20 Pentecost: First Lesson – Joshua 3:7-17
Moses died just as the Chosen People were preparing to enter the Promised Land and do combat against the pagans who lived there. His assistant, Joshua, assumed command but The Lord felt it was necessary to make it absolutely clear that Joshua was His anointed leader. What followed was a miracle even more spectacular that the crossing of the Red Sea.
… A reading from the Book of Joshua …
The LORD said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so that they may know that I will be with you as I was with Moses. You are the one who shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, `When you come to the edge of the waters of theJordan, you shall stand still in theJordan.’” Joshua then said to the Israelites, “Draw near and hear the words of the LORD your God.” Joshua said, “By this you shall know that among you is the living God who without fail will drive out from before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites: the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is going to pass before you into the Jordan. So now select twelve men from the tribes ofIsrael, one from each tribe. When the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of theJordan, the waters of theJordanflowing from above shall be cut off; they shall stand in a single heap.”
When the people set out from their tents to cross over the Jordan, the priests bearing the ark of the covenant were in front of the people. Now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest. So when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the edge of the water, the waters flowing from above stood still, rising up in a single heap far off at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, while those flowing toward the sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea, were wholly cut off. Then the people crossed over opposite Jericho. While all Israel were crossing over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, until the entire nation finished crossing over the Jordan.
… Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people!
20 Pentecost: Second Lesson -1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
Jealous Jews hounded Paul and his companions throughout their journey across Thessalonica. They accused the missionaries of preaching the Gospel out of greed, for personal gain. Paul realized that he must refute these accusations, not just for his own integrity, but for the integrity of the Gospel itself.
… A reading from Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians …
You remember our labor and toil, brothers and sisters; we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and God also, how pure, upright, and blameless our conduct was toward you believers.
As you know, we dealt with each one of you like a father with his children, urging and encouraging you and pleading that you lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers.
… Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people!
20 Pentecost: Gospel – Matthew 23:1-12
In their quest for holiness, the Pharisees devoted themselves to public displays of religiosity and not to internal matters of the heart. Jesus offers them salvation, encouraging them to serve others rather than themselves
… The Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew
Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach.
They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father– the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.”
… The Gospel of Christ!