Monday of the Seventeenth Week in
Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 401
The LORD said to me: Go buy yourself a linen loincloth;
wear it on your loins, but do not put it in water.
I bought the loincloth, as the LORD commanded, and put it on.
A second time the word of the LORD came to me thus:
Take the loincloth which you bought and are wearing,
and go now to the Parath;
there hide it in a cleft of the rock.
Obedient to the LORD's command, I went to the Parath
and buried the loincloth.
After a long interval, the LORD said to me:
Go now to the Parath and fetch the loincloth
which I told you to hide there.
Again I went to the Parath, sought out and took the loincloth
from the place where I had hid it.
But it was rotted, good for nothing!
Then the message came to me from the LORD:
Thus says the LORD:
So also I will allow the pride of Judah to rot,
the great pride of Jerusalem.
This wicked people who refuse to obey my words,
who walk in the stubbornness of their hearts,
and follow strange gods to serve and adore them,
shall be like this loincloth which is good for nothing.
For, as close as the loincloth clings to a man's loins,
so had I made the whole house of Israel
and the whole house of Judah cling to me, says the LORD;
to be my people, my renown, my praise, my beauty.
But they did not listen.
R. (see 18a) You
have forgotten God who gave you birth.
You were unmindful of the Rock that begot you,
You forgot the God who gave you birth.
When the LORD saw this, he was filled with loathing
and anger toward his sons and daughters.
R. You
have forgotten God who gave you birth.
"I will hide my face from them," he said,
"and see what will then become of them.
What a fickle race they are,
sons with no loyalty in them!"
R. You
have forgotten God who gave you birth.
"Since they have provoked me with their 'no-god'
and angered me with their vain idols,
I will provoke them with a 'no-people';
with a foolish nation I will anger them."
R. You
have forgotten God who gave you birth.
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
The Father willed to give us birth by the word of truth
that we may be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds.
"The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed
that a person took and sowed in a field.
It is the smallest of all the seeds,
yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants.
It becomes a large bush,
and the 'birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.'"
He spoke to them another parable.
"The Kingdom of heaven is like yeast
that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour
until the whole batch was leavened."
All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables.
He spoke to them only in parables,
to fulfill what had been said through the prophet:
I will open my mouth in parables,
I will announce what has lain hidden from
the foundation
of the world.
Meditation: What the kingdom of heaven is like
What can mustard seeds and leaven teach us about the
kingdom of God? The tiny mustard seed literally grew to be a tree which
attracted numerous birds because they loved the little black mustard seed it
produced. God's kingdom works in a similar fashion. It starts from the smallest
beginnings in the hearts of men and women who are receptive to God's
word. And it works unseen and causes a transformation from within.
Hidden power of transforming seeds and leaven
Leaven is another powerful agent of change. A lump of dough left to itself
remains just what it is, a lump of dough. But when the leaven is added to it a
transformation takes place which produces rich and wholesome bread when heated
- the staple of life for humans.
God's word has power to transforms us
The kingdom of God produces a transformation in those who receive the new life
which Jesus Christ offers. When we yield our lives to Jesus Christ and allow
his word to take root in our heart, we are transformed and made holy by the
power of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. Paul the Apostle says, "we have
this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs
to God and not to us" (2 Corinthians 4:7). Do you believe in the
transforming power of the Holy Spirit?
"Heavenly Father, fill me with your Holy Spirit
and transform me into the Christ-like holiness you desire. Increase my zeal for
your kingdom and instill in me a holy desire to live for your greater
glory."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: A small seed produces a great tree, by
John Chrysostom (347-407 AD)
"Therefore he brought forward the similitude of
this herb, which has a very strong resemblance to the kingdom of heaven. It
indeed is 'the least of all seeds, but when it is grown, it is the greatest
among herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in
the branches thereof.'
Thus he meant to set forth the most decisive sign of its greatness. 'Even so
then shall it also be with respect to the gospel,' he says. For his disciples
were weakest of all and least of all. Nevertheless, because of the great power
that was in them, it has grown and been unfolded in every part of the
world." (excerpt from the THE GOSPEL
OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 46.2)
MONDAY, JULY
30, MATTHEW 13:31-35
Weekday
(Jeremiah 13:1-11; Psalm: Deueronomy 32)
KEY
VERSE: "It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when
full-grown it is the largest of plants" (v. 32).
TO
KNOW: Through his parables, Jesus revealed the full
mysteries of the reign of God that had "lain hidden from the foundation of
the world" (Ps 78:2). The parables of the mustard seed and yeast taught
his followers about the paradoxical nature of God's reign, which Jesus
described as having amazing growth from insignificant beginnings. Though very
tiny, the mustard seed grew into a luxuriant plant where birds could find a
home in its branches. In like manner, a tiny bit of leaven hidden in an
enormous amount of flour (50 lbs.) expanded the dough to produce enough bread
to feed a hundred people. God's kingdom is a process. Although a Christian's
work may seem unimportant, even a small effort moves the kingdom toward its fulfillment.
TO
LOVE: Do I encourage the modest efforts of other
Christians?
TO
SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to be untiring in my labor for
your kingdom.
Optional Memorial of Saint Peter
Chrysologus, bishop and doctor of the Church
Peter was an adult convert who became a Deacon, a Priest, and
in 433, the Bishop of Ravenna, Italy. He fought paganism and the Monophysite
heresy, enforced reforms, and built several churches. Peter was a preacher with
such language skills, that he merited the title Chrysologus, referring to his
"Golden Word." One hundred and seventy six of his sermons have
survived. The strength of his beautiful explanations such as the Incarnation,
the Creed, the place of Mary and John the Baptist in the great plan of
salvation, led to his being proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1729 by Pope
Benedict XIII.
NOTE: Monophysitism
is a heretical view concerning the nature of Jesus Christ. Its name comes from
a combination of the Greek words monos, meaning “one” and physis, meaning “nature.” According to this view, Christ had only a
single divine nature instead of two natures, one divine and one human, as set
forth in the Council of Chalcedon in 451 (the Fourth Ecumenical Council).
Monday 30 July
2018
Jeremiah 13:1–11. Deuteronomy 32:18–21. Matthew 13:31–35.
You have forgotten God who gave you birth. Deuteronomy 32:18–21.
‘I made the whole House of Israel and the whole House of Judah
cling to me.’
Faith, like the mustard shrub, begins with the smallest of
seeds. If it is nurtured, the seed of faith grows into something large enough
to shelter others. The birds rest in the tree, and eat, one supposes, from the
tree, and therefore spread the seeds. The seeds are then sown to grow more
trees.
Jesus sowed the seed of faith.
Who are we? Seeds? Trees? Birds?
Are we seed sowers, like Jesus?
Do we know the seeds we sow?
Do we know if our faith shelters others?
Let us consider today an invitation to cooperate with Jesus in
making the world more welcoming to people in need of his peace.
Blessed Solanus Casey
Saint of the Day for July 30
(November 25, 1875 – July 31, 1957)
 |
| Blessed Solanus Casey Shrine | Saint Mary Magdalen Church, Brighton, Michigan | photo by Nheyob |
Blessed Solanus Casey’s Story
Barney Casey became one of Detroit’s best-known priests even
though he was not allowed to preach formally or to hear confessions!
Barney came from a large family in Oak Grove, Wisconsin. At the
age of 21, and after he had worked as a logger, a hospital orderly, a streetcar
operator, and a prison guard, he entered St. Francis Seminary in
Milwaukee—where he found the studies difficult. He left there, and in 1896,
joined the Capuchins in Detroit, taking the name Solanus. His studies for the
priesthood were again arduous.
On July 24, 1904, Solanus was ordained, but because his
knowledge of theology was judged to be weak, he was not given permission to
hear confessions or to preach. A Franciscan Capuchin who knew him well said
this annoying restriction “brought forth in him a greatness and a holiness that
might never have been realized in any other way.”
During his 14 years as porter and sacristan in Yonkers, New
York, the people there recognized Solanus as a fine speaker. James Derum, his
biographer writes, “For, though he was forbidden to deliver doctrinal sermons,
he could give inspirational talks, or feverinos, as the Capuchins
termed them.” His spiritual fire deeply impressed his listeners.
Father Solanus served at parishes in Manhattan and Harlem before
returning to Detroit, where he was porter and sacristan for 20 years at St.
Bonaventure Monastery. Every Wednesday afternoon he conducted well-attended
services for the sick. A co-worker estimates that on the average day 150 to 200
people came to see Father Solanus in the front office. Most of them came to
receive his blessing; 40 to 50 came for consultation. Many people considered
him instrumental in cures and other blessings they received.
Father Solanus’ sense of God’s providence inspired many of his
visitors. “Blessed be God in all his designs” was one of his favorite
expressions.
The many friends of Father Solanus helped the Capuchins begin a
soup kitchen during the Depression. Capuchins are still feeding the hungry
there today.
In failing health, Solanus was transferred to the Capuchin
novitiate in Huntington, Indiana, in 1946, where he lived for ten years
until needing to be hospitalized in Detroit. Father Solanus died on July 31,
1957. An estimated 20,000 people passed by his coffin before his burial in St.
Bonaventure Church in Detroit.
At the funeral Mass, the provincial Father Gerald said: “His was
a life of service and love for people like me and you. When he was not himself
sick, he nevertheless suffered with and for you that were sick. When he was not
physically hungry, he hungered with people like you. He had a divine love for
people. He loved people for what he could do for them—and for God, through
them.”
In 1960, a Father Solanus Guild was formed in Detroit to aid
Capuchin seminarians. By 1967, the guild had 5,000 members—many of them
grateful recipients of his practical advice and his comforting assurance that
God would not abandon them in their trials. Solanus Casey was declared
Venerable in 1995, and beatified on November 18, 2017.
Reflection
His biographer James Patrick Derum writes that eventually Father
Solanus was weary from bearing the burdens of the people who visited him. “Long
since, he had come to know the Christ-taught truth that pure love of God and
one’s fellowmen as children of God are in the final event all that matter.
Living this truth ardently and continuously had made him, spiritually, a free man—free
from slavery to passions, from self-seeking, from self-indulgence, from
self-pity—free to serve wholly both God and man” (The Porter of St.
Bonaventure’s, page 199).
LECTIO DIVINA: MATTHEW
13:31-35
Lectio Divina:
Monday, July 30, 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
13:31-35
Jesus
proposed a parable to the crowds. "The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard
seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds,
yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and
the 'birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.'" He spoke to them
another parable. "The Kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took
and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was
leavened." All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. He
spoke to them only in parables, to fulfill what had been said through the
prophet: I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has lain hidden
from the foundation of the world.
3) REFLECTION
•
We are meditating on the discourse on the Parables, which reveals, by means of
comparisons, the mystery of the Kingdom of God present in the life of the
people. Today’s Gospel presents to us two brief parables: the mustard seed and
the yeast. In these, Jesus tells two stories taken from daily life which will
serve as terms of comparison to help the people discover the mystery of the
Kingdom. When meditating on these two stories it is not necessary to try to
discover what each element of the stories try to tell us about the Kingdom.
First of all, one must look at the story itself as a whole and try to discover
the central point around which the story was constructed. This central point
will serve as a means of comparison for revealing the Kingdom of God. Let us
try to discover the central point of the two parables.
•
Matthew 13:31-32: The parable of the mustard seed. Jesus says, “The Kingdom of
Heaven is like a mustard seed” and then He immediately tells the story: a
mustard seed which is very small is cast into the ground. Despite being very
small, it grows and becomes larger than other plants and attracts the birds
which come and build their nests in it. Jesus does not explain the story. Here
applies what He said on another occasion: “Anyone who has ears to hear, let him
hear!” That is, “It is this. You have heard, so now try to understand!” It is
up to us to discover what the story reveals to us about the Kingdom of God
present in our life. Thus, by means of this story of the mustard seed, Jesus
urges us to think because each one of us understands something about the seed.
Jesus expects that people, all of us, begin to share what each one has
discovered. Now, I share three points that I have discovered on the Kingdom,
beginning with this parable: (a) Jesus says, "The Kingdom of Heaven is
like a mustard seed.” The Kingdom is not something abstract, it is not an idea.
It is a presence in our midst (Lk 17:21). What is this presence like? It is like
the mustard seed: a very small presence, humble, which can hardly be seen. It
is about Jesus, a poor carpenter, who goes through Galilee, speaking about the
Kingdom to the people of the towns. The Kingdom of God does not follow the
opinions of the great of the world. It has a different way of thinking and
proceeding. (b) The prophecy evokes a prophecy of Ezekiel, in which it is said
that God will take a small twig of the cedar and will plant it on the mountain
of Israel. This small twig of cedar “will bring forth branches and will bear
fruit and will become a magnificent cedar. Under it all the birds will live,
every kind of birds will rest under it. All the trees of the forest will know
that I am the Lord, who humiliated the tall tree and exalted the low one; I dry
the green tree and make the dry tree come to life. I the Lord have spoken and I
will do it” (Ezek 17:22-23). (c) The mustard seed, even if very small, grows
and gives hope. Like the mustard seed, the Kingdom has an interior force and it
grows. How does it grow? It grows through the preaching of Jesus and of the
disciples in the towns of Galilee. It grows even today, through the witness of
the community and becomes good news of God which radiates light and attracts
people. The person who gets close to the community feels welcomed, accepted, at
home, and builds in it her nest, her dwelling. Finally, the parable leaves a
question in the air: who are the birds? The question will receive an answer
later in the Gospel. The text suggests that it is a question of the pagans who
will be able to enter the Kingdom (Mt 15:21-28).
•
Matthew 13:33: The parable of the yeast. The story of the second parable is the
following: A woman took a bit of yeast and mixed it with three measures of
flour, until it is leavened all through. Once again, Jesus does not explain. He
only says, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast...” As in the first
parable, it is up to us to discover the significance which this has for us
today. The following are some points which I have discovered and which have
made me think: (a) What grows is not the yeast, but the dough. (b) It is a
matter of something in a house, well known to a woman in her house. (c) The
yeast is mixed up with the pure dough of flour and contains something living.
(d) The objective is to have all the dough rise and grow through the beneficial
action of the yeast, and not only one part. (e) The yeast is not an end in
itself but serves to make the dough grow.
•
Matthew 13:34-35: Why Jesus speaks in parables. Here, at the end of the
discourse on the Parables, Matthew clarifies the reason which prompted Jesus to
teach the people using the form of parables. He says that it was in order that
the prophecy would be fulfilled which said, "I will open the mouth to use
parables; I will proclaim things hidden since the creation of the world.”
In reality, the text that has been quoted is not of a prophet, but rather it is
a Psalm (Ps 78:2). For the first Christians the whole of the Old Testament was
a great prophecy which announced in a veiled way the coming of the Messiah and
the fulfillment of the promises of God. In Mark 4:33-34, the reason which
prompted Jesus to teach the people by means of parables was to adapt the
message to the capacity of the people. With these examples taken from the life
of the people, Jesus helped the people to discover the things of God in
everyday life. Life then became transparent. He made them perceive that
what was extraordinary in God is hidden in the ordinary and common things of
daily life. People understood the things of life. In the parables they received
the key to open them and to find in them the signs of God. At the end of the
discourse on the Parables, in Matthew 13:52, as we shall see later, another
reason will be explained why Jesus chose to teach with parables.
4) PERSONAL QUESTIONS
•
Which point of these two parables did you like best or which struck you more?
Why?
•
What is the seed that without your awareness has grown in you and in your
community?
•
What other symbolisms can you find for the seed, the bush, the birds, the
bush’s relationship with other plants, and the meanings for “dwell”? What
insights does this lead you too?
•
What other symbolisms can you find for yeast and flour? Is there significance
to using “3 measures of flour” in the parable? What insights does this lead you
too?
5) CONCLUDING PRAYER
I
will sing of Your strength,
in
the morning acclaim Your faithful love;
You
have been a stronghold for me,
a
refuge when I was in trouble. (Ps 59:16)
