Daily Mass Readings for Wednesday, 16 August 2023
First Reading: Deuteronomy 34: 1-12
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 66: 1-3a, 5 and 8, 16-17
Alleluia: Second Corinthians 5: 19
Gospel: Matthew 18: 15-20
Wednesday, 16 August 2023
First Reading
Deuteronomy 34: 1-12
Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo,
the headland of Pisgah which faces Jericho,
and the LORD showed him all the land—
Gilead, and as far as Dan, all Naphtali,
the land of Ephraim and Manasseh,
all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea,
the Negeb, the circuit of the Jordan
with the lowlands at Jericho, city of palms,
and as far as Zoar.
The LORD then said to him,
"This is the land
which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
that I would give to their descendants.
I have let you feast your eyes upon it, but you shall not cross over."
So there, in the land of Moab, Moses, the servant of the LORD,
died as the LORD had said; and he was buried in the ravine
opposite Beth-peor in the land of Moab,
but to this day no one knows the place of his burial.
Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died,
yet his eyes were undimmed and his vigor unabated.
For thirty days the children of Israel wept for Moses
in the plains of Moab, till they had completed
the period of grief and mourning for Moses.
Now Joshua, son of Nun, was filled with the spirit of wisdom,
since Moses had laid his hands upon him;
and so the children of Israel gave him their obedience,
thus carrying out the LORD's command to Moses.
Since then no prophet has arisen in Israel like Moses,
whom the LORD knew face to face.
He had no equal in all the signs and wonders
the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt
against Pharaoh and all his servants and against all his land,
and for the might and the terrifying power
that Moses exhibited in the sight of all Israel.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 66:1-3a, 5 and 8, 16-17
Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God: "How tremendous are your deeds!"
Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
Bless our God, you peoples;
loudly sound his praise.
Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare
what he has done for me.
When I appealed to him in words,
praise was on the tip of my tongue.
Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Alleluia
2 Cor 5:19
Alleluia, alleluia.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
And entreating to us the message of reconciliation.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Mt 18:15-20
Jesus said to his disciples:
"If your brother sins against you,
go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.
If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.
If he does not listen,
take one or two others along with you,
so that every fact may be established
on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
If he refuses to listen to them, tell the Church.
If he refuses to listen even to the Church,
then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.
Amen, I say to you,
whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth
about anything for which they are to pray,
it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them."
Todays Reflection
Praying Together
Jesus' promise in this passage reveals that we should pray with others, uniting our prayers as one and offering them to the Father. The key to understanding this passage is the last line, "there am I in the midst of them." This means that the goal of gathering together in prayer with others is to unite ourselves with the one and eternal prayer of God the Son, which is first and foremost fulfilled within the Sacred Liturgy.
When we come together in the Liturgy, our prayer is always heard, as it is an action of God the Son inviting us, the Church, to share. The prayer offered is the one and eternal prayer by which God the Son asks the Father to bring salvation to all who accept the saving action of His sacrifice on the Cross. When we join in this prayer, it is granted.
Some types of prayer are not answered, such as those that fail to serve His mission, fail to do our part, or pray for vengeance on those who have hurt us. However, the prayer of the Liturgy as the one Sacrifice of Christ is always heard when we participate in it. There are other ways to fulfill our united prayer with certainty, such as praying for the grace of deeper conversion or for God's mercy to someone caught in sin.
Reflect on God the Son's perfect prayer and look for ways to join with others to unite their own prayer to this prayer of the Son of God. Do this first and foremost in the Sacred Liturgy, but look for other ways to practice this form of prayer. Praying together with others in union with the one prayer of Jesus will always be answered by the Father in Heaven.
In conclusion, Jesus' promise to us is that we should pray with others, uniting our prayers with the one and eternal prayer of God the Son. By doing so, we can be assured that our prayers will be answered by the Father in Heaven.
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