Daily Mass Readings – Tuesday, 20 June 2028

17 And the word of the Lord came to Elias the Thesbite, saying:

18 Arise, and go down to meet Achab king of Israel, who is in Samaria: behold he is going down to the vineyard of Naboth, to take possession of it:

19 And thou shalt speak to him, saying: Thus saith the Lord: Thou hast slain, moreover also thou hast taken possession. And after these words thou shalt add: Thus saith the Lord: In this place, wherein the dogs have licked the blood of Naboth, they shall lick thy blood also.

20 And Achab said to Elias: Hast thou found me thy enemy? He said: I have found thee, because thou art sold, to do evil in the sight of the Lord.

21 Behold I will bring evil upon thee, and I will cut down thy posterity, and I will kill of Achab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up, and the last in Israel.

22 And I will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nabat, and like the house of Baasa the son of Ahias: for what thou hast done, to provoke me to anger, and for making Israel to sin.

23 And of Jezabel also the Lord spoke, saying: The dogs shall eat Jezabel in the field of Jezrahel.

24 If Achab die in the city, the dogs shall eat him: but if he die in the field, the birds of the air shall eat him.

25 Now there was not such another as Achab, who was sold to do evil in the sight of the Lord: for his wife Jezabel set him on,

26 And he became abominable, insomuch that he followed the idols which the Amorrhites had made, whom the Lord destroyed before the face of the children of Israel.

27 And when Achab had heard these words, he rent his garments, and put haircloth upon his flesh, and fasted and slept in sackcloth, and walked with his head cast down.

28 And the word of the Lord came to Elias the Thesbite, saying:

29 Hast thou not seen Achab humbled before me? therefore, because he hath humbled himself for my sake, I will not bring the evil in his days, but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house.

R. (3a) Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

3 Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy. And according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my iniquity.

4 Wash me yet more from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

5 For I know my iniquity, and my sin is always before me.

6ab To thee only have I sinned, and have done evil before thee.

R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

11 Turn away thy face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

16 Deliver me from blood, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall extol thy justice.

R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

34 I give you a new commandment; love one another as I have loved you.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

43 You have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thy enemy.

44 But I say to you, Love your enemies: do good to them that hate you: and pray for them that persecute and calumniate you:

45 That you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven, who maketh his sun to rise upon the good, and bad, and raineth upon the just and the unjust.

46 For if you love them that love you, what reward shall you have? do not even the publicans this?

47 And if you salute your brethren only, what do you more? do not also the heathens this?

48 Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect.

The vineyard of Naboth reveals how quickly desire can become injustice when the good of another is treated as an obstacle. Ahab is confronted with the truth of his sin, and he humbles himself before the Lord. God does not call evil good, yet he sees even a sinner’s humility and responds with mercy. The psalm gives voice to that repentance: “I know my iniquity,” and asks to be washed and cleansed.

Jesus takes this mercy further, commanding us to love our enemies, do good to those who hate us, and pray for those who persecute us. Such love does not deny wrongdoing; it refuses to answer sin with more sin. It allows the Father’s goodness, who gives sun and rain to the just and unjust, to shape our own hearts. We may not be able to change another person, but we can bring our anger and hurt before God and choose actions that do not deepen the wound. The journey toward the Father’s perfection begins with honest repentance and a mercy that reaches beyond those who are easy to love.

Merciful Father, I confess that sin can take root in my heart through desire, resentment, and disregard for others. Wash me clean and give me the humility to face the truth about my actions. Through the grace of Jesus, teach me to love those who oppose me, to pray for those who wound me, and to do no harm in return. Guard me from seeking revenge, while giving me courage to act rightly. May your generous mercy make my heart more like yours, and may my life become a sign of your compassion. Amen.