July 27, 2025, 17th Sunday in ordinary time.

A reading from the book of Genesis.

In those days, the Lord said,

The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great,

and their sins so grave,

that I must go down and see whether or not their actions fully correspond to the cry against

them that comes to me. I mean to find out. While Abraham's visitors walked on farther

toward Sodom, the Lord remained standing before Abraham. Then Abraham drew nearer and said,

Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty?

Suppose there were 50 innocent people in the city,

would you wipe out the place rather than spare it

for the sake of the 50 innocent people within it?

Far be it from you to do such a thing,

to make the innocent die with the guilty,

so that the innocent and the guilty would be treated alike? Should not the judge of all the world act with justice?

The Lord replied, If I find 50 innocent people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place

for their sake. Abraham spoke up again, see how I am presuming to speak to my Lord, though I am but dust and ashes?

What if there are five less than 50 innocent people? Will you destroy the whole city because of those

five? He answered, I will not destroy it if I find 45 there. But Abraham persisted saying,

What if only 40 are found there? He replied, I will forbear doing it for the sake of the 40.

Then Abraham said, Let not my lord grow impatient if I go on. What if only thirty are found there?

He replied, I will forbear doing it if I can find but thirty there. Still Abraham went on,

...