July 31, 2025
Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Priest
Lectionary: 404
Reading 1
Moses did exactly as the LORD had commanded him.
On the first day of the first month of the second year
the Dwelling was erected.
It was Moses who erected the Dwelling.
He placed its pedestals, set up its boards, put in its bars,
and set up its columns.
He spread the tent over the Dwelling
and put the covering on top of the tent,
as the LORD had commanded him.
He took the commandments and put them in the ark;
he placed poles alongside the ark and set the propitiatory upon it.
He brought the ark into the Dwelling and hung the curtain veil,
thus screening off the ark of the commandments,
as the LORD had commanded him.
Then the cloud covered the meeting tent,
and the glory of the LORD filled the Dwelling.
Moses could not enter the meeting tent,
because the cloud settled down upon it
and the glory of the LORD filled the Dwelling.
Whenever the cloud rose from the Dwelling,
the children of Israel would set out on their journey.
But if the cloud did not lift, they would not go forward;
only when it lifted did they go forward.
In the daytime the cloud of the LORD was seen over the Dwelling;
whereas at night, fire was seen in the cloud
by the whole house of Israel
in all the stages of their journey.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm
84:3, 4, 5-6a and 8a, 11
R. (2) How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord,
mighty God!
My soul yearns and pines
for the courts of the LORD.
My heart and my flesh
cry out for the living God.
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest
in which she puts her young–
Your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my king and my God!
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!
Blessed they who dwell in your house!
continually they praise you.
Blessed the men whose strength you are!
They go from strength to strength.
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!
I had rather one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I had rather lie at the threshold of the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Open our hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus said to the disciples:
"The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea,
which collects fish of every kind.
When it is full they haul it ashore
and sit down to put what is good into buckets.
What is bad they throw away.
Thus it will be at the end of the age.
The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous
and throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."
"Do you understand all these things?"
They answered, "Yes."
And he replied,
"Then every scribe who has been instructed in the Kingdom of heaven
is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom
both the new and the old."
When Jesus finished these parables, he went away from there.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/073125.cfm
Commentary on Exodus
40:16-21,34-38
Today is our final reading from Exodus. Tomorrow we will
move on to the Book of Leviticus.
In passages immediately preceding today’s readings, God has
been giving instructions on how his sanctuary is to be furnished and adorned.
In today’s reading we see these instructions being implemented:
Moses did exactly as Yahweh had ordered him.
On the first day of the first month in the second year, the
‘Dwelling’ was erected by Moses. The ‘Dwelling’ is God’s special point of
contact with his people. It is the precursor of the Temple which Solomon will
build in Jerusalem at later date. It is a sanctuary on the move; one that
accompanies Israel on its long journey to the Promised Land.
First, sockets, frames, crossbars and poles were set in
place. The tent covering was put over the Dwelling and another covering for the
Tent of Meeting over that. The Testimony was then put in the Ark, the shafts
were positioned on the Ark and the mercy seat was put on top of the Ark. The
Ark was then brought into the Dwelling and the screening curtain put in place,
protecting the Ark of the Testimony from view, as the Lord had decreed.
Although not mentioned here, other furniture was also installed
in accordance with the Lord’s instructions. The final piece to be set in place
was a basin for ablutions. Before entering the Tent of Meeting or approaching
the altar, both hands and feet had to be washed.
Once the work was complete, a cloud covered the Tent of
Meeting and the glory of Yahweh filled the Dwelling. Even Moses could not enter
the Tent of Meeting, because of the cloud over it, indicating that the glory of
God filled the Dwelling. While this seems to contradict what was said earlier,
we need to remember that our text is built up from two different traditions.
From now on, at every stage of the Israelites’ journey,
whenever the cloud lifted from the Dwelling, they could resume their march.
They never moved as long as the cloud hovered over the Dwelling.
And Yahweh’s cloud stayed over the Dwelling during the day.
At night fire could be seen in the cloud, for the whole House of Israel to see
at every stage of their journey. The message was clear: As he had promised,
Yahweh was with his people.
Religious buildings are just that – buildings. But, when
properly used, they fulfil a very important and symbolic role in the life of
any genuine Christian community. But they are never an end in themselves. It is
the people who make the real Church.
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Commentary on
Matthew 13:47-53
We come to the seventh and last of the Parables of the
Kingdom in this discourse. Of course, we need to remind ourselves that Jesus
did not speak them one after the other as they are presented here. They are the
work of the author’s editing, putting matters with a common theme into one
place.
Today’s Kingdom parable points to the end of time. There
will come a time for the end of the Kingdom on earth, and then those who belong
and those who do not will be clearly distinguished and separated from each
other. That is something which cannot and should not be done now as the parable
of the weeds indicated.
When will that end be? Of course, we do not know –
fortunately! But one thing we do know is that our own end will come in a
relatively short time, even if we live to be 100. And when that happens, it
will be clear to God, if not to others, whether we are leaving this world
‘inside’ the Kingdom or ‘outside’ it, that is, whether we are with God or
against him.
How can we make sure we are in the right place? By making
sure that I get confession and the ‘last sacraments’ before I die? Don’t bet on
it! The best guarantee is to enroll in the Kingdom today and every day, to
live, with Christ’s help, in the way he has shown us. If we do that on a
day-to-day basis, the future will take care of itself and there is no need to
worry.
The whole discourse is then brought to an end by Jesus
asking his disciples if they understand what he has been saying, and they say
they do. Jesus then gives a description of the truly learned disciple. He is a
“scribe”, an interpreter of God’s Word, who can bring from his storeroom “what
is new and what is old”, someone who has both the wealth of the Old Testament,
as well as the vision of the New.
The Jerusalem Bible comments:
“This picture of a ‘scribe who has become a disciple’ sums
up the whole ideal of the evangelist and may well be a self-portrait.”
The author of this Gospel is clearly a Jew who has become a
Christian.
As Jesus said earlier, he had not come to destroy the
traditions of the ‘old’ Hebrew covenant, but to fulfil it with a new covenant.
He would equally reject those who abandoned the Hebrew tradition, as well as
those who rejected the new insights which he brought. This is a process which
goes on today in the Christian faith. There is a continuing and creative
tension between what has been handed down in the past, and the new
understandings which arise with changing circumstances. We all have to be both
conservative and progressive at the same time!
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https://livingspace.sacredspace.ie/o2175g/
Thursday,
July 31, 2025
Ordinary Time
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, forever and ever. Amen.
Gospel Reading - Matthew 13: 47-53
Jesus said to the disciples:
"The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects
fish of every kind. When it is full, they haul it ashore and sit down to put
what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away. Thus, it will be at the
end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the
righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing
and grinding of teeth." "Do you understand all these things?"
They answered, "Yes." And he replied, "Then every scribe who has
been instructed in the Kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who
brings from his storeroom both the new and the old." When Jesus finished
these parables, he went away from there.
Reflection
Today’s Gospel
presents the last parable of the discourse on the parables, the story of the
net thrown into the sea. This parable is found only in the Gospel of Matthew
without any parallel in the other three Gospels.
•
Matthew 13: 47-48: The parable of the dragnet cast
into the sea. The Kingdom of Heaven is like a net that is cast into the sea and
brings in all kinds of fish. When it is full, the fishermen haul it ashore;
then sitting down; they collect the good ones in baskets and throw away those
that are of no use.” This story is well known by the people of Galilee who live
around the lake. This is their work. The story clearly shows the end of a day
of work. The fishermen go fishing with only one purpose: to cast the net and to
catch a great number of fish, to haul the net ashore and to choose the good
fish to take home and to throw away those that are no good. Describe the
satisfaction of the fishermen, at the end of a day, being very tired after
having worked hard. This story must have brought a smile of satisfaction to the
faces of the fishermen who listened to Jesus. The worst thing is to arrive at
the shore at the end of the day without having caught anything (Jn 21: 3).
•
Matthew 13: 49-50: The application of the parable.
Jesus applies the parable, or better still, gives a suggestion in order that
people can discuss and apply the parable to their life: “This is how it will be
at the end of time, the angels will appear and separate the wicked from the
righteous, to throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping
and grinding of teeth.” How are we to understand this blazing furnace? These
are very strong images to describe the destiny of those who separate themselves
from God or who do not want to know anything about God. In every city there is
a place to throw away the garbage every day. There is a permanent furnace
nourished every day by the daily garbage. The garbage place in Jerusalem was
located in a valley called Gehenna, where, at the time of the kings, there was
a furnace even to sacrifice to the false gods of Molok. For this reason,
the furnace of Gehenna
becomes the symbol of exclusion and of condemnation. God is not the one who
excludes. God does not want the exclusion and the condemnation of anyone; He
wants that all may have life and life in abundance. Each one of us excludes
himself/herself.
•
Matthew 13: 51-53: The end of the discourse on the
Parables. At the end of the discourse on the parables, Jesus concludes with the
following question: "Have you understood these things?” They answered:
“Yes.” And Jesus finishes the explanation with another comparison which
describes the result He wants to achieve through the parables: “Well, then
every Scribe who becomes a disciple of the Kingdom of Heaven is like a
householder who brings out from his storeroom new things as well as old.” Two
points to clarify:
•
Jesus compares the doctor of the law to the father in
the family. What does the father of the family do? “He brings out from his treasure new things and old things.” Education
at home takes place through the transmission to the sons and daughters of what
the parents have received and learned over time. It is the treasure of the
family wisdom where the richness of faith is enclosed, the customs of life, and
many other things that the children learn with time. Now Jesus wants that in
the community, that the people who are responsible for the transmission of
faith be as a father within the family. Just like the parents are responsible
for the life of the family, in the same way, these people who are responsible
for the teaching should understand the things of the Kingdom and transmit it to
the brothers and sisters in the community.
•
Here there
is the question of a doctor of the law who becomes a disciple of the Kingdom. Therefore,
there were doctors of the law who accepted Jesus, and saw in Him the one who
revealed the Kingdom. Is this what happened to a doctor when he discovers the
Messiah in Jesus, the Son of God? Everything he has studied to be able to be a
doctor of the law continues to be valid, but it receives a deeper dimension and
a broader purpose. A comparison can clarify what has just been said. In a group
of friends one shows a photo, where one sees a man with a angry face, with his
finger up, almost attacking the public. Everybody thinks that it is a question
of an inflexible person, demanding, who does not allow for any intimacy. At
that moment a young boy arrives, he sees the photo and exclaims, “He is my
father!” The others look at him and comment, “A severe father, right?” He answers,
“No! He is very affectionate. My father is a lawyer. That photo was taken in
the tribunal, while he was denouncing the crime of a great landowner who wanted
a poor family to abandon their home where they had lived for many years! My
father won the case, and the poor family remained in the house!” All looked at
him again and said, “What a pleasant person!” Almost like a miracle the photo
lit up from within and assumed a different aspect. That very severe face
acquired the features of great tenderness! The words of the son, the result of
his experience of being the son, changed everything, without changing anything!
The words and the gestures of Jesus, result of His experience as a Son, without
changing a letter or a comma, illuminated from within the wisdom accumulated by
the doctor of the law. And thus, God, who seemed to be so far away and so
severe, acquired the features of a good Father and of enormous tenderness!
Personal Questions
•
Has the experience of Son entered in you and changed
your perspective, making you discover the things of God in a different way?
•
What has the discourse on the parables revealed to you
about the Kingdom? Concluding Prayer
Praise Yahweh, my soul!
I will praise Yahweh all my
life,
I will make
music to my God as long as I live. (Ps 146: 1-2) eyes from pointless images, by
your word give me life.
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