Tuesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 402
Reading 1
Jeremiah 14:17-22
Let my eyes stream with tears
day and night, without rest,
Over the great destruction which overwhelms
the virgin daughter of my people,
over her incurable wound.
If I walk out into the field,
look! those slain by the sword;
If I enter the city,
look! those consumed by hunger.
Even the prophet and the priest
forage in a land they know not.
Have you cast Judah off completely?
Is Zion loathsome to you?
Why have you struck us a blow
that cannot be healed?
We wait for peace, to no avail;
for a time of healing, but terror comes instead.
We recognize, O LORD, our wickedness,
the guilt of our fathers;
that we have sinned against you.
For your name's sake spurn us not,
disgrace not the throne of your glory;
remember your covenant with us, and break it not.
Among the nations' idols is there any that gives rain?
Or can the mere heavens send showers?
Is it not you alone, O LORD,
our God, to whom we look?
You alone have done all these things.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 79:8, 9, 11 and 13
R. (9) For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Help us, O God our savior,
because of the glory of your name;
Deliver us and pardon our sins
for your name's sake.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Let the prisoners' sighing come before you;
with your great power free those doomed to death.
Then we, your people and the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
through all generations we will declare your praise.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower;
all who come to him will live for ever.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Matthew 13:36-43
Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house.
His disciples approached him and said,
"Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field."
He said in reply, "He who sows good seed is the Son of Man,
the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom.
The weeds are the children of the Evil One,
and the enemy who sows them is the Devil.
The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire,
so will it be at the end of the age.
The Son of Man will send his angels,
and they will collect out of his Kingdom
all who cause others to sin and all evildoers.
They will throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
Then the righteous will shine like the sun
in the Kingdom of their Father.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
Our Final Destiny
“Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear.” Matthew 13:43
This passage concludes Jesus’ explanation of the Parable of the Weeds in the Field. Recall that in this parable there were good seeds sown in a field. The Sower is the Son of Man, Jesus, and the seed He sows are the children of the Kingdom, which includes all those who are in a state of grace. The field is the whole world. Thus, Jesus is saying that He has sent His followers, each one of us, into the world to build His Kingdom. But the evil one also sows his “children,” which refers to all of those who live evil lives that are contrary to the will of God. The passage above refers to the reward that the children of the Kingdom receive, whereas the passage just prior to this points out that at the end of the age, the children of the evil one will be condemned and sent “into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”
The end result of being the children of the Kingdom is quite hopeful. “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father.” This promise from our Lord should be pondered, believed and become the driving force of our hope in life.
Hope is an essential virtue that we often do not speak of enough. The gift of hope is not simply wishful thinking, such as when one hopes they win the lotto. The theological virtue of hope is a gift from God that is based on truth. The truth that it is based on is the promise of eternal life in Heaven if we accept all that God speaks to us and if we fulfill His glorious will in our lives.
By analogy, say that you have a large mortgage on your home. And say that the bank was doing a promotion in which they were going to pay off the mortgage for one lucky family. And that family was yours. They contacted you and let you know that all you need to do is fill out an application for this grant and that it would then be given to you. What would you do? Of course you would go and fill out the application. The bank is trustworthy, and you are confident that if you do what they ask, a small task of filling out the application, then they will follow through with the promise they made of paying off your mortgage. In a sense, there is hope established within you once you learn of this offer; and that hope, which is based on a true promise, is what drives you to do the small task of filling out the application.
So it is with God. The “mortgage” that He promises to pay is the debt of all our sin. And the requirement to receive this promise is fidelity to all He commands of us for our good. The problem is that we often do not fully understand the reward we are promised. That is: to “shine like the sun” in the Kingdom of our Father in Heaven. Having your mortgage paid off by the bank is something concrete and clear and very desirable. But the reward of shining like the sun in the Kingdom is of infinitely greater value. Do you believe that?
The best way to strengthen the virtue of theological hope in our lives is to become more and more certain of the truthful promise of our Lord. We need to understand Heaven and the infinite value we receive by obtaining it. If we truly understood what Jesus was promising us, we would become so intensely driven to do all that He commands us to do that this would become the single focus of our life. The hope would become a strength so strong that we would become consumed with doing anything and everything necessary to obtain such a reward.
Reflect, today, upon the depth of hope you have in your life. How driven are you by the promises made by our Lord? How clearly do you understand those promises? If you struggle with hope, then spend more time on the end reward that is promised to you by Jesus. Believe what He says and make that end goal the central focus of your life.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
GIFT OF FINEST WHEAT
“The weeds are the followers of the evil one.” —Matthew 13:38
We, the wheat, are called to bear great fruit even while seemingly being choked off by the presence of the weeds in our midst. For God, conversion of the weeds seemingly outweighs even the bearing of fruit. We are being choked off by the external presence of weeds crowding in our midst, yet God calls us to embrace the weeds in our life, rather than avoid them. What we must avoid is being choked off from bearing fruit by the internal “anxieties over life’s demands, and the desire for wealth, and cravings of other sorts” (Mk 4:19). Jesus calls us to live as He did, constantly choked off by crowds so large that He sometimes couldn’t eat (see Mk 3:20). Jesus was able to love the crowds because He rose early to be off by Himself with His Father in prayer (Mk 1:35).
As desirable as it is from a human viewpoint to root out the weeds, that is not the plan of God. We are not to uproot the weeds, that is, the followers of the evil one, per Jesus’ command (Mt 13:29). Rather, we must love the weeds to such an extent that they desire to swap families – to literally be adopted into the family of God, the family of the wheat. Remember, where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more (Rm 5:20). If the Lord wants us to grow alongside people who are trying to influence our family members to fall away from our firm commitment to Christ (2 Cor 11:3), then His will be done (Mt 26:39). He will make us as lighthouses in an ocean of weeds, so that it will be the weeds who turn to us rather than we who are overcome by them (see Jer 15:19).
Prayer: Help us, Lord, to constantly turn to You in our need, to receive the Holy Spirit deeply, to be able to walk on the water of the culture of death, and walk with love amidst a field of weeds.
Promise: “Then the saints will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. Let everyone heed what he hears!” —Mt 13:43
Praise: St. Peter’s sermon so affected the Empress that she generously supported his preaching ministry from that day onward.
Reflection 3
The Servants of the Word
The Righteous Will Shine like the Sun in the Father's Kingdom
Are you quick to judge the faults of others? Jesus' parable teaches us patience lest we judge before the time is right. Jesus also warns that there is an enemy who seeks to destroy the good seed of his word before it can bear fruit. Both good and evil can be sown in our hearts like tiny seeds which germinate, and in due time yield a harvest of good or bad fruit. We must stand guard lest evil take root in our hearts and corrupt us.
Reaping what we sow in this life
Charles Read wrote: "Sow an act and you reap a habit. Sow a habit and you reap a character. Sow a character and you reap a destiny." On the day of judgement each will reap what he or she has sown in this life. Those who sow good will shine in the kingdom of their Father. They will radiate with the beauty, joy, and fullness of God's love. Do you allow the love of Jesus Christ to rule in your heart, thoughts, and actions?
Prayers
My glorious King, You invite all people to share in the glories of Heaven. You promise us that if we are faithful, we will shine like the sun for all eternity. Help me to understand this glorious gift so that it becomes the single object of my hope and the drive of all that I do in life. Jesus, I trust in You.
Lord Jesus, may your all-consuming love rule in my heart and transform my life that I may sow what is good, worthy, and pleasing to you.
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 211: Close to the Mother of God
A mother’s love could be described as “fierce” in the sense that she would willingly give her life for the protection of her children. A motherly instinct kicks in when her child is in danger, hurting, or in need, and she loses all sense of her own well-being in favor of the protection of her child. So it is with the Mother of God. You are her child by grace and by the Will of Jesus her Son. As a result, she holds you close to her heart in times of need and shelters you in her mantle of protection. This motherly love is offered even when you are not in harm’s way as a result of her unwavering motherly care. She is an advocate for you like none other. And she is not only your mother; she is also the Mother of God. And as the Mother of God, she obtains special graces for all her children from her Divine Son. He answers every request she makes on your behalf and will never abandon you. Stay close to her, nestled in her arms of Mercy (See Diary #1097).
Have you consecrated yourself to the love, care and protection of the Mother of God? If not, why not? What are you waiting for? Does it confuse you why you should trust in her maternal care? God deigned to create a spiritual family of love and He entrusted His mother with your care. Motherly care is central to the natural order of God’s design for humanity. Therefore, it is only logical to conclude that it is also part of His supernatural plan for humanity. Turn to her as your spiritual mother and trust that the Lord wills to pour an abundance of Mercy upon you through her mediation.
Dearest Mother, I love you and entrust myself to your motherly care and intercession. I believe that you are my mother in the order of grace and that you are “full of grace.” Pour down upon me the motherly Mercy in your heart as I put my trust in you. Dearest Mother, I consecrate myself to you. Please pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.
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