Daily Readings for July 17, 2015

1ST READING

Despite all the signs, the Pharaoh refused to let the Hebrews go. God gave Moses instructions for the Passover Feast, which will be the “last straw” of suffering for the Egyptians. The Pharaoh changed his mind and let the people go. The people prepared a meal that became a tradition for them, down to this day. This event defined them as God’s people.

Exodus 11:10–12:14

10 Although Moses and Aaron performed various wonders in Pharaoh’s presence, the Lord made Pharaoh obstinate, and he would not let the children of Israel leave his land. 12:1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 “This month shall stand at the head of your calendar; you shall reckon it the first month of the year. 3 Tell the whole community of Israel: On the tenth of this month every one of your families must procure for itself a lamb, one apiece for each household. 4 If a family is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join the nearest household in procuring one and shall share in the lamb in proportion to the number of persons who partake of it. 5 The lamb must be a year-old male and without blemish. You may take it from either the sheep or the goats. 6 You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, and then, with the whole assembly of Israel present, it shall be slaughtered during the evening twilight. 7 They shall take some of its blood and apply it to the two doorposts and the lintel of every house in which they partake of the lamb. 8 That same night they shall eat its roasted flesh with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 9 It shall not be eaten raw or boiled, but roasted whole, with its head and shanks and inner organs. 10 None of it must be kept beyond the next morning; whatever is left over in the morning shall be burned up. 11 “This is how you are to eat it: with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand, you shall eat like those who are in flight. It is the Passover of the Lord. 12 For on this same night I will go through Egypt, striking down every first-born of the land, both man and beast, and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt — I, the Lord! 13 But the blood will mark the houses where you are. Seeing the blood, I will pass over you; thus, when I strike the land of Egypt, no destructive blow will come upon you. 14 “This day shall be a memorial feast for you, which all your generations shall celebrate with pilgrimage to the Lord, as a perpetual institution.”

P S A L M

Psalm 116:12-13, 15-16, 17-18

R: I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.

12 How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me? 13 The cup of salvation I will take up, and I will call upon the name of the Lord. (R) 15 Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones. 16 I am your servant, the son of your handmaid; you have loosed my bonds. (R) 17 To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving, and I will call upon the name of the Lord. 18 My vows to the Lord I will pay in thepresence of all his people. (R)

GOSPEL

I have never gone without food except by choice. But if I were hungry, then it would be easy to decide that a law forbidding the picking of corn on the Sabbath was less important than feeding a hungry person. The Pharisees were crazy to resort to petty arguments to challenge Jesus. They did not have real evidence against Him. This also reminds us that the law is there to serve the people. If it fails to serve the people, then it is not a good law.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me.

Matthew 12:1-8

1 Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath.” 3 He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry, 4 how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering, which neither he nor his companions but only the priests could lawfully eat? 5 Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests serving in the temple violate the sabbath and are innocent? 6 I say to you, something greater than the temple is here. 7 If you knew what this meant, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice,” you would not have condemned these innocent men. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.”

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Daily Readings for July 16, 2015

1ST READING

The actual name of God is not important. What is important is that He loves us and desires to deliver us from slavery to sin, in the same way that He delivered the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt. It is by the work of God that we are saved. He promised to remain with us and never abandon us. What remains to be seen is our faithfulness to Him. How do we respond to the opportunity to serve God and His Kingdom?

Exodus 3:13-20

13 Moses, hearing the voice of the Lord from the burning bush, said to him, “When I go to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ if they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what am I to tell them?” 14 God replied, “I am who am.” Then he added, “This is what you shall tell the children of Israel: I AM sent me to you.”  15 God spoke further to Moses, “Thus shall you say to the children of Israel: The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. “This is my name forever; this is my title for all generations. 16 “Go and assemble the elders of the Israel, and tell them: The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has appeared to me and said: I am concerned about you and about the way you are being treated in Egypt; 17 so I have decided to lead you up out of the misery of Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey. 18 “Thus they will heed your message. Then you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him: The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent us word. Permit us, then, to go a three days’ journey in the desert, that we may offer sacrifice to the Lord, our God. 19 “Yet I know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go unless he is forced. 20 I will stretch out my hand, therefore, and smite Egypt by doing all kinds of wondrous deeds there. After that he will send you away.”

P S A L M

Psalm 105:1, 5, 8-9, 24-25, 26-27

R: The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.

1 Give thanks to the Lord, invoke his name; make known among the nations his deeds. 5 Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought, his portents, and the judgments he has uttered. (R) 8 He remembers forever his covenant which he made binding for a thousand generations 9which he entered into with Abraham and by his oath to Isaac. (R) 24 He greatly increased his people and made them stronger than their foes, 25 whose hearts he changed, so that they hated his people, and dealt deceitfully with his servants. (R) 26 He sent Moses his servant; Aaron, whom he had chosen. 27 They wrought his signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham. (R)

GOSPEL

Jesus is always there to help us with the burdens we bear in life. When we look around us, we will discover that people have different burdens and sometimes it may seem that they are unfairly distributed. The struggles and trials in life are not evenly distributed. But we are consoled by the fact that the larger our burden, the more we remember God’s promise to help us. Whatever help we need is available to us if we surrender our burdens to the Lord.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest, says the Lord.

Matthew 11:28-30

28 Jesus said: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

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Daily Readings for July 15, 2015

1ST READING

The young Moses escaped from the massacre of Pharaoh. This tells us that God had something special in mind for him. The Hebrews felt unworthy to stand in the presence of God. Moses hid his face from God and feared that looking upon the glory of God might be too much for him. God announced to Moses that he is going to become the instrument of the deliverance of the Hebrews from their slavery and suffering.

Exodus 3:1-6, 9-12

1 Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. Leading the flock across the desert, he came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There an angel of the Lord appeared to him in fire flaming out of a bush. As he looked on, he was surprised to see that the bush, though on fire, was not consumed. 3 So Moses decided, “I must go over to look at this remarkable sight, and see why the bush is not burned.” 4 When the Lord saw him coming over to look at it more closely, God called out to him from the bush, “Moses! Moses!” He answered, “Here I am.” 5 God said, “Come no nearer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. 6 I am the God of your father,” he continued, “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.” 9 The cry of the children of Israel has reached me, and I have truly noted that the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 Come, now! I will send you to Pharaoh to lead my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 He answered, “I will be with you; and this shall be your proof that it is I who have sent you: when you bring my people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this very mountain.”

P S A L M

Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 6-7

R: The Lord is kind and merciful.

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all my being, bless his holy name. 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. (R) 3 He pardons all your iniquities, he heals all your ills. 4 He redeems your life from destruction, he crowns you with kindness and compassion. (R) 6 The Lord secures justice and the rights of all the oppressed. 7 He has made known his ways to Moses, and his deeds to the children of Israel. (R)

GOSPEL

  

Let us be like little children when it comes to accepting God’s will for our lives. Let us listen as attentively to the voice and guidance of the Holy Spirit so that we will not be led Tastray by the lies and temptations of the world. This is a difficult task and we will need all the grace we can get to ward off the attacks of the devil and the temptations of the flesh and the world. Let us pray that we will persevere in the fight until victory is ours.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.

Matthew 11:25-27

25 At that time Jesus exclaimed: “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. 26 Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”

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Daily Readings for July 14, 2015

1ST READING

A Hebrew boy is hidden by his mother. God intervened and the boy was found by the Pharaoh’s daughter. She employed the mother of that child to care for the baby she adopted as her own. This is typical in the life of a significant figure in the Scriptures – there is nearly always a miracle or extraordinary event that contributes to the person’s calling from God. Moses is no exception.

Exodus 2:1-15

1 A certain man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, 2 who conceived and bore a son. Seeing that he was a goodly child, she hid him for three months. 3 When she could hide him no longer, she took a papyrus basket, daubed it with bitumen and pitch, and putting the child in it, placed it among the reeds on the river bank. 4 His sister stationed herself at a distance to find out what would happen to him. 5 Pharaoh’s daughter came down to the river to bathe, while her maids walked along the river bank. Noticing the basket among the reeds, she sent her handmaid to fetch it. 6 On opening it, she looked, and lo, there was a baby boy, crying! She was moved with pity for him and said, “It is one of the Hebrews’ children.” 7 Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call one of the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” 8 “Yes, do so,” she answered. So the maiden went and called the child’s own mother. 9 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will repay you.” The woman therefore took the child and nursed it. 10 When the child grew, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, who adopted him as her son and called him Moses; for she said, “I drew him out of the water.” 11 On one occasion, after Moses had grown up, when he visited his kinsmen and witnessed their forced labor, he saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his own kinsmen. 12 Looking about and seeing no one, he slew the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 The next day he went out again, and now two Hebrews were fighting! So he asked the culprit, “Why are you striking your fellow Hebrew?” 14 But he replied, “Who has appointed you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses became afraid and thought, “The affair must certainly be known.” 15 Pharaoh, too, heard of the affair and sought to put Moses to death. But Moses fled from him and stayed in the land of Midian.

P S A L M 

Psalm 69:3, 14, 30-31, 33-34

R: Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.

2 [3] I am sunk in the abysmal swamp where there is no foothold; I have reached the watery depths; the flood overwhelmsme. (R) 13 [14] But I pray to you, O Lord, for the time of your favor, O God! In your great kindness answer me with your constant help. (R) 29 [30] But I am afflicted and in pain; let your saving help, O God, protect me. 30 [31] I will praise the name of God in song, and I will glorify him with thanksgiving. (R) 32 [33] “See, you lowly ones, and be glad; you who seek God, may your hearts revive! 33 [34] For the Lord hears the poor, and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.” (R)

GOSPEL 

Those who have heard the Gospel and reject it will be judged more severely than those who have responded to it. This is what Jesus is saying in the Gospel. We have all heard the Gospel, so we have no excuse for our lack of faith. Let us examine our lives and the opportunities we have been given, and ensure that we are living faithfully.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Matthew 11:20-24

20 Jesus began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, since they had not repented. 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. 23 And as for you, Capernaum: Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the netherworld. For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

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Daily Readings for July 13, 2015

1ST READING

The good times in Egypt are over and the people of Israel were placed in positions of servitude and suffering. They will not survive the final attack of the Pharaoh who ordered all newborn male Hebrews to be drowned in the Nile River. Today’s reading sets the scene for the remarkable work of salvation that will define the Jewish people even to this day. Their Exodus from Egypt is for the Jews, as Easter is for Christians.

Exodus 1:8-14, 22

8 A new king, who knew nothing of Joseph, came to power in Egypt. 9 He said to his subjects, “Look how numerous and powerful the people of Israel are growing, more so than we ourselves! 10 Come, let us deal shrewdly with them to stop their increase; otherwise, in time of war they too may join our enemies to fight against us, and so leave our country.” 11 Accordingly, taskmasters were set over the children of Israel to oppress them with forced labor. Thus they had to build for Pharaoh the supply cities of Pithom and Raamses. 12 Yet the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread. The Egyptians, then, dreaded the children of Israel 13 and reduced them to cruel slavery, 14 making life bitter for them with hard work in mortar and brick and all kinds of field work — the whole cruel fate of slaves. 22Pharaoh then commanded all his subjects, “Throw into the river every boy that is born to the Hebrews, but you may let all the girls live.”

P S A L M 

Psalm 124:1-3, 4-6, 7-8

R: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

1 Had not the Lord been with us — let Israel say, 2 had not the Lord been with us — when men rose up against us, 3 then would they have swallowed us alive. When their fury was inflamed against us. (R) 4 Then would the waters have overwhelmed us; the torrent would have swept over us; 5 over us then would have swept the raging waters. 6 Blessed be the Lord, who did not leave us a prey to their teeth. (R) 7 We were rescued like a bird from the fowlers’ snare; broken was the snare, and we were freed. 8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. (R)

GOSPEL

Why does Jesus say that He has come to bring conflict? Jesus brings conflict, but only in the sense that those who choose not to surrender to His will come into conflict with those who do. The source of the conflict is the choice we make, not Jesus. If we all follow Jesus, then there would be no conflict.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

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

Matthew 10:34–11:1

34 Jesus said to his Apostles: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36 and one’s enemies will be those of his household. 37 “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 40 “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. 41 Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is righteous will receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple — amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.” 11:1 When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples, he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.

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