Daily Readings - Tue Jul 18 2017

First Reading - Exodus 2.1-15a

¹After these things, a man from the house of Levi went out, and he took a wife from his own stock²And she conceived and bore a son. And seeing him to be handsome, she hid him for three months³And when she was no longer able to hide him, she took a small basket woven of bulrushes, and she smeared it with pitch as well as tar. And she placed the little infant inside, and she laid him in the sedges by the bank of the river⁴His sister was standing at a distance and was wondering what would happen⁵Then, behold, the daughter of Pharaoh descended to wash in the river. And her maids walked along the edge of the cove. And when she had seen the small basket among the papyruses, she sent one of her servants for it. And when it was brought⁶she opened it; and realizing that within it was a little one crying, she took pity on him, and she said: "This is one of the infants of the Hebrews.⁷And the sister of the boy said to her: "If you wish, I will go and call to you a Hebrew woman, who will be able nurse the infant.⁸She responded, "Go." The maid went directly and called her mother⁹And the daughter of Pharaoh said to her: "Take this boy and nurse him for me. I will give you your wages." The woman took and nursed the boy. And when he was mature, she delivered him to the daughter of Pharaoh¹⁰And she adopted him in place of a son, and she called his name Moses, saying, "Because I took him from the water.¹¹In those days, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his brothers. And he saw their affliction and an Egyptian man striking a certain one of the Hebrews, his brothers¹²And when he had looked around this way and that, and had seen no one nearby, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand¹³And going out the next day, he spotted two Hebrews quarrelling violently. And he said to him who was causing the injury, "Why do you strike your neighbor?¹⁴But he responded: "Who appointed you as leader and judge over us? Do you want to kill me, just as yesterday you killed the Egyptian?" Moses was afraid, and he said, "How has this word become known?¹⁵And Pharaoh heard this talk, and he sought to kill Moses. But fleeing from his sight, he stayed in the land of Midian, and he sat down next to a well

Gospel - Matthew 11.20-24

Matthew

Chapter 11

²⁰Then he began to rebuke the cities in which many of his miracles were accomplished, for they still had not repented²¹"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in haircloth and ashes²²Yet truly, I say to you, Tyre and Sidon shall be forgiven more than you, on the day of judgment²³And you, Capernaum, would you be exalted all the way to heaven? You shall descend all the way to Hell. For if the miracles that were done in you had been done in Sodom, perhaps it would have remained, even to this day²⁴Yet truly, I say to you, that the land of Sodom shall be forgiven more than you, on the day of judgment.

Sermon

The first reading from Exodus tells the story of Moses’ early life, highlighting the courage and faith of his mother who defied Pharaoh’s decree to save her son. She placed Moses in a basket and set him afloat on the Nile, trusting in God’s providence. The story unfolds with Moses being discovered by Pharaoh’s daughter, who, moved by compassion, decides to adopt him. This narrative sets the stage for Moses’ eventual role as a leader of the Israelites, showcasing how God works through human actions and circumstances to fulfill His plan. The context of this reading is the oppression of the Israelites in Egypt, where Pharaoh’s fear of their growing population led to brutal measures, including the killing of Hebrew male infants. Moses’ survival is a testament to the power of trust in God’s plan and the courage of those who risk everything to do what is right. The Gospel reading from Matthew presents Jesus rebuking cities that had witnessed many miracles but failed to repent. Jesus laments that if the same miracles had been performed in Tyre, Sidon, or Sodom, those cities would have repented long ago. He warns that on the day of judgment, these cities will be held to a higher accountability because of the graces they received. The context here is Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, where He performed numerous miracles, yet many people remained hardened in their unbelief. This reading emphasizes the importance of responding to God’s grace with faith and repentance, rather than taking it for granted. Both readings remind us of the importance of faith and trust in God’s plan. In Exodus, Moses’ mother trusted in God’s providence, even in the face of danger, and her courage ultimately led to Moses’ survival and his future role as a leader. In Matthew, Jesus calls us to respond to God’s grace with repentance and faith, warning us against complacency. These readings invite us to reflect on our own trust in God and our response to His grace in our lives. Do we, like Moses’ mother, trust in God’s plan even when the future seems uncertain? Do we, like the cities Jesus rebuked, fail to respond to the graces we have received? Let us strive to live with courage, trust, and a willingness to repent, so that we may deepen our relationship with God and fulfill the mission He has entrusted to us.