17TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
St. Ignatius of Loyola, priest
Psalter: Week 1 / (White)
Ps 79:8, 9, 11 & 13
For the glory of your name,
O Lord, deliver us.
1st Reading: Jer 14:17-22
This you will say to them: Let my eyes shed tears night and day without ceasing! For with a great wound has the virgin daughter of my people been wounded, a most grievous wound.
If I go into the country, I see those slain by the sword. If I enter the city I see the ravages of famine. For the prophet and the priest did not understand what was happening in the land.”
Have you then rejected Judah forever? Do you abhor Zion? Why have you wounded us and left us with no hope of recovery? We hoped for salvation but received nothing good; we waited for healing, but terror came!
Yahweh, we know our wickedness and that of our ancestors, and the times we have sinned against you.
For your name’s sake do not despise us; do not dishonor the throne of your glory. Remember us. Do not break your Covenant with us!
Among the worthless idols of the nations, are there any who can bring rain, or make the skies send showers? Only in you, Yahweh our God, do we hope, for it is you who do all this.
Gospel: Mt 13:36-43
Then he sent the crowds away and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” Jesus answered them, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world; the good seed are the people of the kingdom; the weeds are those who follow the evil one. The enemy who sows the weeds is the devil; the harvest is the end of time, and the workers are the angels.
Just as the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of time. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom all that is scandalous and all who do evil. And these will be thrown into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the just will shine, like the sun, in the kingdom of their Father. If you have ears, then hear.
Reflections
The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom all that is scandalous and all who do evil
In his meditation on the Two Standards, Ignatius explains that Jesus and the Evil One battle over our hearts. It is not enough to declare I choose Jesus and his Gospel instead of the Evil One and his ways. Throughout our lives, we need to be purified of sin within and choose to follow Jesus. Perhaps St. Ignatius’ most precious gifts to the Church are his Spiritual Exercises and Examen of Consciousness which equip us with tools to discern God’s will, by examining the movements of the good and evil spirits within us. We pray then to choose Jesus daily.
Daily Reflection 2018
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Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57th Edition) The New English Translation for the ROMAN MISSAL
With permission from the EPISCOPAL COMMISION ON LITURGY of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines
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