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Daily Gospel - Thursday, August 14, 2025 - Matthew 18:21–19:1 - Catholic Bible
Aug 14, 2025
Welcome to our daily encounter with the Word of God! Today, we reflect on readings from the Book of Joshua (Joshua 3:7-10a,11,13-17) and the Gospel according to Matthew (Matthew 18:21–19:1). These powerful passages remind us of God’s ability to open impossible paths and the essential role of forgiveness in the Christian life. First Reading (Joshua 3:7-10a,11,13-17): God exalts Joshua before all Israel by performing a miraculous sign: as the priests carry the Ark of the Covenant and touch the Jordan River, the waters stop, and the people cross on dry land. This incredible event shows God's active presence, guiding and protecting His people. This reading calls us to trust God completely. When we step forward in faith, even the deepest waters become dry ground, and God makes the way where there was none. Gospel (Matthew 18:21–19:1): Peter asks Jesus how often he must forgive, and Jesus replies, "Seventy times seven." He then tells the parable of the unforgiving servant—who was pardoned a great debt but refused to forgive a small one. Jesus reminds us that true forgiveness is the key to receiving God’s mercy. This Gospel challenges us to forgive from the heart. Forgiveness is not about forgetting but about freeing the soul. When we forgive, we become more like the Father, who is full of mercy and compassion. Reflection and Call to Conversion Today’s readings encourage us to believe in God's power to lead us through every obstacle and to live a life rooted in forgiveness. Just as Israel crossed the Jordan by faith, we are invited to cross the waters of bitterness and resentment with hearts full of trust and grace. May the Word of today inspire and transform your heart. Share in the comments how God has made a way in your life, and how forgiveness has shaped your journey. 📖 Readings of the Day: First Reading: Joshua 3:7-10a,11,13-17 Gospel: Matthew 18:21–19:1
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[Music]
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Reading from the book of Joshua. In
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those days, the Lord said to Joshua,
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"Today I will begin to exalt you in the
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sight of all Israel, so that you may
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know that I am with you, just as I was
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with Moses. You command the priests
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carrying the ark of the covenant, saying
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to them, "When you come to the edge of
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the waters of the Jordan, stand still
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there." Then Joshua said to the children
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of Israel, "Draw near and hear the words
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of the Lord your God." And he added, "By
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this you will know that the living God
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is among you, and that he will drive out
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the Canaanites before you. See, the ark
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of the covenant of the Lord of all the
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earth is going to cross the Jordan
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before you. And as soon as the priests
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who carry the ark of the Lord of all the
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earth touch the waters of the Jordan
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with the salts of their feet, the waters
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will be divided. The waters from below
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will flow, but the waters from above
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will stand still and form a dam. When
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the people broke camped across the
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Jordan, the priests who carried the ark
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of the covenant stood before all the
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people. When they reached the Jordan
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River, and the priests feet were wet in
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the waters along the bank, for the
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Jordan overflows its banks during
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harvest, the waters that flowed from
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above stood still, forming a great dam
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as far as Adam, the city that is next to
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Zerithan. The waters that flowed from
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below descended toward the sea of the
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Araba, the salt sea, until they were
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completely dried up. Then the people
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crossed over opposite Jericho. And the
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priests carrying the ark of the covenant
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of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in
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the middle of the river and remained
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there until all Israel had crossed the
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Jordan River on dry ground. The word of
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the Lord. Thanks be to God.
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[Music]
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Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus
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Christ according to St. Matthew. Glory
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to you, Lord. At that time, Peter
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approached Jesus and asked, Lord, how
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many times must I forgive my brother if
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he sins against me? Up to seven times.
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Jesus answered, I do not say to you up
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to seven times, but up to 70* 7. For the
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kingdom of heaven is like a king who
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wanted to settle accounts with his
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servants. When he began to settle
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accounts, someone was brought to him who
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owed him a large sum of money. Since the
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servant had nothing to pay, his master
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ordered him sold as a slave along with
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his wife and children and everything he
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owned, and payment would be made. But
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the servant fell at his master's feet
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and prostrating himself, begged him,
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"Just wait a while, and I will pay you
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everything." When the master had taken
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pity on him, he released the servant and
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forgave him the debt. As he went out, he
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found one of his fellow servants who
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owed him only a 100 daeneri. He grabbed
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him and began to choke him, saying, "Pay
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me what you owe." His fellow servant
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fell at his feet and begged him, "Just
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wait a while and I will pay you back."
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But the servant would have none of it.
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He went out and had him thrown into the
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well, imprisoned until he paid back what
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he owed. When the other servants saw
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what had happened, they were deeply
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distressed and went to their master and
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told him everything. Then the master
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summoned him and said to him, "You
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wicked servant, I forgave you all your
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debt because you begged me to. Shouldn't
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you also have had compassion on your
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fellow servant just as I had compassion
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on you?" The master was furious and
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ordered that servant be handed over to
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the torturers until he paid back all his
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debt. This is what my father in heaven
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will do to you if each of you does not
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forgive his brother from your heart. 19
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When Jesus finished these words, he left
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Galilee and came to the region of Judea
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beyond the Jordan. Word of the Savior.
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Glory to you, Lord.
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[Music]
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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
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imagine yourself standing before a
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turbulent river, its waters rushing
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impetuously, forming whirlpools and
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waves that seem impossible to cross.
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Behind you, the past known but already
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overcome. Ahead, on the other side of
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the waters, a promised land full of
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possibilities but still unknown. and you
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ask yourselves how to cross, how to move
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from where you are to where God is
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calling you. This powerful image of the
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Jordan River in our first reading today
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is not just an ancient story of a people
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crossing a river. It is a profound
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metaphor for the spiritual journey each
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of us is called to take. A journey that
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requires faith, courage, and as we will
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see in the gospel, a heart transformed
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by forgiveness. Joshua receives an
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extraordinary promise from God. Today I
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will begin to magnify you in the sight
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of all Israel so that they may know that
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as I was with Moses so I will be with
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you. What a powerful statement. God
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wasn't just promising to be present. He
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was promising to manifest his presence
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visibly and unmistakably. But notice
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something fascinating. God could have
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simply dried up the river in advance,
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creating an easy passage for the people.
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Instead, he chooses a method that
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requires active faith. The priests must
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carry the ark of the covenant and step
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into the water first. Only when their
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feet touch the waters of the Jordan will
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the river part. What a profound lesson
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about the nature of faith. God often
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calls us to take the first step before
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we see the path completely clear. He
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invites us to trust him even when
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circumstances seem impossible. Even when
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the waters of our lives are turbulent
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and threatening, think about your own
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life for a moment. What rivers are you
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facing today? Perhaps it's a difficult
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financial situation that seems
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impossible to overcome, or a wounded
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relationship that needs healing, or an
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important decision you have to make. But
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the path isn't clear, or even the
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struggle to forgive someone who has
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deeply hurt you. It is precisely at this
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last point that our gospel reading
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connects brilliantly with the crossing
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of the Jordan. Peter approaches Jesus
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with a question that reveals both his
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generosity and his human limitations.
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Lord, if my brother sins against me, how
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many times shall I forgive him? Up to
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seven times. Peter was probably feeling
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quite magnanimous. The rabbitical
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tradition of the time suggested
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forgiving up to three times. Peter more
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than doubled that expectation. Seven.
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The number of biblical perfection.
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Surely that would be enough to impress
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the master. But Jesus answer is
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breathless. I do not say to you up to
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seven times but up to 70 * 7. Jesus is
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not establishing a new mathematical
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limit. He is completely abolishing the
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idea of limits on forgiveness. He is
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saying that forgiveness must be as
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limitless as God's love for us. To
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illustrate this revolutionary principle,
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Jesus tells the parable of the
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unforgiving servant. A man who owed an
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astronomical amount, 10,000 talents,
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equivalent to millions of days work, is
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completely forgiven his debt. But this
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same man moments later violently demands
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payment of a poulry debt from a
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colleague. This parable is a mirror that
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reflects our own spiritual condition. We
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all owe an unpayable debt before God.
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our sins, our failures, our rebellion.
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All of this created a chasm that we
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could never cross on our own merits. And
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yet God in his infinite mercy completely
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forgave our debt through the sacrifice
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of Christ. Herein lies the profound
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connection between the two readings.
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Just as the people of Israel needed to
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cross the Jordan to enter the promised
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land, we need to cross the troubled
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waters of forgiveness to fully enter the
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kingdom of God. Forgiveness is our
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crossing of the Jordan. It's the moment
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we place our feet in the turbulent
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waters of pain, hurt, and resentment,
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trusting that God will make a way. It's
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the act of faith that frees us from the
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past and allows us to move forward into
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the future God has prepared for us. But
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like crossing the Jordan, forgiveness
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isn't easy. It requires us to take the
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first step even when we don't see how
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it's possible. It requires us to trust
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God even when our feelings cry out for
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justice or revenge. Think for a moment
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who are the people in your life you need
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to forgive. Maybe it's a family member
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who deeply disappointed you, a friend
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who betrayed you, a colleague who hurt
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you, or maybe it's you yourself
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struggling to accept God's forgiveness
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for something you did in the past.
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Forgiveness doesn't mean minimizing the
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pain or pretending the offense never
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happened. It doesn't necessarily mean
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restoring a relationship to its former
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state, especially if that would put you
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both in danger. Forgiveness is a
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decision, an act of will aligned with
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God's will. It is choosing to release
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someone from the debt they owe us, just
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as God has released us from our debt to
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him. And herein lies the wonderful
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paradox. When we forgive, we are the
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ones who are freed. resentment,
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bitterness, the desire for revenge. All
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these are like heavy chains that bind us
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to the past, preventing us from moving
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forward into the future God has
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prepared. Imagine the Israelites trying
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to cross the Jordan River, carrying
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heavy stones on their backs. It would be
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impossible. Likewise, we cannot cross
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into the new life God has for us while
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carrying the weight of unforgiveness.
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When the priests stepped into the waters
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of the Jordan River, something
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miraculous happened. The waters that
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came down from above stood still and
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piled up far away. And the waters that
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flowed down to the Sea of the Arba, the
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salt sea, were completely cut off. God
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didn't just open a path. He created a
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safe, dry space for all the people to
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cross. In the same way, when we take the
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step of faith to forgive, God does
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something miraculous in our hearts. He
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doesn't just empower us to forgive once.
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He transforms our very nature, making us
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people characterized by forgiveness. But
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notice something important in Joshua's
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narrative. The priests didn't just wade
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into the water and quickly emerge. They
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stood in the middle of the Jordan
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holding the ark of the covenant. While
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all the people crossed, they remained
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steadfast in their position until every
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last person was safely on the other
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side. This is a powerful image of
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spiritual leadership and sacrifice.
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Sometimes we are called to be like these
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priests to stand firm in the difficult
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position of forgiveness not only for
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ourselves but so that others can find
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healing and deliverance. How many
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families have been transformed because
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someone chose to break the cycle of hurt
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and resentment? How many communities
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have been healed because someone took
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the first step toward reconciliation?
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How many future generations were blessed
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because someone refused to pass on the
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baggage of unforgiveness? My dear
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brothers and sisters, today you stand
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before your own Jordan. On the other
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side lies the freedom, the peace, and
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the joy that come from a forgiving
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heart. But to get there, you must take
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the first step through the turbulent
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waters. You may say, "Father, you don't
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know what this person did to me. The
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pain is too deep, the wound too fresh.
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And you may be right, but remember, you
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are not crossing alone. The same God who
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was with Moses, who was with Joshua, who
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promised to be with us until the end of
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time, is with you. Forgiveness is not a
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feeling. It is a decision. You don't
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need to feel like forgiving to begin the
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process. Begin with a simple prayer.
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Lord, I choose to forgive this person. I
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don't feel it in my heart yet, but I
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choose to obey your word. Help me in
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this process. And just as the waters of
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the Jordan parted when the priest's feet
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touched them, you will discover that God
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begins to work in your hearts the moment
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you take this step of obedience. May we
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be a people characterized by radical
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forgiveness. May our lives be living
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testimonies of God's transforming grace.
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May we like the people of Israel cross
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our own impossible waters and enter the
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promised land of healed relationships
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and free hearts. And may the peace of
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God which surpasses all understanding
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guard your hearts and minds in Christ
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Jesus today and always. Amen.
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[Music]
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St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in
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battle. Be our protection against the
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wickedness and snares of the devil. May
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God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do
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thou, O prince of the heavenly host by
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the power of God, cast into hell Satan
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and all the evil spirits who prowl
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throughout the world seeking the ruin of
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souls. Amen.
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[Music]