Thursday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time (July 26, 2018): Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Thứ Tư, 25-07-2018 | 14:45:12

Today’s Readings:

Jeremiah 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13
Ps 36:6-11
Matthew 13:10-17
www.usccb.org/bible/readings/072618.cfm

USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/18_07_26.mp3

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew.

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.”

Good News Reflection: Are you in the pits?

Some people dig their own holes and then fall into them. As we consider the meaning of today’s first reading for our needs today, the cistern can represent our own efforts to make our lives good. God is the source — the water — that nourishes a truly good life. He is the fountain of life, as it says in today’s responsorial psalm, and when we rely on ourselves or other non-God resources, our lives become empty and dry. We are drained by the cracks of our brokenness.

Can you remember a time when you were enthusiastic about relying on Jesus? We’ve all been excited about the Lord, usually right after any sort of conversion experience. At such times, we were fully devoted to loving God and learning everything we could about the faith. We wanted to please him. We wanted to be holy.

But oops! We tripped and fell into a hole. The road wasn’t as smooth as we thought it would be. The journey became more difficult, and we said, “Hey! I don’t like the hard work of holiness!” And so we went elsewhere in search of refreshing waters. We dug a hole for collecting this other water, and then we fell into it and discovered that it was quite dry or that the “water” was really sewage.

When we receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Jesus picks us up, pulls us out, wipes off the dirt, and sets our feet back on the road. Then he tells us to move forward (“go and sin no more”). But what if we don’t want to humble ourselves and utilize this sacrament? What if we try to climb out of our holes without the special graces that come with God’s sacramental help?

We tear at the sides of the hole in a desperate search for footholds, but this actually enlarges it. We might ask Jesus to help us, but if we have no desire to change, we’re only grabbing at tools that claw away at the sides and make the hole bigger.

The longer we remain in this condition, the deeper we dig. When people fall hard and hit bottom, they’ve been digging for a long time. Fortunately, the deeper the bottom is, the less they can see when they look up out of the hole, and eventually (if they have not closed their eyes to the truth) the only thing they will be able to see is the hand of Jesus reaching down to them. Then the only option is to choose God’s way out or continue to sit in the muck.

A Christian who’s sinking into a hole is someone who listens to God but fails to understand. Humility enables us to accept what we do not understand, and this opens our eyes to the hand of Jesus reaching down to us. In humility, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to explain the truth and change our minds. Until we trust God this way, we will look intently but we will not see the true way out of our pits.

Today’s Prayer:

Beloved Lord, You granted me the grace to recognize Your voice and to understand Your Word. Do not let my heart be hardened nor drive others away from You with my wrong deeds. Amen.

Tags: Blessed Virgin Mary, Good News Reflection, Holy Gospel according to Matthew, Memorial, Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, Saints Joachim and Anne, Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time