19th Week in Ordinary Time
19th August 2023 (Saturday) Readings and Reflection
Psalter: Week 3
Reading of the Day
First Reading: Joshua 24:1-13
In those days: Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel. And they presented themselves before God. And Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, 'Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods. Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac. And to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. And I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in the midst of it, and afterwards I brought you out. "Then I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea. And the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. And when they cried to the Lord, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians and made the sea come upon them and cover them; and your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And you lived in the wilderness a long time. Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the other side of the Jordan. They fought with you, and I gave them into your hand, and you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you. Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel. And he sent and invited Balaam the son of Beor to curse you, but I would not listen to Balaam. Indeed, he blessed you. So I delivered you out of his hand. And you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, and the leaders of Jericho fought against you, and also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And I gave them into your hand. And I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites; it was not by your sword or by your bow. I gave you a land on which you had not laboured and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.'
Psalm 136:1-3, 16-18, 21-22 and 24 (R. 1b)
R/. For his mercy endures forever.
Alleluia
V/. Alleluia R/. Alleluia
V/. Accept the word of God, not as the word of men, but as what it really is, the word of God.
R/. Alleluia
Gospel : Matthew 19:3-12
At that time: Pharisees came up to Jesus and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?" He answered, "Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate." They said to him, "Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?" He said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery." The disciples said to him, "If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry." But he said to them, "Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it."
Daily Gospel Reflection
Highlight: Do not hinder!
Guidlines: More to Jesus, is more of a blessing {alertSuccess}
1. In the gospel, parents bring their children to Jesus, to be blessed by him. But the disciples scold and prevent them, certainly with the good intention not to create a commotion or disturbance to Jesus. And Jesus is very clear that children should come to him, be close to him, and be blessed by him. Yet again he reminds us that being a child to God is the only way to enter the kingdom.
2. Today how many parents take their children closer to Jesus, to the church, to the sacraments, to the spiritual animation? How many parents initiate, motivate, guide, and foster their children in matters of faith and morals? How many of them instil and ignite in their children a love for God and enthusiasm for spirituality?
3. In the name of giving the children freedom, and respecting their personal responsibility, are the elders not failing in their responsibility? Are we ourselves not hindering them from Jesus? What a loss it is that our children miss the nearness, the touch, and the blessing of Jesus!
4. In this context, Joshua in the first reading from Joshua 24. 14-29 can be a great example and guide to all parents and children. Like Joshua, how many parents remind their children of God’s incessant intervention in our lives in love, power, and mercy? How many can tell their children straight that our God is a holy jealous God who will not tolerate defection and transgression of his ways? How many in all firmness can urge their children to fear the Lord, to serve Him in sincerity and faithfulness?
5. How many adults and leaders can challenge youngsters to discern and choose between the God of fidelity and the world of false gods? And how many can really affirm with conviction like Joshua, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord? How many can assume this undaunted responsibility to lead their families in God’s way even if the whole world is going in the opposite direction?
6. And how many today like those people of Israel can reaffirm our fidelity to God, saying, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods”; “But we will serve the Lord”; “The Lord our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey”.
Practice: We are people of covenant with God. We are made His own children. The way to testify our belonging to Him is to put away the foreign gods, that is, the false values and pursuits, and incline our hearts to the Lord{alertSuccess}