Daily Readings for August 2, 2019

1st READING 

Our human psyche seems to enjoy the regularity of a process. For example, we usually have a “ritual” upon waking up in the morning. It may change a bit from day to day but ultimately the basics remain the same. The faithful practice of religion is ritualistic but not confined to rituals. The rituals—prayer and the celebration of the sacraments and festivals of the Church calendar—provide the framework on which our service for God’s Kingdom is built.

Leviticus 23:1, 4-11, 15-16, 27, 34-37

1 The Lord said to Moses, 4 “These, are the festivals of the Lord which you shall celebrate at their proper time with a sacred assembly. 5 The Passover of the Lord falls on the fourteenth day of the first month, at the evening twilight. 6 The fifteenth day of this month is the Lord’s feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days, you shall eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first of these days, you shall hold a sacred assembly and do no sort of work. 8 On each of the seven days, you shall offer an oblation to the Lord. Then on the seventh day, you shall again hold a sacred assembly and do no sort of work.” 9 The Lord said to Moses, 10 “Speak to the children of Israel and tell them: when you come into the land which I am giving you, and reap your harvest, you shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest, 11 who shall wave the sheaf before the Lord that it may be acceptable for you. On the day after the sabbath the priest shall do this. 15 “Beginning with the day after the sabbath, the day on which you bring the wave-offering sheaf, you shall count seven full weeks, 16 and then on the day after the seventh week, the fiftieth day, you shall present the new cereal offering to the Lord. 27 “The tenth of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement, when you shall hold a sacred assembly and mortify yourselves and offer an oblation to the Lord. 34 “The fifteenth day of this seventh month is the Lord’s feast of Booths, which shall continue for seven days. 35 On the first day there shall be a sacred assembly, and you shall do no sort of work. 36 For seven days, you shall offer an oblation to the Lord, and on the eighth day, you shall again hold a sacred assembly and offer an oblation to the Lord. On that solemn closing, you shall do no sort of work. 37 “These, therefore, are the festivals of the Lord on which you shall proclaim a sacred assembly, and offer as an oblation to the Lord burnt offerings and cereal offerings, sacrifices and libations, as prescribed for each day.”

PSALM

Psalm 81:3-4, 5-6, 10-11

R: Sing with joy to God our help.

3 Take up a melody, and sound the timbrel, the pleasant harp and the lyre. 4 Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our solemn feast. (R) 5 For it is a statute in Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob, 6 who made it a decree for Joseph when he came forth from the land of Egypt. (R) 10 There shall be no strange god among you nor shall you worship any alien god. 11 I, the Lord, am your God who led you forth from the land of Egypt. (R)

GOSPEL

The people in Jesus’ hometown are astonished by His homecoming. Maybe the reaction is rooted in their familiarity with how simple Jesus’ growing up years in Nazareth were. But now, He returns as a famous preacher of the Good News. The people must have found this unbelievable. Those closest to us find it difficult to accept the changes they see in us.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

The word of the Lord remains forever; this is the word that has been proclaimed to you.

Matthew 13:54-58

54 Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue. They were astonished and said, “Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? 55 Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? 56 Are not his sisters all with us? Where did this man get all this?” 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house.” 58 And he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith.

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