DAILY READINGS & REFLECTION
JULY 5, 2024
FRIDAY OF THE THIRTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
(OPTIONAL MEMORIAL OF SAINT ANTHONY MARY ZACCARIA, PRIEST / SAINT ELIZABETH OF PORTUGAL)
FIRST READING
AMOS 8:4-6, 9-12 OR (2 TIMOTHY 1:13-14; 2:1-3 / 1 JOHN 3:14-18)
4 Hear this, you who trample upon the needy, and bring the poor of the land to an end, 5 saying, "When will the new moon be over, that we may sell grain? And the sabbath, that we may offer wheat for sale, that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great, and deal deceitfully with false balances, 6that we may buy the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, and sell the refuse of the wheat?" 9"And on that day," says the Lord GOD, "I will make the sun go down at noon, and darken the earth in broad daylight. 10 I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness on every head; I will make it like the mourning for an only son, and the end of it like a bitter day. 11 "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord GOD, "when I will send a famine on the land; not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD. 12 They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the LORD, but they shall not find it.
The Word of the Lord
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RESPONSORIAL PSALM
PSALMS 118(119):2, 10, 20, 30, 40, 131 OR (PSALMS 1:1-4, 6 / PSALMS 112:1-9)
Response: One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
who seek him with their whole heart.
R. One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
With my whole heart I seek thee;
let me not wander from thy commandments!
R. One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
My soul is consumed with longing
for thy ordinances at all times.
R. One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
I have chosen the way of faithfulness,
I set thy ordinances before me.
R. One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Behold, I long for thy precepts;
in thy righteousness give me life!
R. One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
With open mouth I pant,
because I long for thy commandments.
R. One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
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GOSPEL
I desire mercy - not sacrifice
MATTHEW 9:9-13 OR (MARK 10:13-16 / MATTHEW 25:31-46 / MATTHEW 25:31-40)
9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax office; and he said to him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed him. 10 And as he sat at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" 12 But when he heard it, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means, `I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."
The Gospel of the Lord
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REFLECTION
DAILY QUOTE FROM THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS
Matthew did not delay when called by Jesus, by Chromatius (died 406 AD)
"The Lord, about to give salvation to all sinners believing in him, willingly chose Matthew the former publican. The gift of his esteem for Matthew stands as an example for our salvation. Every sinner must be chosen by God and can receive the grace of eternal salvation if one is not without a religious mind and a devout heart. So Matthew was chosen willingly by God. And though he is immersed in worldly affairs, because of his sincere religious devotion he is judged worthy to be called forth by the Lord ("Follow me"), who by virtue of his divine nature knows the hidden recesses of the heart. From what follows, we know that Matthew was accepted by the Lord not by reason of his status but of his faith and devotion. As soon as the Lord says to him, "Follow me," he does not linger or delay, but thereupon "he arose and followed him."
(excerpt from TRACTATE ON MATTHEW 45.1)
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Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1965, 1966 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.