Daily Catholic Mass Readings for August 28, 2025
First Reading: 1 Thessalonians 3.7-13
7Therefore, brothers, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith.8For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord.9How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?10Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.11Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you.12May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.13May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.
Psalm 90
1Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.2Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.3You turn men back to dust, saying, "Return to dust, O sons of men."4For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.5You sweep men away in the sleep of death; they are like the new grass of the morning-6though in the morning it springs up new, by evening it is dry and withered.7We are consumed by your anger and terrified by your indignation.8You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.9All our days pass away under your wrath; we finish our years with a moan.10The length of our days is seventy years- or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.11Who knows the power of your anger? For your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you.12Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.13Relent, O LORD! How long will it be? Have compassion on your servants.14Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.15Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble.16May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children.17May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us- yes, establish the work of our hands.
Gospel: Matthew 24.42-51
42"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.43But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.44So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.45"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time?46It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.47I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.48But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,'49and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards.50The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of.51He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two powerful messages about faith, vigilance, and the call to live as disciples of Christ. The first reading from 1 Thessalonians expresses St. Paul’s deep affection and concern for the early Christian community. Despite the trials and tribulations they face, Paul finds joy in their steadfast faith. He prays for their continued growth in love and for the grace to see them again, that he might help complete what is lacking in their faith. This passage highlights Paul’s paternal care for his spiritual children and his desire for their holiness and blamelessness before God.
The Gospel from Matthew takes us into a different but complementary theme. Jesus warns us to be vigilant and prepared for His return, using the parable of the faithful and unfaithful servants. The faithful servant is prudent, trustworthy, and hardworking, while the unfaithful servant becomes complacent and abusive when he thinks his master is delayed. Jesus emphasizes that we do not know the hour of His return, so we must always be ready, living as faithful stewards of the gifts and responsibilities entrusted to us.
Both readings remind us that our faith is not a passive reality but an active way of life. Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians and Jesus’ call to vigilance invite us to reflect on how we are living our daily lives. Are we growing in love and holiness? Are we faithful in fulfilling our duties and caring for one another? The moral lesson is clear: we are called to live with purpose and integrity, trusting in God’s plan and remaining prepared to meet Him at any moment. Let us ask for the grace to be faithful servants, living with hope and love, so that when the Lord comes, He may find us ready and fruitful in our faith.