Daily Readings - Wed Jul 05 2017

First Reading - Genesis 21.5, 8-20

⁵when he was one hundred years old. Indeed, at this stage of his father’s life, Isaac was born⁸And the boy grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day of his weaning⁹And when Sarah had seen the son of Hagar the Egyptian playing with her son Isaac, she said to Abraham¹⁰"Cast out this woman servant and her son. For the son of a woman servant will not be heir with my son Isaac.¹¹Abraham took this grievously, for the sake of his son¹²And God said to him: "Let it not seem harsh to you concerning the boy and your woman servant. In all that Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice. For your offspring will be invoked in Isaac¹³Yet I will also make the son of the woman servant into a great nation, for he is your offspring.¹⁴And so Abraham arose in the morning, and taking bread and a skin of water, he placed it upon her shoulder, and he handed over the boy, and he released her. And when she had departed, she wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba¹⁵And when the water in the skin had been consumed, she set aside the boy, under one of the trees that were there¹⁶And she moved away and sat in a distant area, as far as a bow can reach. For she said, "I shall not see the boy die." And so, sitting opposite her, he lifted up his voice and wept¹⁷But God heard the voice of the boy. And an Angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, saying: "What are you doing, Hagar? Do not be afraid. For God has heeded the voice of the boy, from the place where he is¹⁸Rise up. Take the boy and hold him by the hand. For I will make of him a great nation.¹⁹And God opened her eyes. And seeing a well of water, she went and filled the skin, and she gave the boy to drink²⁰And God was with him. And he grew, and he stayed in the wilderness, and he became a young man, an archer

Gospel - Matthew 8.28-34

Matthew

Chapter 8

²⁸And when he had arrived across the sea, into the region of the Gerasenes, he was met by two who had demons, who were so exceedingly savage, as they went out from among the tombs, that no one was able to cross by that way²⁹And behold, they cried out, saying: "What are we to you, O Jesus, the Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?³⁰Now there was, not far from them, a herd of many swine feeding³¹Then the demons petitioned him, saying: "If you cast us from here, send us into the herd of swine.³²And he said to them, "Go." And they, going out, went into the swine. And behold, the entire herd suddenly rushed along a steep place into the sea. And they died in the waters³³Then the shepherds fled, and arriving in the city, they reported on all this, and on those who had had the demons³⁴And behold, the entire city went out to meet Jesus. And having seen him, they petitioned him, so that he would cross from their borders

Sermon

The readings today present us with two powerful narratives that invite us to reflect on trust, faith, and the mysterious ways of God. In the first reading from Genesis, we encounter Abraham, a man of deep faith, who is grappling with a difficult situation. Sarah, his wife, insists that Hagar and her son Ishmael be cast out, and though Abraham is grieved, he trusts in God’s plan. This trust is rewarded when God provides for Hagar and Ishmael in the wilderness, opening her eyes to a well of water and promising a future for her son. This story reminds us that even in moments of uncertainty and hardship, God’s providence is at work. In the Gospel, we meet Jesus, who demonstrates His authority over evil spirits by casting demons out of two men and into a herd of swine. The people of the region, however, are more frightened than moved to faith by this display of power. They ask Jesus to leave, revealing a lack of understanding and trust in His mission. This contrast between Abraham’s trust and the fear of the Gerasenes invites us to examine our own response to God’s presence in our lives. Do we, like Abraham, trust in God’s plan even when it seems unclear, or do we, like the Gerasenes, allow fear to dominate our hearts? These readings call us to a deeper faith and trust in God’s plan. Like Abraham, we are often called to let go of what is familiar and to trust in God’s promise, even when the future seems uncertain. And like the Gerasenes, we are invited to move beyond fear and to embrace the transformative power of Jesus in our lives. Let us ask for the grace to trust in God’s providence and to open our hearts to His presence, even when it challenges us to step out of our comfort zones. May we, like Hagar, come to see the wells of water that God provides for us in the wilderness of life.