16th Week in Ordinary Time
28th July 2023 (Friday) Readings and Reflection
Psalter: Week 4
Reading of the Day
First Reading: Exodus 20:1-17
In those days: God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labour, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. You shall not covet your neighbour's house; you shall not covet your neighbour's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbour's.”
Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 11 (R. John 6:68c)
R/. Lord, you have the words of eternal life
Alleluia
V/. Alleluia R/. Alleluia
V/. Blessed are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
R/. Alleluia
Gospel : Matthew 13:18-23
At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, “Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
Daily Gospel Reflection
Highlight: Nurture and Produce!
Guidlines: In a world of noise and commotion, many times we fail to be attentive and to hear the words clearly. We are then constantly invited to sharpen our attention and listen to the word of God because it alone helps us to grow and be fruitful{alertSuccess}
1. “Receive, nurture and produce”. This is the simple threefold principle for any growth and fruition. For example, a farmer receives the seed, cultivates and nurtures it through various cares and makes it grow and then reaps a rich harvest, producing abundant fruits.
2. On His part, God ever provides the seeds of His grace and Word to plant in the soil of our hearts. He avails to us all the possible requirements that facilitate and nurture the growth of His seeds. He never deprives us of anything that enhances our growth and fruition. We as followers of Christ receive abundantly the seeds of the words of the kingdom.
3. But the question always remains on our part. The reason why often many do not bear good and abundant fruits is the lack of transparency, lack of perseverance and lack of diligence. This is what we see in the first 3 types of soil in the gospel parable of the sower, namely the roadside soil, rocky and thorny soils.
4. We must guard against being the roadside soil where evil snatches away the seeds. We must guard against being the rocky ground where we are not deep-rooted but waver at any little adversity. We must guard against bushes and thorns where worldly interests dominate and suffocate our growth.
5. Instead, we must constantly strive to become more and more fertile so as to produce an abundant harvest of fruits. We must always try to provide the best conducive soil for the seeds.
6. The Decalogue or the Ten Commandments in the Old Testament, Exodus 20. 1-17 are the authentic means and expressions of this growth and fruitfulness. The more we adhere to him, the more we will be authentic and effective.
7. They are not just some formal code of ethics, a set of do’s and don’ts. They are the manifestations of a meaningful relationship with God and with others. They are the expressions of the right way of conducting oneself toward God and others.
8. They are the embodiment of a holistic life of sanctity and morality. In this way, the commandments are no more forced burdens or coercions for fear or favour. Rather, they are free expressions of a spirit of true religion and social life.
9. They are like railway tracks that guard us against deviations and ensure a surer and right direction. They are not barriers but barricades. They are not curtailments of freedom but safeguards of constructive freedom.
10. St Alphonsa (1910–1946), the first woman saint of Indian origin was such a fertile soil that produced a rich harvest of sanctity and charity. In docility and surrender, she consecrated her entire life to the Lord. Like the fertile soil, she never resisted God’s will and action. She was fully receptive and cooperative to God’s grace. That is why she could be so joyful even amidst her daily martyrdom of suffering.
Practice: We must foster a positive perspective toward laws and commandments. They help for self-discipline and self-mastery which go a long way in being spiritual and fraternal{alertSuccess}