Daily Readings for August 5, 2015

1ST READING

God was displeased with the people’s lack of faith. After all, He defeated the armies of Egypt for them, but they still doubted that He will win the Promised Land for them. It was an insult to both the power of the Lord and the memory of what He has done for them. The Lord showed His displeasure by allowing the people to wander another 40 years in the desert; none of those who left Egypt will set foot in the Promised Land.

Numbers 13:1-2, 25-14:1, 26-29, 34-35

1 The LORD said to Moses [in the desert of Paran,] 2 “Send men to reconnoiter the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel. You shall send one man from each ancestral tribe, all of them princes.” 25 After reconnoitering the land for forty days they returned, 26 met Moses and Aaron and the whole congregation of the children of Israel in the desert of Paran at Kadesh, made a report to them all, and showed the fruit of the country to the whole congregation. 27 They told Moses: “We went into the land to which you sent us. It does indeed flow with milk and honey, and here is its fruit. 28 However, the people who are living in the land are fierce, and the towns are fortified and very strong. Besides, we saw descendants of the Anakim there. 29 Amalekites live in the region of the Negeb; Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites dwell in the highlands, and Canaanites along the seacoast and the banks of the Jordan.” 30 Caleb, however, to quiet the people toward Moses, said, “We ought to go up and seize the land, for we can certainly do so.” 31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We cannot attack these people; they are too strong for us.” 32 So they spread discouraging reports among the children of Israel about the land they had scouted, saying, “The land that we explored is a country that consumes its inhabitants. And all the people we saw there are huge, 33 veritable giants (the Anakim were a race of giants); we felt like mere grasshoppers, and so we must have seemed to them.” 14:1 At this, the whole community broke out with loud cries, and even in the night the people wailed. 26 The Lord also said to Moses and Aaron: 27 “How long will this wicked assembly grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the children of Israel against me. 28 Tell them: By my life, says the Lord, I will do to you just what I have heard you say. 29 Here in the desert shall your dead bodies fall. 34 Forty days you spent in scouting the land; forty years shall you suffer for your crimes: one year for each day. Thus you will realize what it means to oppose me. 35 I, the Lord, have sworn to do this to all this wicked assembly that conspired against me: here in the desert they shall die to the last man.”

P S A L M

Psalm 106:6-7, 13-14, 21-22, 23

R: Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

6 We have sinned, we and our fathers; we have committed crimes; we have done wrong. 7 Our fathers in Egypt considered not your wonders. (R) 13 But soon they forgot his works; they waited not for his counsel. 14 They gave way to craving in the desert and tempted God in the wilderness. (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

Perseverance is an essential aspect of prayer. If we do not persevere in our prayers, how will God know what really matters to us? How will we know what really matters to us if we never persevere in anything? The Canaanite woman wants something and she is not going to give up until she gets it. Good for her! Let us follow her example in the way we pray for the things we need, and see if we can move God into action on our behalf.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

A great prophet has arisen in our midst and God has visited his people.

Matthew 15:21-28

21 At that time Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” 23 But he did not say a word in answer to her. His disciples came and asked him, “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.” 24 He said in reply, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But the woman came and did him homage, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 He said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” 27 She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” 28 Then Jesus said to her in reply, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.

Credits to: www.kerygmafamily.com

Daily Readings for August 4, 2015

1ST READING

Today is the Feast day of St. John Vianney, patron saint of priests. He was a supreme pastor. Different people have different gifts and we need to learn to rejoice in them all. Let us pray today for vocations to the priesthood because, without priests the Church will be unable to function. It is more and more difficult for men to choose priesthood, because there are so many options available to them today. The sexually charged nature of our society does not help either. Let us pray that young men will be able to hear the call of God even in the midst of these distractions.

 Numbers 12:1-13

1 Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses on the pretext of the marriage he had contracted with a Cushite woman. 2 They complained, “Is it through Moses alone that the Lord speaks? Does he not speak through us also?” And the Lord heard this. 3 Now, Moses himself was by far the meekest man on the face of the earth. 4 So at once the Lord said to Moses and Aaron and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the meeting tent.” And the three of them went. 5 Then the Lord came down in the column of cloud, and standing at the entrance of the tent, called Aaron and Miriam. When both came forward, 6 he said, “Now listen to the words of the Lord: Should there be a prophet among you, in visions will I reveal myself to him, in dreams will I speak to him; 7 not so with my servant Moses! Throughout my house he bears my trust: 8 face to face I speak to him, plainly and not in riddles. The presence of the Lord he beholds. Why, then, did you not fear to speak against my servant Moses?” 9 So angry was the Lord against them that when he departed, 10 and the cloud withdrew from the tent, there was Miriam, a snow-white leper! When Aaron turned and saw her a leper, 11 he said to Moses, “Ah, my lord! Please do not charge us with the sin that we have foolishly committed! 12 Let her not thus be like the stillborn babe that comes forth from its mother’s womb with its flesh half consumed.” 13 Then Moses cried to the Lord, “Please, not this! Pray, heal her!”

P S A L M

Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6, 6-7, 12-13

R: Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

1 [3] Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. 2 [4] Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me. (R) 3 [5] For I acknowledge my offense, and my sin is before me always: 4 [6] “Against you only have I sinned; and done what is evil in your sight.” (R) That you may be justified in your sentence, vindicated when you condemn. 5 [7] Indeed, in guilt was I born, and in sin my mother conceived me. (R) 10 [12] A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. 11 [13] Cast me not off from your presence, and your Holy Spirit take not from me. (R)

GOSPEL

Priests are models of faith. This is a very difficult task in today’s world, as there are so many demands on priests and there are few priests who serve the people of God. Let us do all that we can to work with our local priests. Remember that they are expected to be accountants, administrators, pastors, models of holiness, great preachers, and many other things as well. The demands on them are limitless, but they are human beings like the rest of us. Let us share the load in their ministry.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.

Matthew 14:22-36 (or Matthew 15:1-2, 10-14)

22 Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side of the sea, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone. 24 Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it. 25 During the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them, walking on the sea. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. “It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear. 27 At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” 28 Peter said to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 After they got into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God.” 34 After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret. 35 When the men of that place recognized him, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought to him all those who were sick 36 and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak, and as many as touched it were healed.

Credits to: www.kerygmafamily.com

Daily Readings for August 3, 2015

1ST READING

Moses and God were frustrated with the people. The people complained about the food provided. Moses let God know that he, too, is getting tired of all the complaints. He needed help in dealing with the people. We will have difficult times in our faith journeys. God will sometimes seem distant and uncaring. It is at these times when we need to remember the good things God has done and trust that more blessings are just around the corner.

Numbers 11:4-15

4 The children of Israel lamented, “Would that we had meat for food! 5 We remember the fish we used to eat without cost in Egypt, and the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. 6 But now we are famished; we see nothing before us but this manna.” 7 Manna was like coriander seed and had the color of resin. 8 When they had gone about and gathered it up, the people would grind it between millstones or pound it in a mortar, then cook it in a pot and make it into loaves, which tasted like cakes made with oil. 9 At night, when the dew fell upon the camp, the manna also fell. 10 When Moses heard the people, family after family, crying at the entrance of their tents, so that the Lord became very angry, he was grieved. 11 “Why do you treat your servant so badly?” Moses asked the Lord. “Why are you so displeased with me that you burden me with all this people? 12 Was it I who conceived all this people? Or was it I who gave them birth, that you tell me to carry them at my bosom, like a foster father carrying an infant, to the land you have promised under oath to their fathers? 13 Where can I get meat to give to all this people? For they are crying to me, ‘Give us meat for our food.’ 14 I cannot carry all this people by myself, for they are too heavy for me. 15 If this is the way you will deal with me, then please do me the favor of killing me at once, so that I need no longer face this distress.”

P S A L M

Psalm 81:12-13, 14-15, 16-17

R: Sing with joy to God our help.

11 [12] “My people heard not my voice, and Israel obeyed me not; 12 [13] So I gave them up to the hardness of their hearts; they walked according to their own counsels.” (R) 13 [14] “If only my people would hear me, and Israel walk in my ways, 14 [15] quickly would I humble their enemies; against their foes I would turn my hand.” (R) 15 [16] “Those who hated the Lord would seek to flatter me, but their fate would endure forever, 16 [17] while Israel I would feed with the best of wheat, and with honey from the rock I would fill them.” (R)

GOSPEL

Jesus withdrew to a solitary place in order to understand the death of His cousin, John the Baptist. He was not given any space to reflect, as the people discovered where He was. There are times when we need to insist having some space in our lives, in order to pray and reflect. If we fail to do this, our lives will become merely a succession of events and we may lose track of our purpose. Reflection is essential to a meaningful life. Socrates knew this when he said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

Matthew 14:13-21

13 When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns. 14 When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick. 15 When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 He said to them, “There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.” 17 But they said to him, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.” 18 Then he said, “Bring them here to me,” 19 and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over — twelve wicker baskets full. 21 Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children.

Credits to: www.kerygmafamily.com

Daily Readings for August 2, 2015

1ST READING

God did not abandon His people, whom He had freed from Egypt, in the wasteland of the desert. He provided food for their journey. Today, God also walks with us every step of the way. There are times when we feel as though we have been abandoned, but it is never the case. God is true to His promises. If we feel that God is distant, it is because we have distanced ourselves from Him and not the other way around. We have shut Him out of our lives, but He is still with us. We just refuse to open our eyes to see Him.

Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15

2 The whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The Israelites said to them, “Would that we had died at the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread! But you had to lead us into this desert to make the whole community die of famine!” 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will now rain down bread from heaven for you. Each day the people are to go out and gather their daily portion; thus will I test them, to see whether they follow my instructions or not. 12 “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them: In the evening twilight you shall eat flesh, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread, so that you may know that I, the Lord, am your God.” 13 In the evening quail came up and covered the camp. In the morning a dew lay all about the camp, 14 and when the dew evaporated, there on the surface of the desert were fine flakes like hoarfrost on the ground. 15 On seeing it, the Israelites asked one another, “What is this?” for they did not know what it was. But Moses told them, “This is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.”

P S A L M

Psalm 78:3-4, 23-24, 25, 54

R: The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

3 What we have heard and know, and what our fathers have declared to us, 4 we will declare to the generation to come the glorious deeds of the Lord and his strength and the wonders that he wrought. (R) 23 He commanded the skies above and opened the doors of heaven; 24 he rained manna upon them for food and gave them heavenly bread. (R) 25 Man ate the bread of angels, food he sent them in abundance. 54 And he brought them to his holy land, to the mountains his right hand had won. (R)

2ND READING

We need a spiritual revolution in so that Christ will become and remain as our focus. The world will continue to hammer us with its lies and temptations, placing before us illusory goods in order to keep us from focusing the things that will fulfill us. Discipleship is learning how to distinguish between the true and illusory goods and to choose those that will endure.

Ephesians 4:17, 20-24

17 Brothers and sisters: I declare and testify in the Lord that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds; 20 that is not how you learned Christ, 21 assuming that you have heard of him and were taught in him, as truth is in Jesus, 22 that you should put away the old self of your former way of life, corrupted through deceitful desires, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and put on the new self, created in God’s way in righteousness and holiness of truth.

GOSPEL

Jesus speaks the truth — He is the bread of life. He is not simply sustenance for a meal; He is not even sustenance, which was a sign of God’s presence with us, as in the case of the Israelites coming out of slavery in Egypt and journeying through the desert. Jesus is the food for our journey — He provides for our every spiritual need in our journey toward salvation. If we eat this bread regularly, we will remain on the path to eternal life.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

John 6:24-35

24 When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. 25 And when they found him across the sea they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 26 Jesus answered them and said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. 27 Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.” 28 So they said to him, “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.” 30 So they said to him, “What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do? 31 Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” 32 So Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 So they said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” think: If we feel God is distant, it is because we have distanced ourselves from Him and not the other way around.

Credits to: www.kerygmafamily.com

Daily Readings for August 1, 2015

1ST READING

Today is the Feast day of St. Alphonsus Liguori, founder of the Redemptorists. He was a remarkable lawyer who became a priest after losing a court case through a very simple mistake. He had won his previous 40 or so cases. He saw a great need to reach out to the rural parishes that were often without priests due to lack of money. He began a very effective parish mission ministry, for which the Redemptorists are still well known. Let us pray for the success of these missions in deepening parishes in their faith.

Leviticus 25:1, 8-17

1 The Lord said to Moses on Mount Sinai, 8 “Seven weeks of years shall you count — seven times seven years — so that the seven cycles amount to forty-nine years. 9 Then, on the tenth day of the seventh month let the trumpet resound; on this, the Day of Atonement, the trumpet blast shall re-echo throughout your land. 10 This fiftieth year you shall make sacred by proclaiming liberty in the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when every one of you shall return to his own property, every one to his own family estate. 11 In this fiftieth year, your year of jubilee, you shall not sow, nor shall you reap the after growth or pick the grapes from the untrimmed vines. 12 Since this is the jubilee, which shall be sacred for you, you may not eat of its produce, except as taken directly from the field. 13 “In this year of jubilee, then, every one of you shall return to his own property. 14 Therefore, when you sell any land to your neighbor or buy any from him, do not deal unfairly. 15 On the basis of the number of years since the last jubilee shall you purchase the land from your neighbor; and so also, on the basis of the number of years for crops, shall he sell it to you. 16 When the years are many, the price shall be so much the more; when the years are few, the price shall be so much the less. For it is really the number of crops that he sells you. 17 Do not deal unfairly, then; but stand in fear of your God. I, the Lord, am your God.

P S A L M

Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 7-8

R: O God, let all the nations praise you!

1 [2] May God have pity on us and bless us; may he let his face shine upon us. 2 [3] So may your way be known upon the earth; among all nations, your salvation. (R) 4 [5] May the nations be glad and exult because you rule the peoples in equity; the nations on the earth you guide. (R) 6 [7] The earth has yielded its fruits; God, our God, has blessed us. 7 [8] May God bless us, and may all the ends of the earth fear him! (R)

GOSPEL

Let us never be like Herod who did not spare the life of John the Baptist, even if he knew that John had done nothing wrong. We should be careful about the promises we make, as they may come back to haunt us. We should also pray for the grace to stand up for the truth, especially when a person’s life is at stake. Herod was a people pleaser; he acted in order to make people like him. This is a superficial existence, as it means that we stand for very little other than our own popularity.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 14:1-12

1 Herod the tetrarch heard of the reputation of Jesus 2 and said to his servants, “This man is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why mighty powers are at work in him.” 3 Now Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, 4 for John had said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 Although he wanted to kill him, he feared the people, for they regarded him as a prophet. 6 But at a birthday celebration for Herod, the daughter of Herodias performed a dance before the guests and delighted Herod 7 so much that he swore to give her whatever she might ask for. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” 9 The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests who were present, he ordered that it be given, 10 and he had John beheaded in the prison. 11 His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. 12 His disciples came and took away the corpse and buried him; and they went and told Jesus.

Credits to: www.kerygmafamily.com