August 1, 2025
Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of
the Church
Lectionary: 405
Reading 1
Leviticus
23:1, 4-11, 15-16, 27, 34b-37
The LORD said to Moses,
"These are the festivals of the LORD which you shall celebrate
at their proper time with a sacred assembly.
The Passover of the LORD falls on the fourteenth day of the first month,
at the evening twilight.
The fifteenth day of this month is the LORD's feast of Unleavened Bread.
For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.
On the first of these days you shall hold a sacred assembly
and do no sort of work.
On each of the seven days you shall offer an oblation to the LORD.
Then on the seventh day you shall again hold a sacred assembly
and do no sort of work."
The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the children of Israel and tell them:
When you come into the land which I am giving you,
and reap your harvest,
you shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest
to the priest, who shall wave the sheaf before the LORD
that it may be acceptable for you.
On the day after the sabbath the priest shall do this.
"Beginning with the day after the sabbath,
the day on which you bring the wave-offering sheaf,
you shall count seven full weeks,
and then on the day after the seventh week, the fiftieth day,
you shall present the new cereal offering to the LORD.
"The tenth of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement,
when you shall hold a sacred assembly and mortify yourselves
and offer an oblation to the LORD.
"The fifteenth day of this seventh month is the LORD's feast of Booths,
which shall continue for seven days.
On the first day there shall be a sacred assembly,
and you shall do no sort of work.
For seven days you shall offer an oblation to the LORD,
and on the eighth day you shall again hold a sacred assembly
and offer an oblation to the LORD.
On that solemn closing you shall do no sort of work.
"These, therefore, are the festivals of the LORD
on which you shall proclaim a sacred assembly,
and offer as an oblation to the LORD burnt offerings and cereal offerings,
sacrifices and libations, as prescribed for each day."
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm
81:3-4, 5-6, 10-11ab
R. (2a) Sing with joy to God our help.
Take up a melody, and sound the timbrel,
the pleasant harp and the lyre.
Blow the trumpet at the new moon,
at the full moon, on our solemn feast.
R. Sing with joy to God our help.
For it is a statute in Israel,
an ordinance of the God of Jacob,
Who made it a decree for Joseph
when he came forth from the land of Egypt.
R. Sing with joy to God our help.
There shall be no strange god among you
nor shall you worship any alien god.
I, the LORD, am your God
who led you forth from the land of Egypt.
R. Sing with joy to God our help.
Alleluia
1
Peter 1:25
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of the Lord remains forever;
this is the word that has been proclaimed to you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Matthew
13:54-58
Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in
their synagogue.
They were astonished and said,
"Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?
Is he not the carpenter's son?
Is not his mother named Mary
and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?
Are not his sisters all with us?
Where did this man get all this?"
And they took offense at him.
But Jesus said to them,
"A prophet is not without honor except in his native place
and in his own house."
And he did not work many mighty deeds there
because of their lack of faith.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/080125.cfm
Commentary on
Leviticus 23:1,4-11,15-16,27,34-37
Today we move on to the third book of the Pentateuch—the
Book of Leviticus. It gets its name from the Levites who were responsible for
worship and ritual among the Israelites. The content of the book is almost
entirely concerned with rules and regulations concerning worship and ritual.
Although we seem to be starting a new ‘book’, it is a continuation
of the priestly tradition we saw at the end of Exodus (chaps 25—31; 35—40). And
this tradition continues on into the first 10 chapters of the next book,
Numbers. The emphasis is on the continuing presence of God among his people.
The emphasis is on the continuing presence of God among his people. This
emphasis heightens their sense of sin and also influences them to honour God
with sacrifices of worship. These are the means by which a sinful people can be
reconciled in their relationship with Yahweh.
We will only be taking two readings from the book, both
coming from well into the second half, from chapters 23 and 25. Today’s
reading, which consists of snippets taken from a whole chapter, touches on the
observance of certain important feasts which are to be celebrated “at the time
appointed for them.”
The Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread
The two festivals are linked together, occurring on consecutive days. The first
of these is the Passover of the Lord which falls at the evening twilight on the
14th day of the first month (Nisan).
The 15th day of the same month is the beginning of the feast
of Unleavened Bread. For seven days unleavened bread is to be eaten. We saw
earlier that this feast may be connected with the fact that the Israelites, during
their flight from Egypt, only had unleavened bread with them. On the first day
of this feast there is to be a sacred assembly and no work is to be done. And
on each day an offering is to be made to the Lord. Finally, on the seventh and
last day, there is again a “holy convocation” and no work is to be done.
The First Sheaf
When they arrive in the land which the Lord is giving them, immediately after
the harvest, a sheaf of the first fruits of the harvest is to be brought to the
priest. He will wave it before the Lord so that it may be acceptable for the
offerer. This will be done on the day following the nearest Sabbath.
The Feast of Weeks
On the day after that Sabbath, there shall follow a period of seven full weeks,
and on the day after, the 50th day, the offering of cereal made from the new
grain will be made to the Lord. Between the feast of Unleavened Bread and the
feast of Weeks, the Law of Holiness introduces an offering of the first sheaf
(of the barley harvest) at the appropriate place in the agricultural cycle.
This is a new formulation of the ancient offering of the first fruits.
From the Greek word for ‘fifty’ (hendeka) we have the
name ‘Pentecost’. It was also called ‘the feast of the Seven Weeks’. Pentecost
was the thanksgiving feast at the end of the grain harvest, which began after
Passover. Later tradition made it a commemoration of the giving of the law at
Sinai.
The Day of Atonement
The 10th day of the seventh month is the Day of Atonement, when there is a
sacred assembly. Penance is to be done, and an oblation is made to the Lord. On
this day, too, no work is to be done. We know this feast more commonly as Yom
Kippur. Part of the observance was the slaughtering of two goats. One was
offered in holocaust and the other was driven out into the desert to die,
bearing with it the sins of the whole community. It is from this that we get
our term ‘scapegoat’.
The Feast of Booths or Shelters
The 15th day of the seventh month begins the feast of Booths, which lasts for
seven days. The Hebrew name is Sukkoth. On the first day, there is
a sacred assembly and no work is to be done. On each of the seven days an
oblation will be made to the Lord. On the eighth day, there will again be a
“holy convocation”, an oblation made to the Lord and no work will be done.
This feast was the joyful observance of the grape and fruit
harvest. During the seven days of the feast, the Israelites camped in booths of
branches erected on the flat roofs of their houses, or in the streets, in
commemoration of their wanderings in the desert, where they had dwelt in
booths.
These are festivals which are to be observed. During each
one there will be a “holy convocation”—a sacred assembly—when holocausts and
cereal offerings, sacrifices and libations, as prescribed for each day, will be
offered to the Lord.
We find a number of these feasts mentioned in the New
Testament and some of them have been incorporated into our Christian faith:
- The
feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread are mentioned during the narrative
of Holy Week. The Hebrew Passover was transformed into a new Passover with
Christ as the sacrificial Lamb. In every Eucharist, the host is made of
unleavened bread.
- The
end of the feast of Weeks is Pentecost which, in our Christian faith, is
described by Luke in the Acts of the Apostles as the day on which the Holy
Spirit came down on Jesus’ disciples (in the Gospels, the Spirit is
described as being given under different circumstances, e.g. John 20).
- The
feast of Booths is mentioned in John’s Gospel (7:2).
Every community—whether secular or religious—needs its
regular celebrations as a reminder and affirmation of its identity and purpose.
And our Christian communities are no exception. The important thing is that we
remain faithful to the meaning of these celebrations and not reduce them to an
occasion for ‘having a good time’. We are often reminded to put Christ back
into Christmas, which is in constant danger of being taken over by commercial
interests.
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Commentary on
Matthew 13:54-58
Immediately following the discourse on the parables of the
Kingdom, we see Jesus going to his home town of Nazareth. The New
American Bible marks this as the beginning of a new section in
Matthew’s Gospel which it calls “Jesus, the Kingdom and the Church”. It ends
with chapter 18, which contains the fourth of the five discourses distinctive
to Matthew.
As was his right, Jesus spent some time teaching in the
synagogue at Nazareth. The townspeople were quite amazed to hear the local
carpenter’s son speaking as he did:
Where did this man get this wisdom and these deeds of
power?
The New International Version says that the
word usually translated “carpenter” could also mean “stonemason”. All his
family were well known to the people and they knew he could not have gotten it
from them (“Is not this the carpenter’s son?”), but they failed to apprehend
the real origin of what he was saying and doing.
And, in the contrariness of human nature, they were so
impressed that they rejected him! He was just too much. A perfect example of
familiarity breeding contempt and blinding the eyes to the obvious. And Jesus
sadly comments that a prophet can get a hearing everywhere except among his
own. Probably all of us have had some experience, directly or indirectly, of
this! We Irish, in particular, are well known for our ‘begrudgery’!
It might be helpful for us to see how often and where we
ourselves have been guilty of this sort of behavior. How often have we written
off what people we know very well, or think we know very well, suggest to us?
It is important for us to realise that God can communicate with us through
anyone at all, and we must never decide in advance who his spokespersons will
be.
Finally, we are told that Jesus could not do in Nazareth any
of the wonderful things he had done elsewhere “because of their unbelief”. His
hands were tied. Jesus can only help those who are ready to be helped, those
who are open to him. How open am I?
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Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
God our Father and protector, without You
nothing is holy, nothing has value. Guide us to everlasting life by
helping us to use wisely the blessings You have given to the world.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives
and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Gospel Reading - Matthew 13: 54-58
Jesus came to his native place and
taught the people in their synagogue. They were astonished and said, “Where
did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? Is he not the
carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers
James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Are not his sisters all with us? Where did this
man get all this?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet
is not without honor except in his native place and in his own
house.” And he did not work many mighty deeds there because
of their lack of faith.
Reflection
The Gospel today tells us of Jesus’ visit to Nazareth,
His native community. Passing through Nazareth was painful for Jesus.
What was His community at the beginning, now is no longer so. Something has
changed. Where there is no faith, Jesus can work no miracles.
•
Matthew 13: 53-57ª: The reaction of the people
of Nazareth before Jesus. It is always good for people to go back to their
land. After a long absence, Jesus also returns, as usual, on a Saturday, and He
goes to the meeting of the community. Jesus was not the head of the group, but
just the same, He speaks. This is a sign that people could participate and
express their own opinion. People were astonished. They did not
understand Jesus’ attitude: "Where did the man get this wisdom and these
miraculous powers?” Jesus, son of that place, whom they knew since He
was a child, how is it that now He is so different? The people of Nazareth are
scandalized and do not accept Him: “This is the carpenter’s son, surely?”
The people do not accept the mystery of God present in a common man, as
they are, and as they had known Jesus. In order to speak about God He should be
different. As one can see, not everything was positive. The people, who should
have been the first ones to accept the Good News, are the first ones to refuse
it. The conflict is not only with foreigners, but also with His relatives and
with the people of Nazareth. They do not accept because they cannot understand
the mystery which envelops Jesus: “Is not His mother, the woman called Mary, and His
brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Jude, and His sisters too, are
they not all here with us? So where did the man get it all?” They are not
able to believe.
•
Matthew 13: 57b-58: Jesus’ reaction before the attitude of the
people of Nazareth. Jesus knows very well that “no one is a prophet in his own
country.” He says, “A prophet is despised only in his own country and in his
own house.” In fact, where there is neither acceptance nor faith, people
can do nothing. Prejudice prevents it. Jesus Himself, even wanting, can do
nothing. He was astonished at their lack of faith.
•
The brothers and sisters of Jesus. The
expression “brothers of Jesus” causes much division between Catholics
and Protestants. Based on this and other texts, the Protestants say that Jesus
had many brothers and sisters and that Mary had more children! Catholics say
that Mary did not have any other children. What are we to think of this? Both
positions, that of Catholics as well as that of Protestants, contain arguments
taken from the Bible and from the tradition of their respective Churches. We
should consider that in our communities today we also call each other
“brother” and “sister,” yet we don’t share immediate parents. In that day,
children didn’t move far from their parents like they might do today, so
many extended family relationships existed within the same community. For this
reason, it is not helpful to discuss this question with arguments which are
only intellectual, because it is a question of profound convictions, which have
something to do with faith and with the sentiments of each one. An argument
which is merely intellectual cannot change a conviction of the heart! It only
irritates and repels! Even if I do not agree with the opinion of others, I have
to respect it. In the second place, instead of talking about texts, all of us,
Catholics and Protestants, should unite in order to fight for the defense of
life, created by God, a life disfigured by poverty, injustice, lack of faith.
We should recall some other sayings of Jesus: “I have come so that they
may have life and life to the full” (Jn 10: 10); “That all may be one, so that
the world may believe that You, Father, have sent Me” (Jn 17: 21); “Do not prevent
them! Anyone who is not against us is for us” (Mk 10: 39, 40).
Personal Questions
•
In Jesus something changed in His relationship
with the community of Nazareth. Since you began to participate in community,
has anything changed in your relationship with your family? Why?
•
Has participation in the community helped you to
accept and to trust people, especially the simpler and the poorest?
•
When two join to form a new community in
marriage, their relationship with their families also changes. Reconsider the
previous questions in light of this as well.
Concluding Prayer
For myself, wounded wretch that I am, by Your saving power
raise me up!
I will praise God’s name in song; I will extol Him by thanksgiving.
(Ps 69: 29-30)
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