Daily Bible Reading – June 22, 2024

Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc.

11TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Psalter: Week 3 / (Green/Red/White)

Blessed Virgin Mary/ St. John Fisher, bishop and St. Thomas More, martyrs / St. Paulinus of Nola, bishop

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 89: 4-5, 29-30, 31-32, 33-34: Forever I will maintain my love for my servant.

1st Reading: 2 Chronicles 24: 17-25

After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came to pay court to the king, and the king now turned to them for advice.

The Judaeans abandoned the house of Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, and worshiped the Asherah poles and idols.

Because of this sinful activity, God was angry with Judah and Jerusalem. He sent them prophets to bring them back to Yahweh, but when the prophets spoke, they would not listen.

The spirit of God took control of Zechariah, son of Jehoiadathe priest. He stood up before the people and said, “God says this: Why are you disobeying the commandments of Yahweh? You cannot prosper. You have abandoned Yahweh and he will abandon you.”

They then plotted against him and, by order of the king, stoned him in the court of Yahweh’s house. King Joash forgot the kindness of Jehoiada, the father of Zechariah, and killed Jehoiada’s son who cried out as he died, “Let Yahweh see and do justice!”

When a year had gone by, the Aramaean army made war on Joash. They reached Judah and Jerusalem, and killed all the officials among the people, sending back to the king of Damascus all that they had plundered from them.

Though the Aramaean army was small, Yahweh delivered into its power an army of great size for they had abandoned him, the God of their ancestors.

The Aramaeans wounded Joash and when they withdrew they left him a very sick man; and his officers, plotting against him to avenge the death of the son of Jehoiada the priest, murdered him in his bed. So, he died, and they buried him in the city of David, though not in the tombs of the king.

Gospel: Matthew 6: 24-34

No one can serve two masters; for he will either hate one and love the other; or he will be loyal to the first and look down on the second. You cannot, at the same time, serve God and money.

Therefore, I tell you, not to be worried about food and drink for yourself, or about clothes for your body.

Is not life more important than food; and is not the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow, they do not harvest, and do not store food in barns; and yet, your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not less worthy than they are?

Can any of you add a day to your life by worrying about it? Why are you so worried about your clothes? Look at how the flowers in the fields grow. They do not toil or spin. But I tell you, that not even Solomon, in all his glory, was clothed like one of these.

If God so clothes the grass in the field, which blooms today and is to be burned in an oven tomorrow, how much more will he clothe you? What little faith you have! Do not worry, and say: What are we going to eat? What are we going to drink? or: What shall we wear?

The pagans busy themselves with such things; but your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. Set your heart, first, on the kingdom and righteousness of God; and all these things will also be given to you. Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

REFLECTION:

“Do not worry.”

Negativity breeds in anxiety. Anxiety characterizes our present time. Worries stress us out day in and day out. At times, our energy is consumed by getting worried for a longer period of time rather than finding appropriate solutions to the problems we are facing.

Let us continue to learn from Jesus who always takes away our distress and anxiety. Today’s Gospel, still from the teachings found in the Sermon on the Mount, gives us a wellspring of positivity on how to deal with life.

Jesus teaches us the lesson which challenges us to depend on God’s divine providence.

Life, at the end of the day, is God’s gift. It is also God who sustains and nourishes this God-given life.

Problems and trials are inevitable but they can always be faced and dealt with serenity and grace coming from God whose divine providence never fails.

In Jesus’ teaching, we are called to take inspiration from the birds of the air and the lilies of the field.

The birds that neither sow, harvest nor store food in barns are being taken care of by God.

The flowers in the field that neither toil nor spin are clothed by God. Why then should we worry?

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