to mourn her virginity before meeting her destiny. This story challenges us to consider the weight of our promises and the importance of discernment in our commitments to God.
The Gospel reading from Matthew presents a very different narrative, yet one that complements the first. Jesus tells the parable of the wedding feast, where those initially invited refuse to come, and others are gathered from the streets to fill the celebration. The king’s anger at the refusal of the invited guests reflects God’s disappointment with those who reject His invitation to life in the kingdom. The parable takes a deeper turn with the man who appears without a wedding garment, symbolizing the need for interior preparation and a life of faith to truly belong to the kingdom. This parable reminds us that being called is not enough; we must also respond with hearts and lives transformed by grace.
Both readings call us to examine our relationship with God and the choices we make in response to His call. Jephthah’s story warns us against making hasty or ill-considered commitments, while the parable of the wedding feast urges us to embrace the invitation to the kingdom with readiness and sincerity. In our daily lives, we are invited to live as children of God, to respond to His love, and to prepare our hearts for the eternal feast He has prepared for us. Let us ask ourselves: How do we respond to God’s invitation? Are we living in a way that reflects our commitment to Him? May we strive to be faithful and prepared, knowing that the choices we make have eternal consequences.