Daily Mass Readings – Monday, 26 July 2027

15 And Moses returned from the mount, carrying the two tables of the testimony in his hand, written on both sides,

16 And made by the work of God: the writing also of God was graven in the tables.

17 And Josue hearing the noise of the people shouting, said to Moses: The noise of battle is heard in the camp.

18 But he answered: It is not the cry of men encouraging to fight, nor the shout of men compelling to flee: but I hear the voice of singers.

19 And when he came nigh to the camp, he saw the calf, and the dances: and being very angry, he threw the tables out of his hand, and broke them at the foot of the mount:

20 And laying hold of the calf which they had made, he burnt it, and beat it to powder, which he strowed into water, and gave thereof to the children of Israel to drink.

21 And he said to Aaron: What has this people done to thee, that thou shouldst bring upon them a most heinous sin?

22 And he answered him: Let not my lord be offended: for thou knowest this people, that they are prone to evil.

23 They said to me: Make us gods, that may go before us: for as to this Moses, who brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is befallen him.

24 And I said to them: Which of you hath any gold? and they took and brought it to me: and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.

30 And when the next day was come, Moses spoke to the people: You have sinned a very great sin: I will go up to the Lord, if by any means I may be able to entreat him for your crime.

31 And returning to the Lord, he said: I beseech thee: this people hath sinned a heinous sin, and they have made to themselves gods of gold: either forgive them this trespass,

32 Or if thou do not, strike me out of the book that thou hast written.

33 And the Lord answered him: He that hath sinned against me, him will I strike out of my book:

34 But go thou, and lead this people whither I have told thee: my angel shall go before thee. And I in the day of revenge will visit this sin also of theirs.

R. (1a) Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.

19 They made also a calf in Horeb: and they adored the graven thing.

20 And they changed their glory into the likeness of a calf that eateth grass.

R. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.

21 They forgot God, who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt,

22 Wondrous works in the land of Cham: terrible things in the Red Sea.

R. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.

23 And he said that he would destroy them: had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach: To turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them.

R. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

18 The Father willed to give us birth by the word of truth that we may be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

31 Another parable he proposed unto them, saying: The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field.

32 Which is the least indeed of all seeds; but when it is grown up, it is greater than all herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come, and dwell in the branches thereof.

33 Another parable he spoke to them: The kingdom of heaven is like to leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, until the whole was leavened.

34 All these things Jesus spoke in parables to the multitudes: and without parables he did not speak to them.

35 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world.

When Moses came down from the mountain, Israel had exchanged the living God for a golden calf. They had forgotten the Lord who saved them and had placed their trust in something made by human hands. Yet Moses did not abandon them. He stood before God in the breach, pleading for mercy, even as the seriousness of their sin remained clear. His intercession reveals a love that seeks the people’s good rather than simply condemning them.

Jesus shows how God’s reign takes root: a mustard seed becomes a sheltering tree, and a little leaven quietly transforms the whole measure of dough. The kingdom may begin in what seems small—a word of truth received, a prayer offered, a faithful act of repentance—but God gives it growth. The contrast with the calf is searching. We can cling to visible things we can control, or allow God’s word to work within us. When we turn again from false securities, Christ’s life begins to leaven our choices, relationships, and communities. Small fidelity, sustained by grace, can become a place where others find shelter.

Lord our God, you have done great things for your people, yet we so easily forget your saving love and seek security in what we can make or possess. Turn our hearts back to you. Through the word of truth, give us new life and make us faithful to your presence. Let the grace of your kingdom grow in us like the mustard seed and work quietly through every part of our lives like leaven. Teach us to intercede with compassion for those who have gone astray, and make our lives a shelter of hope for others. Amen.