Tag: Lord

Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 13:1-9)

And [Jesus] spoke to them at length in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

The responsorial psalm for today asks, “Can God spread a table in the desert?” In today’s Gospel, Jesus answers that question as he speaks in parables to the crowds gathered around him. Through the familiar parable of the sower and his seeds, Jesus shows us the different states of life in which God’s word, the seed, falls. Some fell on the path, some on rocky ground, and some among thorns. “But some seed fell on rich soil,” Jesus says, “and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.” Just as God rained down daily bread in the desert for the Israelites, he rains down his word daily. Through participation in his word and in the sacraments, through God’s grace upon us, hearts soften into rich seedbeds and produce fruit “a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”

God, help me understand what it means to produce fruit from seed spread by the sower. Your Son is the seed, the Word incarnate. How can I make my heart ready to receive the seed he sows? Throughout the day, the soil of my heart becomes parched, hardened to receiving the seed that you let fall over and over through your love and mercy. Give me the grace today to make my heart ready for you. Let my heart be a witness to the way, as the psalmist sings, you spread a table in the desert.

From the Gospel acclamation: “The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower; All who come to him will live for ever.” Saints Joachim and Anne, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Feast of Saint James, Apostle

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 20:20-28)

Jesus said in reply to James and John, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?” They said to him, “We can.” He replied, “My chalice you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”

The mother of James and John approaches Jesus, kneeling before him and asking a favor. She says, “Command that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” Revealing a glimpse of the mystery in the relationship of the Son and the Father, Jesus indicates that the brothers will drink the chalice of suffering that he will drink but that it is not his to give but the Father’s the seat that he has prepared for them. Jesus tells the indignant ten apostles who overhear that authority in his kingdom is not as it is in the world: “Rather,” Jesus says, “whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant.”

God, help me see what exercising authority in your service means. Keep me from aims of personal ambition and desire for power and instead help me follow Christ in his mission of self-giving love. Give me the grace to be ambitious for the things that endure to give you glory: humility, love, and selflessness. As Saint Paul says in the first reading: “We hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.”

Lord, help me follow the example of Jesus today by doing your will and exercising authority through the humility of service to others. Saint James, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Monday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 12:38-42)

Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees: “An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.”

Jesus tells the scribes and Pharisees of his coming death, burial, and resurrection in response to their question, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” He compares himself to Jonah as a way to show that God’s word has been spoken through them. But the prophets were ignored, and their hearers failed to repent. “At the judgment,” Jesus says, “the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah.” As he alludes to his saving death and resurrection, Jesus answers that this will serve as the ultimate sign of his authority and identity as the Son of God.

God, when I begin to demand signs from you, let me instead look back and see what you have done for me. In this life, I have been a witness to your manifold signs and miracles woven throughout the days and years, yet I still am slow to believe. Help my unbelief and hardness of heart. Be my strength and courage, Lord. Especially when I fail to know you are present, help me recognize and respond to the signs that you have already provided and will continue to provide.

From the responsorial psalm: “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” Lord, let me hear your voice throughout the moments of this day.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 13:24-43)

Jesus said to his disciples: “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.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches important truths about the kingdom of heaven through his parables as he recognizes the coexistence of good and evil in the world. In the reality of the fallen world we live in, it is striking how Jesus depicts those who cause others to sin and their final judgment. Elsewhere in the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus says: “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” These little ones— ones who are innocent or poor in spirit or waiting for the Lord’s mercy with contrite hearts—have understanding of the mysteries of the kingdom and are precious in his eyes.

God, thank you for your patience and mercy. Just as the owner of the field allows the wheat and the weeds to grow together until the harvest, you give me an opportunity to repent and turn to you time and time again through my contrition and the sacrament of reconciliation. That you allow the evil one to sow weeds and yet bring good out of it is a mystery. Almighty Father, although evil is contrary to your being and you do not eliminate it, you allow me to make a choice to return to you to receive your grace and repentance. And you do this for all who turn to you.

Lord, intercede for me today when my spirit is weak and I forget you. As Saint Paul says, “And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.