Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection August 11, 2026
Tuesday – 19th Week in Ordinary Time
11th August 2026 (Tuesday)
Psalter: Week 3
Here are the Catholic Mass readings and a daily Gospel reflection for Tuesday, August 11, 2026, the Memorial of Saint Clare. God tells Ezekiel to eat the scroll before he speaks it, and Jesus welcomes the ones who grow small enough to receive.
Catholic Mass Readings
Readings of the Day
First Reading: Ezekiel 2:8-3:4
Thus says the Lord: “You, son of man, hear what I say to you. Be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.” And when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me, and behold, a scroll of a book was in it. And he spread it before me. And it had writing on the front and on the back, and there were written on it words of lamentation and mourning and woe. And he said to me, “Son of man, eat whatever you find here. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat. And he said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.” Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey. And he said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them.
Psalm 119:14, 24, 72, 103, 111, 131 R. (103a)
R/. How sweet is your promise to my tongue, O Lord
Gospel Acclamation
V/. Alleluia
R/. Alleluia
V/. Take my yoke upon you, says the Lord; and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart
R/. Alleluia
Gospel: Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14
At that time the disciples came to Jesus saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me. See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.”
Tuesday – 19th Week in Ordinary Time
Daily Gospel Reflection
Main Point: God does not tell Ezekiel to announce the scroll. He tells him to eat it. The word has to feed the one who carries it, or there is nothing real to carry.
1. God holds out a scroll to Ezekiel, and it is covered in hard words, warnings and grief. Then comes the odd command. Not read this, not preach this. Eat it. Take it all the way in. And when Ezekiel does, the bitter scroll turns sweet as honey in his mouth.
2. Before God sends him anywhere, He feeds him. That order is easy to miss and worth holding onto. Many of us are worn thin from giving, at a desk, at a kitchen sink, on the phone with someone who needs us again. We are good at feeding everyone but ourselves.
3. The Gospel says it another way. The disciples are jostling over who ranks highest, and Jesus sets a child in front of them. Unless you turn and become like this, He says, you will not even get in. He is not scolding them so much as pulling them out of the race.
4. A small child does not earn its supper or master the words read to it at night. It takes what it is given and trusts the one who gives it. That is the whole posture God is asking for. Not achievement. Reception. We are so bad at this that Jesus had to make it a command.
5. Clare knew how to receive. As a young woman in Assisi she walked away from money and a good marriage to live poor and hidden with a handful of sisters. From the outside it looked like she was giving everything up. From the inside she was being fed, slowly, on the one thing she wanted.
6. You cannot pour from an empty cup, though most of us keep trying. Before we hand the word of God to anyone else today, it has to feed us first. That is not selfish. It is the only way anything true gets passed on.
My Practice: Take one line of today’s Gospel and carry it around like food in your pocket. Do not rush to teach it or share it. Let it feed you first, and trust that a fed heart gives more than an empty one ever could.
Prayer
Lord, we spend ourselves on others until there is little left, and still we hear You asking us, first, to be fed. Let Your word be honey in our mouths, sweet even where it is hard. Teach us to come to You like children, not proving anything, not performing, only receiving what You long to give. Where we are running on empty, fill us. Where we are anxious to be great, make us small enough to be held. Feed us today, and then send us out with something real to give. We trust You to provide. Amen.
Question to Reflect Today
- Where have you been giving to others while quietly running dry, and how might you let God feed you first today?
Thank You 🙏🙏🙏
Tags: Daily Mass Reflection, Memorial, Saint Clare, Gospel of Matthew, Catholic Mass Readings, August 2026
