First reading Jeremiah 14:17-22
We confess our wickedness; you, God, are our hope
The Lord said to me:
Say this word to the people:
‘Tears flood my eyes
night and day, unceasingly,
since a crushing blow falls on the daughter of my people,
a most grievous injury.
If I go into the countryside,
there lie men killed by the sword;
if I go into the city,
I see people sick with hunger;
even prophets and priests
plough the land: they are at their wit’s end.’
‘Have you rejected Judah altogether?
Does your very soul revolt at Zion?
Why have you struck us down without hope of cure?
We were hoping for peace – no good came of it!
For the moment of cure – nothing but terror!
Lord, we do confess our wickedness
and our fathers’ guilt:
we have indeed sinned against you.
For your name’s sake do not reject us,
do not dishonour the throne of your glory.
Remember us; do not break your covenant with us.
Can any of the pagan Nothings make it rain?
Can the heavens produce showers?
No, it is you, Lord.
O our God, you are our hope,
since it is you who do all this.’
Responsorial Psalm 78(79):8-9,11,13
Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.
Do not hold the guilt of our fathers against us.
Let your compassion hasten to meet us;
we are left in the depths of distress.
Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.
O God our saviour, come to our help.
Come for the sake of the glory of your name.
O Lord our God, forgive us our sins;
rescue us for the sake of your name.
Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.
Let the groans of the prisoners come before you;
let your strong arm reprieve those condemned to die.
But we, your people, the flock of your pasture,
will give you thanks for ever and ever.
We will tell your praise from age to age.
Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.
Gospel Matthew 13:36-43
As the darnel is gathered up and burnt, so it will be at the end of time
Leaving the crowds, Jesus went to the house; and his disciples came to him and said, ‘Explain the parable about the darnel in the field to us.’ He said in reply, ‘The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world; the good seed is the subjects of the kingdom; the darnel, the subjects of the evil one; the enemy who sowed them, the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; the reapers are the angels. Well then, just as the darnel is gathered up and burnt in the fire, so it will be at the end of time. The Son of Man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that provoke offences and all who do evil, and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then the virtuous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Listen, anyone who has ears!’
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Good over evil
In today’s passage, Jesus left the crowd and went to the house, and His disciples went with Him. In this time of prayer, let us enter into the inner room of our innermost self, where Jesus is there waiting for us. Let us prepare our hearts to listen attentively to what He has to say to us.
From the gospel passage, one point that we can reflect upon is that the evil, i.e. the evil of pride, lust, anger, etc., is real and can invade society, the church and even our lives. We can see its effects as we look around and in us- broken relationships, betrayals, lies, injustices, acts of violence, etc. The good news is that evil does not have the final word. In the end, God’s love will triumph. Now, we have the duty to allow God to work in and through us so that He can use our lives to be instruments of His love, justice and truth. With God, we can play a part in eradicating evil and making His kingdom a reality in the here and now.
Reflective question:
How can I help God to sow good news of His love, justice and truth?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year B” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD.
