Tuesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time (July 31, 2018): Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Priest

Thứ Hai, 30-07-2018 | 15:00:58

Today’s Readings:

Jeremiah 14:17-22
Ps 79:8,9,11,13
Matthew 13:36-43
www.usccb.org/bible/readings/073118.cfm

USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/18_07_31.mp3

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew.

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.”

Good News Reflection: How can we shine like the sun?

Do you know if you’re going to reach heaven? Many Catholics tell me that while they hope so, they’re not sure. They’re afraid they might ruin their salvation between now and the day they die.

Jesus says in today’s Gospel passage, “The righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom.” So let’s change the question to: Are you righteous?

God isn’t yet removing from the earth all the weeds that strangle our righteousness, but he certainly can remove their influence on us. This is why he has given us his own Holy Spirit. We can lean on Jesus when we fall short of righteousness.

Plus, we can ask Jesus to give us holy angels who will help us sort right from wrong, truth from deception, good seed from bad seed. We don’t have to be aware of their presence to be guided by them. They are quite capable of protecting us from the infections of evildoers as long as we remain humbly correctable.

Here’s a wonderful prayer that can help with this:

The Litany of Humility
(written by Cardinal Merry del Val)

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being honored,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being praised,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being approved,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being despised,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being maliciously or falsely accused,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected,
Deliver me, Jesus.
That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I,
Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
That in the opinion of the world, others may increase, and I may decrease,
Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside,
Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I unnoticed,
Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything,
Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I,
provided that I may become as holy as I should,
Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
Amen!