Daily Readings for July 29, 2019

1st READING 

Moses’ anger is a righteous one—he has the right to be disappointed with the people’s actions. Did he have to destroy the stone tablets? Probably not, but it is understandable. Moses has been leading the Israelites on a long and difficult journey through the desert. The people got upset with him and he endured numerous complaints and even some vilification.

Exodus 32:15-24, 30-34

15 Moses turned and came down the mountain with the two tablets of the commandments in his hands, tablets that were written on both sides, front and back; 16 tablets that were made by God, having inscriptions on them that were engraved by God himself. 17 Now, when Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “That sounds like a battle in the camp.” 18 But Moses answered, “It does not sound like cries of victory, nor does it sound like cries of defeat; the sounds that I hear are cries of revelry.” 19 As he drew near the camp, he saw the calf and the dancing. With that, Moses’s wrath flared up, so that he threw the tablets down and broke them on the base of the mountain. 20 Taking the calf they had made, he fused it in the fire and then ground it down to powder, which he scattered on the water and made the children of Israel drink. 21 Moses asked Aaron, “What did this people ever do to you that you should lead them into so grave a sin?” 22 Aaron replied, “Let not my lord be angry. You know well enough how prone the people are to evil. 23 They said to me, ‘Make us a god to be our leader; as for the man Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’ 24 So I told them, ‘Let anyone who has gold jewelry take it off.’ They gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and this calf came out.” 30 On the next day, Moses said to the people, “You have committed a grave sin. I will go up to the Lord, then perhaps I may be able to make atonement for your sin.” 31 So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “Ah, this people has indeed committed a grave sin in making a god of gold for themselves! 32 If you would only forgive their sin! If you will not, then strike me out of the book that you have written.” 33 The Lord answered, “Him only who has sinned against me will I strike out of my book. 34 Now, go and lead the people whither I have told you. My angel will go before you. When it is time for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin.”

PSALM

Psalm 106:19-20, 21-22, 23

R: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.

19 Our fathers made a calf in Horeb and adored a molten image; 20 they exchanged their glory for the image of a grass-eating bullock. (R) 21 They forgot the God who had saved them, who had done great deeds in Egypt, 22 wondrous deeds in the land of Ham, terrible things at the Red Sea. (R) 23 Then he spoke of exterminating them, but Moses, his chosen one, withstood him in the breach to turn back his destructive wrath. (R)

GOSPEL 

Martha and Mary must have been distraught at their brother’s death and equally joyous at his second chance in life when Jesus brings him back from the dead. This is the power of the Gospel at work—bringing people back from sin and death and offering them a new life.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION 

The Father willed to give us birth by the word of truth that we may be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

John 11:19-27 (or Luke 10:38-42 or Matthew 13:31-35)

19 Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother [Lazarus, who had died]. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now, I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, 26 and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”

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