Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection August 23, 2024
Twentieth Week of Ordinary Time
23rd August 2024 (Friday)
Psalter: Week 4
Reading of the Day
First Reading: Ezekiel 37:1-14
In those days: The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.” So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”
Psalm 107:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 (R. 1)
R/. O give thanks to the Lord for he is good; for his mercy endures forever!
Gospel Acclamation
V/. Alleluia
R/. Alleluia
V/. Teach me your paths, O Lord. Guide me in your truth.
R/. Alleluia.
Gospel : Matthew 22:34-40
At that time: When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Daily Gospel Reflection
Friday – Twentieth Week of Ordinary Time
Guidelines: The world of today is sick and wounded in so many ways. It is languishing from loss of meaning and beauty. The greatest reason is the decline of love
1. How rightly the present society resembles the valley that is full of dry and dead bones in the first reading from Ezekiel! The valley looks beautiful apparently. But there is no life and liveliness. The charm and the vigour of living are missing in the life of many. Thus, the life of many is very much like dry bones without a life-filling spirit.
2. These dry bones are often scattered. There is no flesh and skin. There is no shape and form. There is no unison and integrity. At times, they are covered with flesh and skin. There are some external things that seem to give a good shape to life. But there is no life. The dry bones with all their flesh and skin are still not alive.
3. They need the breath of life. Love is that breath that infuses life into the dry bones. The sole reason for our society to be lifeless and joyless is because it is loveless. This is what Jesus reiterates in the gospel as well. Love is the greatest commandment and life-giving and life-moving principle.
4. It is in fact only one love that is twofold: love for God and love for the other. Often, these two are segregated into two totally independent and mutually exclusive zones. That is why there are those who claim to love God and be pious and devout people abounding in spiritual activities. But they are total failures in love for others. Similarly, there are also some others who are good to others but have nothing to do with God or spirituality.
5. Both these stands are wrong. If love for God is genuine, it should necessarily lead to love for others. And if love for others is authentic, it should also foster a deep sense of piety and spirituality. The reason is I, God and the others are all in one single frame. One cannot be complete without the others.
Practice: Often an artificial barricade is created between faith and charity, holiness and goodness, spirituality and integrity. A true religious way of living demands that love for God and love for the other are integrated into one harmonious whole
