Daily Readings for July 23, 2016

1ST READING

Jeremiah cannot understand why the people continue to listen to and follow false prophets. This is the perverse nature of sin. As disciples of Jesus, let us discern His word well so that we will always walk in God’s ways and not the world’s. It is God’s ways that will redeem us; the world will only take us away from Him.

Jeremiah 7:1-11

1 The following message came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 Stand at the gate of the house of the Lord, and there proclaim this message: Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who enter these gates to worship the Lord! 3 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Reform your ways and your deeds, so that I may remain with you in this place. 4 Put not your trust in the deceitful words. This is the temple of the Lord! The temple of the Lord! The temple of the Lord! 5 Only if you thoroughly reform your ways and your deeds; if each of you deals justly with his neighbor; 6 if you no longer oppress the resident alien, the orphan, and the widow; if you no longer shed innocent blood in this place, or follow strange gods to your own harm, 7 will I remain with you in this place, in the land I gave your fathers long ago and forever. 8 But here you are, putting your trust in deceitful words to your own loss! 9 Are you to steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal, go after strange gods that you know not, 10 and yet come to stand before me in this house which bears my name, and say, “We are safe; we can commit all these abominations again’? 11 Has this house, which bears my name, become in your eyes a den of thieves? I too see what is being done,” says the Lord.

P S A L M

Psalm 84:3, 4, 5-6, 8, 11

R: How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!

2 [3] My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. (R) 3 [4] Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest in which she puts her young — your altars, O Lord of hosts, my king and my God! (R) 4 [5] Blessed they who dwell in your house! Continually they praise you. 5 [6] Blessed the men whose strength you are! 7 [8] They go from strength to strength. (R) 10 [11] I had rather one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I had rather lie at the threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. (R)

GOSPEL

We are sinners and have patterns of sin in our lives. This is not good but it is not a reason to despair. God is a merciful judge and will help us to overcome our sins if we allow Him. We have to surrender our lives to His grace if we want victory over sin. We need to persevere in fighting against sin. It takes time to overcome the bad habits of our past.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls.

Matthew 13:24-30

24 Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds. “The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. 26 When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. 27 The slaves of the householder came to him and said, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?’ 28 He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ 29 He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. 30 Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.’”