Thursday of the Sixteenth Week in
Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 398
Lectionary: 398
This word of the LORD came to me:
Go, cry out this message for Jerusalem to hear!
Go, cry out this message for Jerusalem to hear!
I remember the devotion of your
youth,
how you loved me as a bride,
Following me in the desert,
in a land unsown.
Sacred to the LORD was Israel,
the first fruits of his harvest;
Should any presume to partake of them,
evil would befall them, says the LORD.
how you loved me as a bride,
Following me in the desert,
in a land unsown.
Sacred to the LORD was Israel,
the first fruits of his harvest;
Should any presume to partake of them,
evil would befall them, says the LORD.
When I brought you into the garden
land
to eat its goodly fruits,
You entered and defiled my land,
you made my heritage loathsome.
The priests asked not,
“Where is the LORD?”
Those who dealt with the law knew me not:
the shepherds rebelled against me.
The prophets prophesied by Baal,
and went after useless idols.
to eat its goodly fruits,
You entered and defiled my land,
you made my heritage loathsome.
The priests asked not,
“Where is the LORD?”
Those who dealt with the law knew me not:
the shepherds rebelled against me.
The prophets prophesied by Baal,
and went after useless idols.
Be amazed at this, O heavens,
and shudder with sheer horror, says the LORD.
Two evils have my people done:
they have forsaken me, the source of living waters;
They have dug themselves cisterns,
broken cisterns, that hold no water.
and shudder with sheer horror, says the LORD.
Two evils have my people done:
they have forsaken me, the source of living waters;
They have dug themselves cisterns,
broken cisterns, that hold no water.
Responsorial
Psalm36:6-7AB, 8-9, 10-11
R. (10a) With you is the
fountain of life, O Lord.
O LORD, your mercy reaches to heaven;
your faithfulness, to the clouds.
Your justice is like the mountains of God;
your judgments, like the mighty deep.
R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
How precious is your mercy, O God!
The children of men take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They have their fill of the prime gifts of your house;
from your delightful stream you give them to drink.
R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
For with you is the fountain of life,
and in your light we see light.
Keep up your mercy toward your friends,
your just defense of the upright of heart.
R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
O LORD, your mercy reaches to heaven;
your faithfulness, to the clouds.
Your justice is like the mountains of God;
your judgments, like the mighty deep.
R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
How precious is your mercy, O God!
The children of men take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They have their fill of the prime gifts of your house;
from your delightful stream you give them to drink.
R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
For with you is the fountain of life,
and in your light we see light.
Keep up your mercy toward your friends,
your just defense of the upright of heart.
R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
AlleluiaSEE MT 11:25
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 13:10-17
The disciples approached Jesus and said,
“Why do you speak to the crowd in parables?”
He said to them in reply,
“Because knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven
has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.
To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich;
from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
This is why I speak to them in parables, because
they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.
Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:
“Why do you speak to the crowd in parables?”
He said to them in reply,
“Because knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven
has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.
To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich;
from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
This is why I speak to them in parables, because
they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.
Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:
You shall indeed hear but not understand,
you shall indeed look but never see.
Gross is the heart of this people,
they will hardly hear with their ears,
they have closed their eyes,
lest they see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts and be converted
and I heal them.
you shall indeed look but never see.
Gross is the heart of this people,
they will hardly hear with their ears,
they have closed their eyes,
lest they see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts and be converted
and I heal them.
“But blessed are your eyes,
because they see,
and your ears, because they hear.
Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people
longed to see what you see but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”
and your ears, because they hear.
Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people
longed to see what you see but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”
Meditation: Many
Longed to Hear What You Hear
: Do you want to grow in
your knowledge of God? Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) once said: "I
believe, in order to understand; and I understand, the better to believe."
Both faith and understanding are gifts of the Holy Spirit that enable us to
hear God's word with clarity so we can know God better and grow in the
knowledge of his love and truth. Jesus, however, had to warn his disciples that
not everyone would understand his teaching.
Closed hearts - prejudiced minds
The prophet Isaiah had warned that some would hear God's word, but not believe, some would see God's actions and miracles, and remain unconvinced. Ironically some of the greatest skeptics of Jesus' teaching and miracles were the learned scribes and Pharisees who prided themselves on their knowledge of Scripture, especially on the law of Moses. They heard Jesus' parables and saw the great signs and miracles which he performed, but they refused to accept both Jesus and his message. How could they "hear and never understand" and "see but never perceive"? They were spiritually blind and deaf because their hearts were closed and their minds were blocked by pride and prejudice. How could a man from Galilee, the supposed son of a carpenter, know more about God and his word, than these experts who devoted their lives to the study and teaching of the law of Moses?
The humble of heart receive understanding
There is only one thing that can open a closed, confused, and divided mind - a broken heart and humble spirit! The worddisciple means one who is willing to learn and ready to submit to the wisdom and truth which comes from God. Psalm 119 expresses the joy and delight of a disciple who loves God's word and who embraces it with trust and obedience. "Oh, how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation." (Psalm 119:97-99)
Listen with reverence and faith
God can only reveal the secrets of his kingdom to the humble and trusting person who acknowledges their need for God and for his truth. The parables of Jesus will enlighten us if we approach them with an open mind and heart, ready to let them challenge us. If we approach God's word with indifference, skepticism, and disbelief, then we, too, may "hear but not understand" and "see but not perceive." God's word can only take root in a receptive heart that is ready to believe and willing to submit. If we want to hear and to understand God's word, we must listen with reverence and faith. Do you believe God's word and do you submit to it with trust and reverence?
Jerome, an early church bible scholar who lived between 342-419 AD, wrote: "You are reading [the Scriptures]? No.Your betrothed is talking to you. It is your betrothed, that is, Christ, who is united with you. He tears you away from the solitude of the desert and brings you into his home, saying to you, 'Enter into the joy of your Master.'"
Closed hearts - prejudiced minds
The prophet Isaiah had warned that some would hear God's word, but not believe, some would see God's actions and miracles, and remain unconvinced. Ironically some of the greatest skeptics of Jesus' teaching and miracles were the learned scribes and Pharisees who prided themselves on their knowledge of Scripture, especially on the law of Moses. They heard Jesus' parables and saw the great signs and miracles which he performed, but they refused to accept both Jesus and his message. How could they "hear and never understand" and "see but never perceive"? They were spiritually blind and deaf because their hearts were closed and their minds were blocked by pride and prejudice. How could a man from Galilee, the supposed son of a carpenter, know more about God and his word, than these experts who devoted their lives to the study and teaching of the law of Moses?
The humble of heart receive understanding
There is only one thing that can open a closed, confused, and divided mind - a broken heart and humble spirit! The worddisciple means one who is willing to learn and ready to submit to the wisdom and truth which comes from God. Psalm 119 expresses the joy and delight of a disciple who loves God's word and who embraces it with trust and obedience. "Oh, how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation." (Psalm 119:97-99)
Listen with reverence and faith
God can only reveal the secrets of his kingdom to the humble and trusting person who acknowledges their need for God and for his truth. The parables of Jesus will enlighten us if we approach them with an open mind and heart, ready to let them challenge us. If we approach God's word with indifference, skepticism, and disbelief, then we, too, may "hear but not understand" and "see but not perceive." God's word can only take root in a receptive heart that is ready to believe and willing to submit. If we want to hear and to understand God's word, we must listen with reverence and faith. Do you believe God's word and do you submit to it with trust and reverence?
Jerome, an early church bible scholar who lived between 342-419 AD, wrote: "You are reading [the Scriptures]? No.Your betrothed is talking to you. It is your betrothed, that is, Christ, who is united with you. He tears you away from the solitude of the desert and brings you into his home, saying to you, 'Enter into the joy of your Master.'"
Holy
Spirit, be my teacher and guide. Open my ears to hear God's word and open my
eyes to understand God's action in my life. May my heart never grow dull and
may my ears never tire of listening to the voice of Christ.
Daily
Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Ears that refuse to hear, by Hilary
of Poitiers (315-367 AD)
"Faith
perceives the mysteries of the kingdom. A person will make progress in those
things he has been immersed in and will abound with an increase in that
progress. But in those things he has not been immersed in, even that which he
has shall be taken away from him. In other words, he suffers the loss of the
law from the loss of his faith. Lacking faith, the people of the law lost even
the efficacy of the law. Therefore, gospel faith receives a perfect gift,
because it enriches with new fruit those things that have been undertaken. But
once it is rejected, even the help of one's former means of support is taken
away. (excerpt from a commentary ON MATTHEW 13.2)
THURSDAY, JULY 23, MATTHEW 13:10-17
Weekday
(Jeremiah 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13; Psalm 36)
Weekday
(Jeremiah 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13; Psalm 36)
KEY VERSE: "Blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear" (v. 16).
TO KNOW: Jesus often spoke to the crowds in parables (Hebrew, mashal), making a comparison of common things to impart a moral lesson. These figures of speech encouraged his audience to discover the meaning of his words. Only those who were open to the divine mysteries could understand the plan of God revealed in Jesus’ words. Stubborn nonbelievers were blind and deaf to his message. They fulfilled the words of the prophet Isaiah: "They look but do not truly see. They listen but do not really hear" (Is 6:9-10). The disciples were blessed because they believed what they saw and heard, and they would grow even more in their understanding of God's reign. The prophets and righteous people of old longed to see and hear that which the disciples of Jesus were privileged to witness.
TO LOVE: Am I able to help others understand the revealed word of God?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to comprehend the mysteries you came to make known.
Optional Memorial of Saint Bridget, religious
St. Bridget of Sweden began receiving visions at age seven, mostly of Jesus’ crucifixion. In 1316, at age thirteen, she wed Prince Ulfo of Nercia in an arranged marriage. She was the mother of eight children including St. Catherine of Sweden. After her husband’s death in 1344, Bridget pursued a religious life, for which she was harassed by others at the royal court. She eventually renounced her title of princess, and founded the Order of the Most Holy Savior (Bridgettines) at Vadstena in 1346. The order received confirmation by Pope Urban V in 1370, and survives today. She chastened and counseled kings and Popes Clement VI, Urban VI, and Gregory XI, urging them to return to Rome from Avignon. She encouraged all to meditate on Jesus Crucified. Bridget recorded the revelations given in her visions, and these became hugely popular in the Middle Ages.
Thursday 23 July 2020
St Bridget of Sweden
Jeremiah 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13. You are the source of life, O Lord –
Psalm 35(36):6-11. Matthew 13:10-17.
‘You are the source of life, Lord’
You offer us living water, a fountain welling up endlessly.
Jeremiah’s image of a people who reject that water and wilfully try to build
their own cisterns, leaky ones at that, strikes a chord in us somewhere. It is
so easy to grow independent, to reject what is given, to seek life in other
things.
Lord, show me where I have grown dull of hearing, where I have
shut my eyes and closed my heart in order to go my own way. Help me to
recognise your gift of living water in the everydayness of my life – that it
comes to me unobtrusively in the guarantee of your mercy and forgiveness when I
fail, in the reliability of your love and faithfulness when I falter, and in
the promise of your loving presence when things look hopeless.
Saint Bridget of Sweden
Saint of the Day for July 23
(c. 1303 – July 23, 1373)
 |
| Saint Bridget of Sweden | Line engraving | Wellcome Images |
Saint Bridget of Sweden’s Story
From age 7 on, Bridget had visions of Christ crucified. Her
visions formed the basis for her activity—always with the emphasis on charity
rather than spiritual favors.
She lived her married life in the court of the Swedish king
Magnus II. Mother of eight children—the second eldest was Saint Catherine of
Sweden—Bridget lived the strict life of a penitent after her husband’s death.
Bridget constantly strove to exert her good influence over
Magnus; while never fully reforming, he did give her land and buildings to
found a monastery for men and women. This group eventually expanded into an
Order known as the Bridgetines.
In 1350, a year of jubilee, Bridget braved a plague-stricken
Europe to make a pilgrimage to Rome. Although she never returned to Sweden, her
years in Rome were far from happy, being hounded by debts and by opposition to
her work against Church abuses.
A final pilgrimage to the Holy Land, marred by shipwreck and the
death of her son, Charles, eventually led to her death in 1373. In 1999,
Bridget, Saints Catherine of Siena and Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, were
named co-patronesses of Europe.
Reflection
Bridget’s visions, rather than isolating her from the affairs of
the world, involved her in many contemporary issues, whether they be royal
policy or the years that the legitimate Bishop of Rome lived in Avignon,
France. She saw no contradiction between mystical experience and secular
activity, and her life is a testimony to the possibility of a holy life in the
marketplace.
Saint Bridget of Sweden is the Patron Saint of:
Europe
Lectio Divina: Matthew 13:10-17
Lectio Divina
Thursday, July 23, 2020
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Lord,
be merciful to Your people.
Fill us with Your gifts
and make us always eager to serve You
in faith, hope and love.
You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
be merciful to Your people.
Fill us with Your gifts
and make us always eager to serve You
in faith, hope and love.
You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 13:10-17
The disciples approached Jesus and said, "Why do you speak
to the crowd in parables?" He said to them in reply, "Because
knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven has been granted to you,
but to them it has not been granted. To anyone who has, more will be given and
he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken
away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because they look but do not see
and hear but do not listen or understand. Isaiah's prophecy is fulfilled in them,
which says: You shall indeed hear but not understand, you shall indeed look but
never see. Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their
ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with
their ears and understand with their hearts and be converted and I heal them.
"But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they
hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what
you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear
it."
3) Reflection
• Chapter 13 speaks to us about the discourse on the parables.
Following the text of Mark (Mk 4:1-34), Matthew omits the parable of the seed
which germinates alone (Mk 4:26-29), and he stops at the discussion of the
reason for the parable (Mt 13:10-17), adding the parable of the wheat and the
darnel (Mt 13:24-30), of the yeast (Mt 13:33), of the treasure (Mt 13:44), of
the pearl (Mt 13:45-46) and of the dragnet (Mt 13:47-50). Together with the
parable of the sower (Mt 13:4-11) and of the mustard seed (Mt 13:31-32), there
are seven parables in the Discourse on the Parables (Mt 13:1-50).
• Matthew 13:10: The question. In the Gospel of Mark,
the disciples ask for an explanation of the parables (Mk 4:10). Here in
Matthew, the perspective is different. They want to know why Jesus, when He
speaks to the people, speaks only in parables: “Why do You talk to them in
parables?” What is the reason for this difference?
• Matthew 13:11-13: “Because to you is granted to understand the
mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is not granted. Anyone who
has will be given more and will have more than enough; but anyone who has not
will be deprived even of what he has. The reason I speak to them in parables is
that they look without seeing and listen without hearing or
understanding. Jesus answers: “Because to you is granted to
understand the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven. Anyone who has will be given
more and will have more than enough; but anyone who has not will be deprived
even of what he has.” Why is it granted to the Apostles to know and
not to others? Here is a comparison to help us understand. Two people listen to
the mother who teaches: A person must not cut and sew.” One of them
is the daughter and the other is not. The daughter understands and the other
one understands nothing. Why? Because in the mother’s house the
expression “cut and sew” means to slander. Thus, the mother’s
teaching helps the daughter to understand how to put love into practice,
helping her so that what she already knows may grow, develop. Anyone who
has will be given more. The other person understands nothing and loses
even the little that she knew regarding love and slander. She remains confused
and does not understand what love has to do with cutting and
sewing! Anyone who has not will be deprived even of what he has. A
parable reveals and hides at the same time! It reveals for “those who are
inside,” who accept Jesus as the Messiah Servant. It hides from
those who insist on saying that the Messiah will be and should be a glorious
King. These understand the image presented by the parable, but they do not
understand the significance. The disciples, instead, grow in what they already
know concerning the Messiah. The others do not understand anything and lose
even the little that they thought they knew about the Kingdom and the Messiah.
• Matthew 13:14-15: The fulfillment of the prophecy of
Isaiah. Just as at another time (Mt 12:18-21), in this different reaction
of the people and the Pharisees to the teaching of the parables, Matthew again
sees here the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. He even quotes at length
the text of Isaiah which says, “Listen and listen, but never understand!
Look and look, but never perceive! This people’s heart has grown coarse, their
ears dulled, they have shut their eyes tight to avoid using their eyes to see,
their ears to hear, their heart to understand, changing their ways and being
healed by Me.”
• Matthew 13:16-17: “But blessed are your eyes because they see,
your ears because they hear.” All this explains the last sentence: “But
blessed are your eyes because they see, your ears because they hear. In truth I
tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see and
never saw it, to hear what you hear and never heard it!”
• The Parables: a new way of speaking to the people about
God. People remained impressed by the way in which Jesus taught. “A new
way of teaching! Given with authority! Different from that of the scribes!” (Mk
7:28). Jesus had a great capacity for finding very simple images to compare the
things of God with the things of life which people knew and experienced in the
daily struggle to survive. This presupposes two things: to be in touch with the
things of the life of the people, and to be in touch with the things of God, of
the Kingdom of God. In some parables there are things that happen and that
seldom take place in life. For example, when has it ever happened that a
shepherd, who has one hundred sheep, abandons the flock with 99 to go and look
for the lost sheep? (Lk 15:4). Where have we ever seen a father who accepts
with joy and a feast his son who had squandered all his goods, without saying a
word of reproach to him? (Lk 15:20-24). When has it been seen that a Samaritan
man is better than a Levite, than a priest? (Lk 10:29-37). The parable makes
one think. It leads the person to enter into the story beginning from the
experience of life. And through our experience it urges us to discover that God
is present in our daily life. The parable is a participative form of teaching
and educating. It does not change everything in one minute. It does not make
one know; it makes one discover. The parable changes our perspective; it makes
the person who listens a contemplative; it helps her to observe reality. This
is the novelty of the teaching of the parables of Jesus, different from that of
the doctors who taught that God manifests Himself only in the observance of the
law. “The Kingdom is present in your midst” (Lk 17:21). But those who listened
did not always understand.
4) Personal questions
• Jesus says, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries
of the Kingdom.” When I read the Gospels, am I like those who understand
nothing or like those to whom it has been granted to know the Kingdom?
• What role does the Father’s gratuitous grace have in understanding these parables?
• Which is the parable of Jesus with which I most identify ? Why?
• What role does the Father’s gratuitous grace have in understanding these parables?
• Which is the parable of Jesus with which I most identify ? Why?
5) Concluding Prayer
Yahweh, Your faithful love is in the heavens;
Your constancy reaches to the clouds;
Your saving justice is like towering mountains,
Your judgments like the mighty deep. (Ps 36:5-6)
Your constancy reaches to the clouds;
Your saving justice is like towering mountains,
Your judgments like the mighty deep. (Ps 36:5-6)
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét