Jul 15 2024

First reading Isaiah 1:10-17

Take your wrongdoing out of my sight

Hear the word of the Lord,

you rulers of Sodom;

listen to the command of our God,

you people of Gomorrah.

‘What are your endless sacrifices to me?

says the Lord.

I am sick of holocausts of rams

and the fat of calves.

The blood of bulls and of goats revolts me.

When you come to present yourselves before me,

who asked you to trample over my courts?

Bring me your worthless offerings no more,

the smoke of them fills me with disgust.

New Moons, sabbaths, assemblies –

I cannot endure festival and solemnity.

Your New Moons and your pilgrimages

I hate with all my soul.

They lie heavy on me,

I am tired of bearing them.

When you stretch out your hands

I turn my eyes away.

You may multiply your prayers,

I shall not listen.

Your hands are covered with blood,

wash, make yourselves clean.

‘Take your wrong-doing out of my sight.

Cease to do evil.

Learn to do good,

search for justice,

help the oppressed,

be just to the orphan,

plead for the widow.’

Responsorial Psalm 49(50):8-9,16-17,21,23

To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always.
I take from your house no bullock,
no goats out of your fold.”
To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?”
To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it?
Or do you think you that I am like yourself?
I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes.
He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;
and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.”
To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

Gospel Matthew 10:34-11:1

It is not peace I have come to bring, but a sword

Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: ‘Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth: it is not peace I have come to bring, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man’s enemies will be those of his own household.

‘Anyone who prefers father or mother to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who prefers son or daughter to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who does not take his cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me. Anyone who finds his life will lose it; anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it.

‘Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me; and those who welcome me welcome the one who sent me.

‘Anyone who welcomes a prophet will have a prophet’s reward; and anyone who welcomes a holy man will have a holy man’s reward.

‘If anyone gives so much as a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple, then I tell you solemnly, he will most certainly not lose his reward.’

When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples he moved on from there to teach and preach in their towns.

______________________________________________

Walk humbly with God and others

“When you stretch out your hands, I turn my eyes away. You may multiply your prayers, I shall not listen…” (1st reading). It might seem God is uncaring to His people, but He is not. He is weary of the hypocrisy of the people’s religious acts. Their hearts are indifferent and unloving to those around them. God wants a radical change of heart for His people: “Cease to do evil. Learn to do good, search for justice, help the oppressed, be just to the orphan, plead for the widow”. Today, God does not want us to miss the point of what our Christian faith is all about. It is not enough simply to go to mass, attend talks after talks in different parishes, etc. Our faith in God and love for Him must lead us to do acts of love for others, especially those closest to us.

In the gospel today, Jesus further affirms what God wants from us. The call is for us to put Him above all others. With Him as the centre of our lives, we can then love others with genuine and unselfish love that seeks their betterment.

Reflective question:
What do I understand in prayer that I want to live out in my life today?

Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year B” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD.