1st Reading – Isaiah 56:1, 6-7

Thus says the LORD:
Observe what is right, do what is just;
for my salvation is about to come,
my justice, about to be revealed.

The foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,
ministering to him,
loving the name of the LORD,
and becoming his servants—
all who keep the sabbath free from profanation
and hold to my covenant,
them I will bring to my holy mountain
and make joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and sacrifices
will be acceptable on my altar,
for my house shall be called
a house of prayer for all peoples.

When the Israelites returned to the Holy Land from their exile in Babylon, their influence in the area resulted in foreigners coming to know Yahweh. This presents a problem similar to the one that Jesus will face in our gospel reading: How should Jews respond to these foreigners? Should they be allowed to worship in the temple they had just rebuilt?

In today’s first reading, the prophet Isaiah gives great encouragement to foreigners who were willing to come under the bonds of the covenant, assuring them of the blessings that await them if they do.

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