Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection August 03, 2026
Monday – 18th Week in Ordinary Time
03rd August 2026 (Monday)
Psalter: Week 2
Here are the Catholic Mass readings and a daily reflection for Monday, August 03, 2026, an ordinary weekday. A false prophet sells easy peace, and Peter walks on water until fear pulls his eyes down.
Catholic Mass Readings
Readings of the Day
First Reading: Jeremiah 28:1-17
In that same year, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fifth month of the fourth year, Hananiah the son of Azzur, the prophet from Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the Lord, in the presence of the priests and all the people, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the Lord’s house, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon. I will also bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles from Judah who went to Babylon, declares the Lord, for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.” Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to Hananiah the prophet in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the Lord, and the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord make the words that you have prophesied come true, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the Lord, and all the exiles. Yet hear now this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many countries and great kingdoms. As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the Lord has truly sent the prophet.” Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke-bars from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke them. And Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, “Thus says the Lord: Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all the nations within two years.” But Jeremiah the prophet went his way. Sometime after the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke-bars from off the neck of Jeremiah the prophet, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: “Go, tell Hananiah, ‘Thus says the Lord: You have broken wooden bars, but you have made in their place bars of iron. For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I have put upon the neck of all these nations an iron yoke to serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and they shall serve him, for I have given to him even the beasts of the field.’” And Jeremiah the prophet said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, and you have made this people trust in a lie. Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will remove you from the face of the earth. This year you shall die, because you have uttered rebellion against the Lord.’” In that same year, in the seventh month, the prophet Hananiah died.
Psalm 119:29, 43, 79, 80, 95, 102 (R. 68b)
R/. Teach me your statutes, O Lord.
Gospel Acclamation
V/. Alleluia
R/. Alleluia
V/. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
R/. Alleluia
Gospel: Matthew 14:22-36
[After the crowd ate and were satisfied.] Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and brought to him all who were sick and implored him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.
Monday – 18th Week in Ordinary Time
Daily Gospel Reflection
Main Point: Peter walked on water while he watched Jesus. He sank the moment he watched the wind. Faith holds as long as our eyes stay on the right thing.
1. Two voices promise safety today. Hananiah tells Judah the exile ends in two years, a smooth lie God exposes by nightfall. Peter is offered no such comfort, only a storm and a command to step into it.
2. Peter walks. For a moment a fisherman stands on the sea. Then, Matthew says, he saw the wind, was afraid, and began to sink. Nothing in the water changed. Only his eyes moved.
3. Saint Augustine, preaching on this scene, said Peter walked by the Lord’s bidding, knowing he could not do it of himself, and that by faith he had strength to do what human weakness could not. The power was never Peter’s. It was borrowed, and it lasted only while he looked at its source.
4. We know the exact moment he means. We pray and feel steady. Then we look at the bill, the scan, the wind, and the stomach drops. The waves were always there. We simply started staring at them.
5. Notice Peter sinks toward Jesus, not away. He cries out, and the hand is already reaching. Sinking faith is not the same as no faith. It is faith that forgot where to look.
6. Hananiah’s borrowed peace stood on a lie and collapsed. Peter’s stood on a Person and got caught. One comfort drowns you softly. The other grabs your wrist as you go under.
My Practice: Name the wind you keep staring at until it swallows your peace. Look back at the face on the water, and let the hand that caught Peter catch you.
Read tomorrow’s Catholic Mass readings and reflection for August 04, 2026, the Memorial of Saint John Vianney, or revisit yesterday’s reflection for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Thank You 🙏🙏🙏
Tags: Daily Mass Reflection, Ordinary Time, Gospel of Matthew, Catholic Mass Readings, John the Baptist, August 2026
