16th Week, Friday, July 22
Jeremiah 3:14-17 / Matthew 13:18-23
God speaks to the people of Jerusalem: “Return, rebellious children.”
Ed Baldwin was a banker, and his wife, Janice, a career
woman. Both were moving up the corporate ladder. Neither bothered about
religion or church. But something was missing from their lives. One Sunday, by
chance, they attended church. Something happened to them both. They began to
see that the one “who dies with the most toys” isn’t the winner of the game of
life. To make a long story short, Ed and Janice have turned their lives inside
out. She now devotes all her time to their new baby. He devotes all his time to
study for the ministry. Apparently, others feel the way Ed does. The average
age of the students in his seminary is 37.
****
How open are we to change in our lives? “Of all the acts of
man,
repentance is the most divine Thomas Carlyle
****
Jul 22, Fri
St Mary Magdalene
The Gospels all accord Mary Magdalene a unique place among
Jesus’ followers. Her surname probably owes its origin to her birthplace, a
town called Magdala near Tiberias on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. According
to the ancient and very plausible tradition in the Latin Church, Mary the
sinner is synonymous with Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus and
with Mary Magdalene. This “Mary who is called Magdalene” was freed from seven
devils (the seven deadly sins) by our Lord; “the sinner” lovingly anointed his
feet; and according to St John she was “Mary of Bethany” (and thus the sister
of Martha), who “sat at the Lord’s feet” and listened spellbound to his every
word. The Eastern Church, however, venerates three distinct persons named Mary.
The Lord’s most ardent and loving follower, Mary Magdalene stood with his beloved mother at the foot of the Cross, witnessed his burial and was the first to see both the empty tomb and the risen “Rabboni” on Easter morning. Indeed, it was she who was sent by Him with the good news to the other disciples, a commission that earned her the title “Apostle to the Apostles” in the early Church.
Catholics revere Mary Magdalene as a pattern of the contemplative life and even of conversion. She probably died at Ephesus, but a French legend tells of Mary, Martha and Lazarus coming to southern France and converting the Provence district.
Reflection: “When you commit any sin, repent of it at once
and resolve to amend. If it is a grievous sin, confess it as soon as possible”
(St Alphonsus Liguori).
***
Too much of a good thing can have its negative effect. For
e.g. in Singapore, food is in such abundance that we don't quite know what it
feels to be hungry anymore. For that matter of fact, we don't know what is a
food shortage. We don't understand the stories of the Japanese Occupation during
WWII or the hard times of the '50s and '60s. When we don't feel the hunger or
loss, we tend to take things for granted.
As in the 1st
reading, God called His people "disloyal children" because they were
too safe and secure and hence they began to follow the dictates of their
hearts. Similarly, when we have too many other things in our minds, then God's
Word can't sink into our hearts and bear fruits in our lives, just like the
seeds that fell on rocky or thorny soil in today's gospel parable.
We must pray for a heart that will listen and understand
what God is telling us. Let us also pray that we will hunger for God's Word and
be nourished by it. God is good, and we can never have enough of God.
****
SEED-BEARING FRUIT?
Introduction Jeremiah
asks the people to repent and not to rely on false securities. They have to
return to God, under the leadership of good shepherds.
When he began to tell the parable of the sower, Jesus said:
“listen.” When Matthew explains it and adapts it to his community, we are told
again: “Hear.” We have to listen to the parable and see how it applies to
ourselves. By listening we have also to listen to the signs of our time, how
the word of Christ the sower applies to our time and our people, that the word
may be accepted and bear fruit.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God, your Son Jesus opened the ears of the deaf and
gave sight to the blind. Make us listen to the message of good news, attune us
to his voice and his silence, open especially our heart to all the light and
love and hope that appeal to us in what he says to us. Give us also the courage
to speak and to live as we believe, that his word may succeed in us. We ask
this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
Commentary
The ark of the covenant, the sacred footstool or throne of
the Lord, was lost at the time of the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem and
was never recovered. Jeremiah tells his people that it is not an irreparable
loss, because someday a new era will dawn. At that time Jerusalem will be the
center of all religious attention. There all nations of the earth will converge
in recognizing the universal lordship of Yahweh. The New Testament reminds us
that we are citizens of the new Jerusalem. The church has become a center of
religious life for people of all ethnic and national backgrounds. This is the
church founded on the apostles and their predecessors the twelve tribes of
Israel, with Christ himself as the cornerstone. In fact, in the study of our
religion, no city emerges with an importance equal to Jerusalem. As citizens of
the New Jerusalem, let us cherish our faith.
Points to Ponder
The early significance of the ark
The supplanting of sacred symbols in a new era
Understanding our spiritual origins
Intercessions
– That the Church may reflect very much on the word of God
and discover how it applies in the situation of God’s People in our day, we
pray:
– That we may see the word of God as a call personally
addressed to each of us to respond to God’s love, we pray:
– That all of us may meditate often on the word of God, love
it and let it be our guide, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
We bring before you, Lord God, the fruit of the seed you let
the farmer sow and to which you gave growth. Let this bread bring us the life of
your beloved Son Jesus, and may this wine from our hills bring us hope and his
lasting joy. We ask this in the name of Jesus our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God, people hunger today for a word of truth, authenticity, and of the deeper meaning of life. Open them to your good news, fill our stammering words with your word of life and teach us to sow your word among them in a language they understand, especially the language of hope and love of our Christian living. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
Blessing
God sows his word among us. Let it fall in good soil. He
wants us to continue sowing his word. We ask him to dispose people well so that
they are receptive to that word. May almighty God bless you, the Father, and
the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Jul 22, Fri
St Mary Magdalene
The Gospels all accord Mary Magdalene a unique place among Jesus’ followers. Her surname probably owes its origin to her birthplace, a town called Magdala near Tiberias on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. According to the ancient and very plausible tradition in the Latin Church, Mary the sinner is synonymous with Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus and with Mary Magdalene. This “Mary who is called Magdalene” was freed from seven devils (the seven deadly sins) by our Lord; “the sinner” lovingly anointed his feet; and according to St John she was “Mary of Bethany” (and thus the sister of Martha), who “sat at the Lord’s feet” and listened spellbound to his every word. The Eastern Church, however, venerates three distinct persons named Mary.
The Lord’s most ardent and loving follower, Mary Magdalene stood with his beloved mother at the foot of the Cross, witnessed his burial and was the first to see both the empty tomb and the risen “Rabboni” on Easter morning. Indeed, it was she who was sent by Him with the good news to the other disciples, a commission that earned her the title “Apostle to the Apostles” in the early Church.
Catholics revere Mary Magdalene as a pattern of the contemplative life and even of conversion. She probably died at Ephesus, but a French legend tells of Mary, Martha and Lazarus coming to southern France and converting the Provence district.
Reflection: “When you commit any sin, repent of it at once
and resolve to amend. If it is a grievous sin, confess it as soon as possible”
(St Alphonsus Liguori).
