16th Week in Ordinary Time
27th July 2023 (Thursday) Readings and Reflection
Psalter: Week 4
Reading of the Day
First Reading: Exodus 19:1-2, 9-11, 16-20b
On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. They set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain. And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you for ever.” When Moses told the words of the people to the Lord, the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments and be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.
Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56 (R. see 52b)
R/. You are to be praised and highly exalted forever!
Alleluia
V/. Alleluia R/. Alleluia
V/. Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have revealed to little children the mysteries of the kingdom.
R/. Alleluia
Gospel : Matthew 13:10-17
At that time: The disciples came and said to Jesus, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “’You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.’ For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.” But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
Daily Gospel Reflection
Highlight: Know but do not follow!
Guidlines: The problem often with many is that they know what is good and right but they do not follow it. They knowingly make wrong choices because they are pleasurable or promoting in the worldly sense{alertSuccess}
1. Today in the readings, we find a contrast between two sets of encounters, responses and consequences. On one hand, there is the encounter with Yahweh by Moses and Israel, and the encounter with Jesus by his disciples. They see and hear the Lord. This experience leads to “blessedness”.
2. On the other hand, the Pharisees and scribes fail to have a personal encounter with Jesus and experience of him. They do not see his true identity. Neither do they listen to the voice of God through Jesus. Consequently, they become obstinate and reject Jesus.
3. That is why Jesus refers to Isaiah concerning them. These are the people, “who hear but do not understand, see but do not perceive”. Their heart has grown dull, and their ears and eyes are closed. It is a spirit of closedness and stubbornness, indifference, and non-cooperation. Consequently, the Lord cannot heal them.
4. They are given in abundance but they resent and resist and fail to cooperate. Therefore, even the little they have will be taken away and will be given to those who are open and cooperative. In this way, the disciples are “blessed” because they receive it joyfully and fructify it abundantly.
5. This is what Jesus means when he says, “For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away”. There are no guarantees of God’s grace. The effect of God’s grace depends on our reception and cooperation.
Practice: Ingratitude and infidelity are the two greatest evils that disfigure the beauty of human relationships, disrupt the joy of interaction, and diminish the value of life{alertSuccess}