Reading 1
Jos 24:1-13
Joshua gathered together all the tribes of Israel at Shechem,
summoning their elders, their leaders,
their judges and their officers.
When they stood in ranks before God, Joshua addressed all the people:
“Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel:
In times past your fathers, down to Terah,
father of Abraham and Nahor,
dwelt beyond the River and served other gods.
But I brought your father Abraham from the region beyond the River
and led him through the entire land of Canaan.
I made his descendants numerous, and gave him Isaac.
To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau.
To Esau I assigned the mountain region of Seir in which to settle,
while Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.
“Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and smote Egypt with the prodigies
which I wrought in her midst.
Afterward I led you out of Egypt, and when you reached the sea,
the Egyptians pursued your fathers to the Red Sea
with chariots and horsemen.
Because they cried out to the LORD,
he put darkness between your people and the Egyptians,
upon whom he brought the sea so that it engulfed them.
After you witnessed what I did to Egypt,
and dwelt a long time in the desert,
I brought you into the land of the Amorites
who lived east of the Jordan.
They fought against you, but I delivered them into your power.
You took possession of their land, and I destroyed them,
the two kings of the Amorites, before you.
Then Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab,
prepared to war against Israel.
He summoned Balaam, son of Beor, to curse you;
but I would not listen to Balaam.
On the contrary, he had to bless you, and I saved you from him.
Once you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho,
the men of Jericho fought against you,
but I delivered them also into your power.
And I sent the hornets ahead of you that drove them
(the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites,
Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites)
out of your way; it was not your sword or your bow.
“I gave you a land that you had not tilled
and cities that you had not built, to dwell in;
you have eaten of vineyards and olive groves
which you did not plant.”
136:1-3, 16-18, 21-22 and 24
Responsorial PsalmR.
His mercy endures forever.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever;
Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his mercy endures forever;
Give thanks to the LORD of lords,
for his mercy endures forever.
R. His mercy endures forever.
Who led his people through the wilderness,
for his mercy endures forever;
Who smote great kings,
for his mercy endures forever;
And slew powerful kings,
for his mercy endures forever.
R. His mercy endures forever.
And made their land a heritage,
for his mercy endures forever;
The heritage of Israel his servant,
for his mercy endures forever;
And freed us from our foes,
for his mercy endures forever.
R. His mercy endures forever.
Gospel
Mt 19:3-12
Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying,
“Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?”
He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning
the Creator made them male and female and said,
For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?
So they are no longer two, but one flesh.
Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate.”
They said to him, “Then why did Moses command
that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss her?”
He said to them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts
Moses allowed you to divorce your wives,
but from the beginning it was not so.
I say to you, whoever divorces his wife
(unless the marriage is unlawful)
and marries another commits adultery.”
His disciples said to him,
“If that is the case of a man with his wife,
it is better not to marry.”
He answered, “Not all can accept this word,
but only those to whom that is granted.
Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so;
some, because they were made so by others;
some, because they have renounced marriage
for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”
Meditation: Psalm 136
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“Praise the Lord, who is so good!” (Psalm 136:1)
Let’s do something different today. Instead of unpacking one of the day’s readings, let’s take the day’s psalm as a launching pad for our own prayer of praise and adoration.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever.
Lord, I praise you for your incredible, never-ending mercy! I proclaim that you are powerful and mighty to save. When I was lost in sin, you came and rescued me. You forgave me and took on yourself the weight of all my shame and guilt. By your death on the cross, you destroyed death! You tore the veil that separated me from my heavenly Father. Now, in the victory of your resurrection, I am brought back to him. I can rise with you to eternal life! I praise you as the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever.
Lord, I praise you for your undying love! You said you would never leave us or forsake us. You loved us so much that you gave us the Holy Spirit—now we can live in the power of your resurrection. By your Spirit, we can know freedom from sin. We can pull down strongholds of anger, greed, pride, and anxiety. We can proudly proclaim that by your own blood and the word of our testimony we are set free. We can sleep soundly, with a restful spirit because we know that you are with us at all times. Thank you for tending to our needs and for leading us in all truth. I praise you, Jesus, for you are the way, the truth, and the life!
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever.
Lord, I thank you for giving us your body and blood so that we will never hunger or thirst again. Thank you for becoming our nourishment! At every Mass, you come down to the altar, ready to lift us up to heaven as we eat and drink. Praise to you, Jesus, that through Holy Communion, we can be healed and strengthened, raised up and made whole. Day after day, our hearts can become more united with yours. Day after day we can all receive a deeper experience of your love!
“Thank you, Lord, for your mercy and relentless love!”
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