Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola,
Priest
Lectionary: 402
Lectionary: 402
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.
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
PsalmPS 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.
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.
The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower;
all who come to him will live for ever.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 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."
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."
Meditation: "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." In the day of judgment 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?
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." In the day of judgment 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?
"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 Quote from the early church fathers: Let us become friends of Jesus, by
Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD)
"Now, having discoursed sufficiently to the
multitudes in parables, he sends them away and goes to his own house, where his
disciples come to him. His disciples did not go with those he sent away. As
many as are more genuine hearers of Jesus first follow him, then having
inquired about his house, are permitted to see it. Having come, they saw and
stayed with him for all that day, and perhaps some of them even longer. In my
opinion, such things are implied in the Gospel according to John... And if
then, unlike the multitudes whom he sends away, we wish to hear Jesus and go to
the house and receive something better than the multitudes did, let us become
friends of Jesus, so that as his disciples come, we may also come to him when
he goes into the house. And having come, let us inquire about the explanation
of the parable, whether of the tares of the field, or of any other. (excerpt from the COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 10.1–3)
TUESDAY, JULY
31, MATTHEW 13:36-43
(Jeremiah 14:17-22; Psalm 79)
(Jeremiah 14:17-22; Psalm 79)
KEY VERSE: "He who sows good seed is the Son of Man" (v. 37).
TO KNOW: Jesus left the crowds who refused to believe his words, and addressed his instruction to his disciples. To them alone, he explained the parable of the weeds among the wheat. He told them that he was the sower, the one who sowed the good seed of the gospel in the world. The ones who heard and acted on his words were children of the kingdom, while the weeds represented the offspring of the evil one. Jesus told them that God was patient and allowed good and evil to exist side by side until the harvest on the Day of Judgment. At the end of the age, all evildoers who caused others to sin would be cast into perdition. The righteous would reign in the everlasting light of God's glory (Dn 12:3).
TO LOVE: Do I plant good or bad seed in my community?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, I pray that you will uproot the bitter weeds in my life.
Memorial of Saint Ignatius of
Loyola, priest
Born in 1491 at Loyola, Spain, Ignatius was wounded in the leg by a cannonball at the siege of Pampeluna in 1521, an injury that left him partially crippled for life. During his recuperation the only books he had access to were The Golden Legend, a collection of lives of the saints, and The Life of Christ. These books, and the time spent in contemplation, changed him. Upon his recovery he took a vow of chastity, hung his sword before the altar of the Virgin of Montserrat, and donned a pilgrim's robe. He journeyed to Rome and to the Holy Land where he worked to convert Muslims. His meditations, prayers, visions and insights led to forming the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) on 15 August 1534. He then settled in Rome to direct the Jesuit order. His health suffered in later years, and he was nearly blind at death. The Jesuits today have over 500 universities and colleges, 30,000 members, and teach over 200,000 students each year.
"Teach us to be generous, good Lord; teach us to serve you as you deserve; to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to ask for any reward save that of knowing we do your will." - Prayer, Ignatius of Loyola
Tuesday 31 July
2018
St Ignatius Loyola.
Jeremiah 14:17-22. Psalm 78(79):8-9, 11, 13.
Matthew 13:36-43.
For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us—Psalm
78(79):8-9, 11, 13.
‘Can the heavens of their own accord give showers?’
Treating the parable of the wheat and the darnel as an allegory,
Jesus explains its main elements to his disciples. As the poisonous weed in the
early stages of its growth is indistinguishable from the rest of the crop, the
farmer wisely eliminates it only at harvest time. There are lessons here for us
personally. One is that we should be less disposed to pass hasty and premature
judgments on the character of others.
Another is that we should be more ready to acknowledge that the
good in ourselves is always mixed with shortcomings.
May we bring forth in our lives the fruits of the Spirit: love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness (Galatians 5:22).
Saint Ignatius of Loyola
Saint of the Day for July 31
(October 23, 1491 – July 31, 1556)
 |
| St. Ignatius of Loyola | Peter Paul Rubens |
Saint Ignatius of Loyola’s Story
The founder of the Jesuits was on his way to military fame and
fortune when a cannon ball shattered his leg. Because there were no books of
romance on hand during his convalescence, Ignatius whiled away the time reading
a life of Christ and lives of the saints. His conscience was deeply touched,
and a long, painful turning to Christ began. Having seen the Mother of God in a
vision, he made a pilgrimage to her shrine at Montserrat near Barcelona. He
remained for almost a year at nearby Manresa, sometimes with the Dominicans,
sometimes in a pauper’s hospice, often in a cave in the hills praying. After a
period of great peace of mind, he went through a harrowing trial of scruples.
There was no comfort in anything—prayer, fasting, sacraments, penance. At
length, his peace of mind returned.
It was during this year of conversion that Ignatius began to
write down material that later became his greatest work, the Spiritual
Exercises.
He finally achieved his purpose of going to the Holy Land, but
could not remain, as he planned, because of the hostility of the Turks.
Ignatius spent the next 11 years in various European universities, studying
with great difficulty, beginning almost as a child. Like many others, his
orthodoxy was questioned; Ignatius was twice jailed for brief periods.
In 1534, at the age of 43, he and six others—one of whom was
Saint Francis Xavier—vowed to live in poverty and chastity and to go to
the Holy Land. If this became impossible, they vowed to offer themselves to the
apostolic service of the pope. The latter became the only choice. Four years
later Ignatius made the association permanent. The new Society of Jesus was
approved by Pope Paul III, and Ignatius was elected to serve as the first
general.
When companions were sent on various missions by the pope,
Ignatius remained in Rome, consolidating the new venture, but still finding
time to found homes for orphans, catechumens, and penitents. He founded the
Roman College, intended to be the model of all other colleges of the Society.
Ignatius was a true mystic. He centered his spiritual life on
the essential foundations of Christianity—the Trinity, Christ, the Eucharist.
His spirituality is expressed in the Jesuit motto, Ad majorem Dei
gloriam—“for the greater glory of God.” In his concept, obedience was to be
the prominent virtue, to assure the effectiveness and mobility of his men. All
activity was to be guided by a true love of the Church and unconditional
obedience to the Holy Father, for which reason all professed members took a
fourth vow to go wherever the pope should send them for the salvation of souls.
Reflection
Luther nailed his theses to the church door at Wittenberg in
1517. Seventeen years later, Ignatius of Loyola founded the Society that was to
play so prominent a part in the Catholic Reformation. He was an implacable foe
of Protestantism. Yet the seeds of ecumenism may be found in his words: “Great
care must be taken to show forth orthodox truth in such a way that if any
heretics happen to be present they may have an example of charity and Christian
moderation. No hard words should be used nor any sort of contempt for their
errors be shown.” One of the greatest ecumenists was the 20th-century German
Jesuit, Cardinal Augustin Bea.
Saint Ignatius of Loyola is the Patron Saint of:
Retreats
LECTIO: MATTHEW 13:36-43
Lectio Divina:
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Ordinary
Time
1) OPENING PRAYER
God
our Father and protector,
without
You nothing is holy,
nothing
has value.
Guide
us to everlasting life
by
helping us to use wisely
the
blessings You have given to the world.
We
ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who
lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) GOSPEL READING - 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."
3) REFLECTION
•
The Gospel today presents Jesus’ explanation, at the petition of the disciples,
of the parable of the wheat grain and the darnel. Some experts think that this
explanation, which Jesus gives to His disciples, is not Jesus’ but the
community’s. This is possible and probable, because a parable, by its nature,
requires the involvement and the participation of people in the discovery of
its significance. Just as the plant is already contained within the seed, in
the same way, certainly, the explanation of the community is in the parable.
And it is precisely this objective that Jesus wanted and wants to attain with
the parable. The meaning which we are discovering today in the parable which
Jesus told two thousand years ago was already enclosed, or contained, in the
story that Jesus told, just as the flower is already contained in its seed.
•
Matthew 13:36: The request of the disciples to Jesus: the explanation of the
parable of the wheat grain and the darnel. The disciples, in the house, speak
and ask for an explanation of the parable of the wheat grain and the darnel.
(Mt 13:24-30). It has been said many times that Jesus, in the house, continued
to teach His disciples (Mk 7:17; 9:28,33; 10:10). At that time, there was no
television, and people spent the long winter evenings together,
speaking about the facts and events of life. On these occasions Jesus completed
the teaching and the formation of His disciples.
•
Matthew 13:38-39: The meaning of each one of the elements of the parable. Jesus
responds taking again each one of these elements of the parable and giving them
significance: the field is the world; the good seed are the members of the
Kingdom; the darnel is the members of the adversary (the evil one); the enemy
is the devil; the harvest is the end of time; the reapers are the angels. And
now reread the parable (Mt 13:24-30) giving to each one of these six elements:
field, good seed, darnel, enemy, harvest and reapers, the right significance.
In this way the story assumes a completely new sense and it is possible to
attain the objective that Jesus had in mind when He told the parable of the
darnel and the good seed. Some think that this parable should be understood as
an allegory and not as a parable properly so-called.
•
Matthew 13:40-43: The application of the parable or of the allegory. With the
information given by Jesus, you will better understand its application: Just as
the darnel is gathered up and burnt in the fire, so it will be at the end of
time. The Son of Man will send His angels and they will gather from His kingdom
all causes of failing and all who do evil, and throw them into the blazing
furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous
will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father.”
The
destiny of the darnel is the furnace. The destiny of the grain is to shine like
the sun in the Kingdom of the Father. Behind these two images there is the
experience of the people. After they have listened to Jesus and have accepted
Him in their life, everything has changed for them. This means that in Jesus
what they expected has taken place: the fulfillment of the promises. Now life
is divided into before and after having accepted Jesus in their lives. The new
life has begun with the splendor of the sun. If they continued to live as
before, they would be like the darnel in the furnace: life without meaning,
which is good for nothing.
•
Parable and Allegory. There is the parable. There is the allegory. There is the
mixture of both which is the more common form. Generally, everything in the
parable is a call. In the Gospel of today, we have the example of an allegory.
An allegory is a story which a person tells, but when she is telling it, she
does not think about the elements of the story, but about the theme which has
to be clarified. In reading an allegory it is not necessary to look at the
story as a whole, because in an allegory the story is not constructed around a
central point which later serves as a comparison. Rather, each element has its
own independent function, starting from the sense which it receives. It is a matter
of discovering what each element of the two stories tries to tell us about the
Kingdom, as the explanation which Jesus gave of the parable: field, good seed,
darnel, enemy, harvest, reapers. Generally the parables are also allegories,
and a mixture of both.
4) PERSONAL QUESTIONS
•
In the field everything is mixed up: darnel and grain. In the field of my life,
what prevails: darnel or grain?
•
Notice that this parable includes “all who cause others to sin” as well as “all
evildoers”. We often just focus on our own sins. Do I focus on what effect I
have on others and whether I cause others to sin by what I say or do? Will I
think about that, now and during my self-examinations now?
•
Have you tried to talk with other people to discover the meaning of some
parable?
5) CONCLUDING PRAYER
How
blessed is he who has Jacob's God to help him.
His
hope is in Yahweh his God,
who
made heaven and earth,
the
sea and all that is in them. (Ps 146:5-6)
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