Daily Reflections from "alive Publishing"

Sunday 6 July

(A) Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time • Matthew 11:25-30




Jesus Thanks His Father

25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; 26 yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will. 27 All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”




Today’s Gospel reading is an especially beautiful one. It reveals (and ‘reveals’ being the operative word) a very wonderful truth about God and his nature, expressing it in a way that no mere human mind could express. In other words, these words of Jesus come straight from God’s own heart and it is as if he is speaking them directly into our own lives. We can divide these five verses into three categories: the Father’s delight (vv. 25-26); the relationship between the Father and the Son (v. 27); and the grace of revelation (vv. 28-30).
Jesus teaches us that God the Father delights to pour out a gift of revelation upon his children. ‘Revelation’ in this context is all about us having the grace to enter more deeply into the mystery of God. In the Christian faith there are no new truths, simply the ancient revelation of Scripture, the Creed and the teaching of the Church, and it is in these truths that we immerse our minds and hearts. And as we do so, the Holy Spirit opens up our minds and hearts to see hidden depths, a new meaning, a fresh interpretation or a word of nuance which touches us deeply and moves us to love and worship God. This is not the preserve or reserve of a few blessed people – this is a birthright of our baptism. We are supposed to be a people who receive light and revelation from God.
However, this grace – which we could call ‘a grace of revelation’ – comes to us as we decide to carve out time and space to pray, study the Scriptures and be still before the Lord. In a way prayer can be understood as a time set aside to invest in this grace of revelation. We can see this as the desire of the Father’s heart. In response he opens up his mystery to us. The more rooted our lives are in receiving revelation and insight from God, the more we know God’s joy, and the more we rejoice in God’s plan of salvation and his work in this world. Today we have an opportunity to experience the delight of our heavenly Father as we penetrate the mystery of his Son and receive the grace of revelation that brings us peace, joy and happiness.


Praise the Father, the good and holy Creator who blesses his children with the grace of revelation and the gift of deep and lasting joy.

Monday 7 July

Matthew 9:18-26




A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed

18 While he was thus speaking to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples. 20 And behold, a woman who had suffered from a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment; 21 for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I shall be made well.” 22 Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well. 23 And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house, and saw the flute players, and the crowd making a tumult, 24 he said, “Depart; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. 25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. 26 And the report of this went through all that district.




Today’s Gospel invites us to pray and reflect on Jesus’ healing ministry. Matthew relates how a synagogue ruler approaches Jesus to ask him to come and raise his daughter from the dead! Jesus sets out to respond to the man’s seemingly impossible request, but is interrupted on his way by an incident involving a woman with a long history of suffering from haemorrhages. Jesus takes time out to respond to this woman’s need before continuing on his journey to the house of the synagogue ruler.
Matthew doesn’t name the synagogue ruler, but we know from the parallel passage in Mark’s Gospel that his name is Jairus (see Mark 5:22-43). A ruler of the synagogue was a layman with administrative responsibilities for the upkeep of the building and supervision of the worship, although sometimes the title was simply honorary. The synagogue ruler kneels before the Lord – in Matthew’s record he doesn’t call him ‘Lord’ or ‘Master’ but by kneeling he shows respect and acknowledgement that he is before someone who is great and who has authority.
While the synagogue ruler approaches Jesus publically, the woman suffering from haemorrhages reaches out to Jesus in the most private of ways, hoping not to be noticed. We do not know the precise nature of her painful and humiliating condition, which would have made her ritually unclean, but we are told that it had been going on for twelve years. Mark gives us the added detail that she had spent all her money going to different doctors to seek a cure.
Jesus raises the synagogue ruler’s daughter and heals the woman of her condition. The Greek word for ‘heal’ actually means ‘save’. In these two miracles we encounter both physical healing (‘be healed of your disease’, Mark 5:34) and spiritual salvation (‘go in peace’, Mark 5:34). The Lord holds out the same grace and blessing to us. We are all in need of God’s healing touch and we avail ourselves of this in many ways: through prayer, our reading of the Scriptures and in the sacraments of the Church, supremely in the Eucharist. Like the synagogue ruler and the woman, however, we must be lowly and humble and seek out the Lord confident of his loving touch and healing grace.


Lord, I bow before you as the Lord and the Giver of Life. Heal me and I am healed, forgive me and I am forgiven, restore me and I am restored.

Tuesday 8 July

Matthew 9:32-38




Jesus Heals One Who Was Mute

32 As they were going away, behold, a dumb demoniac was brought to him. 33 And when the demon had been cast out, the dumb man spoke; and the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.” 34 But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.”
The Harvest Is Great, the Laborers Few

35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”




The Bible can be hard to read at times. It is, after all, an ancient book – the New Testament two thousand years old, the Old Testament close to three thousand! How remarkable it is, then, that the words of Scripture transcend the centuries and continue to address every time, every place, every heart. We encounter today, however, an incident which is outside the experience of most of us: the powerful deliverance of a demon-possessed man. Realizing something truly amazing was occurring in their midst, the amazed crowd of onlookers declared, ‘Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel’ (v. 33 NIV).
Despite this explosion of God’s grace and power the religious authorities were not impressed. Now, as we are often at pains to highlight, among the Pharisees there were many good men – devout Jews who were faithful to their traditions and loved God. Men such as Nicodemus, who sought the Lord out at night to discuss his teaching, and Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy Pharisee who provided the tomb in which Jesus was buried. However, there can be no escaping their general resistance to Jesus and the rather contrary and antagonistic stance they adopted towards him. On this occasion, apparently upset by the crowd’s wonder at the miracle of deliverance, they said: ‘It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons’ (v. 34 NIV). The Pharisees were blinded by jealousy at this new work of God in their midst. They felt threatened by Jesus, by his miracles and by his power over evil.
We can be rather like the Pharisees ourselves and fail to recognize that the gospel is a message with power that can transform not just our own lives, but the whole world. If we truly lived as Jesus lived, we would be able to recognize evil and drive it out with prayer and intercession, calling upon the blood, the name and the cross of Christ. Lives lived in this way prepare the ground for the new evangelization because the harvest is indeed plentiful and the Lord needs workers who will take up the sword of righteousness and resist the devil.


Lord, I pray in your name that the light of Christ would shine into my life, and in your name I would drive out selfishness and a lack of hope and expectancy in the power of the gospel to transform the world.

Wednesday 9 July

Matthew 10:1-7




The Twelve Apostles

10 And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every infirmity. 2 The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zeb′edee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
The Mission of the Twelve

5 These twelve Jesus sent out, charging them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And preach as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’





From the very beginning the Church faced cruel and relentless suffering. To be a Christian was to carry a price on your head – whether man, woman or child. The first believers were seen as outlaws, revolutionaries – a curse to be stamped on and stamped out. This is a simple fact of history, which is why Tertullian, the second-century theologian, came to the conclusion, ‘The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.’
The first believers were ordinary men and women who laid down their lives for their faith (1 Cor. 1:26). How moving are these words from the letter to the Hebrews, capturing something of the onslaught unleashed upon them: ‘They were stoned, they were sawn in two; they were killed with the sword;…afflicted, ill-treated – of whom the world was not worthy’ (11:37-38). This was the Christian world for three hundred years. This was the lot of believers as Roman emperor after emperor inflicted a brutal reign of terror upon them. We are privileged to stand on their shoulders.
However, truly miraculously, in the fourth century the Roman Emperor Constantine converted to the Christian faith and everything changed. Christianity went from being hounded and persecuted to the religion of choice for aspirational and upwardly mobile citizens of the Roman world – the Christian faith was positively de rigueur!
Yet it is an odd fact of church history that the Church flourishes more during times of intense persecution than it does during times of peace and harmony. Why is this? Perhaps it is because at such times the truth and reality of faith come into sharper focus. Life is short; we are pilgrims passing through this life on our way to the Father’s house. Times of persecution and adversity make us clarify what is important in our lives. Consider this challenge from C.S. Lewis: ‘I believe that there are too many accommodating preachers…Jesus Christ did not say: “Go into the world and tell the world that it is quite right.”’ The gospel is salt of the earth, light to the world, a sign of contradiction and a sign of the cross.



Lord Jesus Christ, send me out into the world to be a living witness of your truth and love. May I do so with courage, conviction, gentleness and respect but always with joy and great boldness, embracing trial and suffering with grace and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Thursday 10 July

Matthew 10:7-15




7" As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.
9 “Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts— 10 no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep. 11 Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. 12 As you enter the home, give it your greeting. 13 If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. "


On a certain stretch of the M6 Motorway an advertiser has taken it upon themselves to buy a hoarding, hoist it up on a lorry and position it in a field where it can be seen by the traffic hurtling past on one of the busiest roads in Europe. The advert says simply: ‘God is dead.’ It is bizarre, and quite what the advertiser’s intentions are it is hard to know. Furthermore, whether the advertiser realizes it or not, they are quoting Nietzsche, the German philosopher. Nietzsche was no friend of the Christian faith, that is for sure.
Nietzsche also famously said, ‘Show me that you are redeemed and then I will believe in your redeemer.’ Now, to be fair, he had a good point. Jesus’ commission of his disciples is the same yesterday, today and forever. We are sent out in the same way as they were all those centuries ago. We take with us the same life-changing message. We are to be Spirit-filled evangelists; men and women full of the joy, hope and optimism of the gospel of Christ. We are not to be sourpusses, killjoys – mean-spirited, narrow-minded, judgemental, harsh and lacking in mercy or compassion. We are to show the world that we are redeemed and that we know the Lord.
St Augustine said: ‘No fragrance can be more pleasing to God than that of his own Son. May all the faithful breathe out the same perfume.’ We are to be the aroma of Christ, giving people the opportunity to breathe in the fresh perfume of the gifts and fruits of the Spirit in our lives. Where there is no joy, we strive to put joy. Where there is no love, we work to put love. Where there is no forgiveness, we hold out forgiveness. This is what it means to be a Spirit-filled evangelist.
God is not dead; God is alive. We know that our Redeemer lives because he lives in the Church, his body, but he also lives in every believer, by the fruit and grace of baptism. We are living in challenging times but, in the same way that Jesus was sent by the Father, we are being sent by him to evangelize and win the world for God.


Lord, may I witness today that I am redeemed; may I give off the fragrant perfume of Christ’s joy and love, and share his promises easily and confidently with others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Friday 11 July

Matthew 19:27-29 • St Benedict (Patron of Europe) (Feast)




27 Then Peter said in reply, “Lo, we have left everything and followed you. What then shall we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of man shall sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And every one who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life."




Before the Second Vatican Council (1963–65) Mass in the west was celebrated in Latin and Bible reading was not actively encouraged: this was more encouraged with the Council and the promulgation of Dei verbum. Today, as beautiful and as wonderful as the Latin Mass is, Mass is celebrated in the vernacular language of each country and, thankfully, the reading of the Bible is encouraged and supported.
One of the reasons why the reading of the Bible was previously discouraged was because of the danger the Church saw in people misinterpreting and misunderstanding it. The Bible is, in this sense, a dangerous book. The Scripture scholar Origen, for example, castrated himself because he wanted to be a eunuch for the kingdom – this was clearly a too-literal interpretation, and a painful one at that! St Francis of Assisi, having heard the Lord say to him, ‘Rebuild my church’, literally took up his pick and shovel and began to work on a church building that had fallen into disrepair. However, he soon came to a deeper understanding that the Lord meant him to be a witness of spiritual renewal and change! When Jesus taught that if our eye causes us to sin we should gouge it out, he was speaking metaphorically, not literally.
Now this is not to say that following Christ does not call for a radical choice, because it does: choosing to follow Christ requires a willingness to lay down our lives, to die to self and live for God. Not many of us will literally have to lay down our lives, not many of us will be brutally persecuted. Nevertheless, there will be sacrifice, there will be a giving up of our own way and a seeking out of the will of God. The point, though, is this: our Father in heaven sees our sacrifice, he understands what we have given up, he feels our pain and knows our suffering. God is the God of reward, blessing and grace who lavishes his love, mercy and kindness upon us. He has blessed us with the promise of the life to come, eternal life, but he also blesses us today with the knowledge of his love and the great gift of fellowship with other believers.


Lord Jesus, I pray and long for your return when all things will be made new and the kingdom of justice, love and truth will be established in your name. Come, Lord Jesus, come

Saturday 12 July

Matthew 10:24-33




24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master; 25 it is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Be-el′zebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.
26 “So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, utter in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim upon the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s will. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. "




Witnessing to our faith is not easy. It definitely takes courage and not a little wisdom, tact and grace. Our society is becoming increasingly secular (worldly), and although a secular society should tolerate religious views, we appear to be entering a time when the Christian faith is treated less well than other faiths. There is a certain antipathy or antagonism to the Christian faith and perhaps even more to the Catholic faith with its strong teaching on sexual morality and ethics. To stand up as a believer, and a Catholic believer at that, can trigger a host of reactions and responses, which means that, whether we like it or not, we will be mocked and ridiculed to some extent.
The gospel has both a sweet and a bitter side to it: sweet because of the many blessings and graces we receive, but bitter because, like the Lord himself, we will be subject to trial, persecution and suffering. Jesus was accused of being Beelzebub (the devil) and we should expect no better treatment (v. 25). Yet in the midst of our suffering and trials we can have confidence in God. By God’s grace we can learn not to be afraid no matter what trials and difficulties we face.
If we don’t give testimony, if we don’t share our faith, then it is unlikely that we will undergo much persecution. But to those prepared to step out in faith, to take a risk and trust in God, the Father promises to give heavenly wisdom and strength. To witness for Christ means that Christ must increase and we must decrease. This does not mean that our personalities are diminished or we become robotic or take on a false persona: it means that by dying to self we allow Christ to live in us.
It is Christ living in us that makes the Christian life so attractive. We learn to bear witness to the fruits of the Spirit – to Christ’s love, Christ’s joy, Christ’s love of the Father. We learn also the meaning of the truth that we have been crucified with Christ, and the life we live in the body is the life of Christ. The vocation to live the life in the power of the Spirit is a life built on the knowledge that the Spirit of the Living God resides in us.



It is no longer I who live but Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour who lives in me.

Sunday 13 July

Matthew 13:1-23 • Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time




The Parable of the Sower

13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat there; and the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched; and since they had no root they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell upon thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.”
The Purpose of the Parables

10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 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. 12 For to him who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 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. 14 With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says:
‘You shall indeed hear but never understand,
and you shall indeed see but never perceive.
15 For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and their ears are heavy of hearing,
and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should perceive with their eyes,
and hear with their ears,
and understand with their heart,
and turn for me to heal them.’

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
The Parable of the Sower Explained

18 “Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 When any one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart; this is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 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. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is he 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.”




Parables were a common device employed in storytelling in the ancient world but the parables of Jesus are unique. They reveal a mind of greater depth and clarity than ever before or ever since known in human history. Men and women of learning the world over, whether believers or not, recognize in the parables of Jesus the hand, work and mind of human genius. Believers recognize the hand, work and mind of God. When we contemplate the parables, especially the Parable of the Sower, we leave the world of human understanding and enter the mystery of God. Even the disciples did not understand the meaning of this parable at first: they had to come to Jesus and ask him to explain it to them.
The Parable of the Sower teaches us that the word of God, like seed sown in a ploughed field by a farmer, needs to take root in our hearts and minds. It is God who provides water and sunshine to make it grow. We for our part need to ensure that the soil of our lives is prepared to receive it. It needs to be tilled, and the stones and weeds need to be removed. Without this essential preparation the seed will not be able to flourish: the roots that it produces will not be able to go down deep into our lives; the young seedling will be strangled and choked, and eventually uprooted.
But what is this divine life? This divine life is God’s word. We hear this word in Scripture or in prayer and it brings God’s wisdom, light and life. For example, we might hear the word: ‘Forgive your brother and sister. Let go of resentment, know you are forgiven.’ This word spoken into our hearts is from God. If we hold on to this word, protecting it and cultivating it, we learn to forgive and let go of the anger or hurt or resentment.
God speaks his word to us in many and varied ways. Here is a word from God for us today, ‘Cherish and revere the parables. Seek to understand the Parable of the Sower and its hidden depths. Ask the Holy Spirit for insight and for the grace of revelation.’


Lord God, by your grace may I produce fruit in my life by cultivating a heart which is open to receiving the gift of revelation and insight and so enter ever more deeply into the profound mystery of faith.

Monday 14 July

Matthew 10:34–11:1




Not Peace, but a Sword

34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36 and a man’s foes will be those of his own household. 37 He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.
Rewards

40 “He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me. 41 He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward, and he who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 And whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”
11 And when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.




Jesus was a radical and a revolutionary. We don’t tend to associate these words or ideas with the Lord since the Church as an organization is law-abiding and part of the establishment. Nevertheless, Jesus was a revolutionary and he was hounded by the civil and religious authorities of his day. He was perceived as a threat to national stability and was deeply troublesome to the ruling class of his day. Jesus incurred the wrath of the religious establishment because he challenged their hypocrisy and shallowness. He also proclaimed that he was the fulfilment of the law and the prophets, that he could forgive sin and that God was his Father – with the clear implication that he was God’s Son. In the end those he troubled wanted rid of him and he was executed as a common criminal.
Jesus is a paradox. He is the Prince of Peace but he also came wielding a sword – not, however, the sword of a typical revolutionary but the sword of truth, love and redemption. The German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote: ‘The peace of Jesus is the cross. But the cross is the sword God wields on earth. It creates division. The son against the father, the daughter against the mother, the member of the house against the head – all this will happen in the name of God’s kingdom and his peace. That is the work which Christ performs on earth.’ The truth is that whenever the gospel is actively proclaimed and put into practice, it will always provoke conflict and tension. This is because the way of the cross and the way of life are at odds with the way of self and the way of death. We do not deliberately seek conflict or division but, as we proclaim the gospel, it divides because it challenges us at the very core of our being.
The call to discipleship is very demanding – it demands our heart, our strength and our very lives. If it does not make these demands on us, then we are not disciples. We are being invited by Pope Francis to choose the way of discipleship: to opt for a simpler lifestyle, to choose to serve the poor and to lay down our lives for others.



Lord God, your word is sharper than any two-edged sword – it divides and purifies, and cuts through the hardness and selfishness of our hearts that we may serve the Living God with enthusiasm and joy.

Tuesday 15 July

Matthew 11:20-24 • St Bonaventure (Memorial)




Woes to Unrepentant Cities

20 Then he began to upbraid the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. 21 “Woe to you, Chora′zin! woe to you, Beth-sa′ida! for if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 23 And you, Caper′na-um, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I tell you that it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”




We human beings have a remarkable capacity to avoid talking about things that matter – topics such as death, politics and sex. These subjects are guaranteed to get everybody hot under the collar, and so, we conclude, are probably best avoided. And the Church isn’t exempt from ‘no-go areas’: there are a whole host of topics that are currently out of vogue – including heaven (rarely discussed or preached on), hell (heaven forbid!), the second coming of Jesus (many clergy fear being labelled extreme if they preach on this – despite it being at the heart of our faith), and sin and repentance (a definite no-no these days!).
The problem – and for sure it is a problem – is that these are some of the key tenets of our faith. If people do not understand these concepts they cannot understand the Christian life. An understanding of sin and repentance is, for example, fundamental. If we fail to speak about sin and repentance, people cannot understand salvation and redemption – the very reason Jesus came. Sin and repentance became unpopular because of an over-emphasis on guilt and failure in the past. But what we all need to understand and appreciate about repentance is that we don’t have the grace to repent and turn away from sin in and of ourselves. It is the Holy Spirit who moves and compels us to repent and turn away from our sin. As St John Chrysostom reflected: ‘Repentance is not the work of man: as the prophet Jeremiah says: “Make me repent, Lord, and I shall repent.”’
The problem with sin and repentance, if we can put it like this, is that it is far easier to see other people’s sins and failings than it is to see our own. However, the Holy Spirit gives us the grace to look at our sin, invite his light to shine into our hearts and come before God in repentance before we think of focusing on the shortcomings of others. The reason why repentance is hard is because it invites us to receive the gift of self-knowledge and self-awareness and face up to ourselves, but this is the only way we can be set free from our sin.


Lord, teach me to repent of my sin, turn away from darkness and remove the plank from my own eye and not even presume to remove the splinter from someone else’s eye. Amen.

Wednesday 16 July

Matthew 11:25-27




Jesus Thanks His Father

25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; 26 yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will. 27 All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him . "


Every teacher experiences delight when a student makes a breakthrough in understanding. But added to the joy at the satisfaction the student feels is a sense of mystery – the teacher has presented the concepts but can’t provide the gift of understanding that he or she sees dawn in the other’s mind. At a far deeper level, this was the source of Jesus’ joy and thanksgiving when he saw that some of those he had been teaching were starting to understand his message. He must have seen in their expressions that they had realized that God was their Father and they could count on his loving mercy and aid. Significantly it was those without formal education, not the Pharisees and lawyers, who were grasping these truths – the learned remained proud and suspicious.
Jesus praised the Father for this because he knew that this process of understanding was the gift of the Father to those who desired to know the truth: only the Holy Spirit, sent from the Father, could have enlightened their minds in this way. But Jesus wants us to experience the same enlightenment. He wants to bring the gospel alive to us so that we have a deeper understanding of it and can apply it to our lives and draw from it hope and consolation. Jesus promised that he would send the Holy Spirit to teach us: ‘the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things’ (John 14:26). Paul knew profoundly what it meant to be taught by God and he prayed that others might experience this grace, ‘that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know the hope to which he has called you’ (Eph. 1:17-18).
The Lord wants our experience to be like that of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. ‘Did not our hearts burn within us...while he opened to us the scriptures?’ (Luke 24:32). We can be humbly expectant, especially in our times of prayer and Scripture reading, that if we open our hearts to him he will send his Spirit to teach us.


Father, we thank you that you have revealed yourself to us in your Son Jesus Christ, your living Word. Help us always to seek the kingdom he came to bring.

Thursday 17 July

Matthew 11:28-30




28 Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”




In claiming to be able to grant them ‘rest’ Jesus was revealing his true identity to his Jewish audience. For them rest was rooted in the Genesis account of creation wherein God rested on the seventh day (Gen. 2:3). In commanding them to observe the Sabbath, God had reminded his people that he had brought them out of slavery in Egypt (Deut. 5:12-15). Resting from work on the Sabbath, therefore, involved knowing the freedom to unite themselves with God, behaving like him and obeying him; it meant participating in the repose of the Creator.
This promise of Jesus remains unchanged and vital for us in today’s frantic world. Amidst all the turmoil of self-gratification, social upheaval and stress around us Christ still warmly invites us to bring him our weariness and burdens. Are we weary of the relentless pressures of work or bringing up a family in a godless world? Are we weary of coping with ill-health in ourselves or others? Are we burdened by guilt for past sin or for persistent sin in our lives? Are we burdened by hurts and resentments from past experiences? Do fear, anxiety, anger, depression and confusion tend to dominate our daily lives?
No burden is too heavy for our Saviour, no sin too shameful or embarrassing: he gave his life willingly on the cross that we might be set free, comforted and healed of all that prevents us from living the new life he came to bring us.
In exchange for our burdens Jesus offers us his ‘rest’. That does not mean idleness or passivity; rather it is a prayerful recognition in faith of who Jesus is and what he has done for us. As we enter into a deeper relationship with him we shall be set free of the burdens which weigh us down.
‘For whoever enters God’s rest also ceases from his labours as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest’ (Heb. 4:10-11).


Heavenly Father, we thank you for granting us, in your Son, a new life of peace and freedom. Deepen in us day by day a desire to be united with you in him for all eternity.

Friday 18 July

Matthew 12:1-8




Plucking Grain on the Sabbath

12 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath.” 3 He said to them, “Have you not read what David did, when he was hungry, and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the law how on the sabbath the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are guiltless? 6 I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. 7 And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of man is lord of the sabbath.”




The disciples, tired and hungry, plucked and ate ears of corn, an action considered the equivalent of reaping on the Sabbath, which was forbidden labour:
‘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; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your manservant, or your maidservant, or your cattle, 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 the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it.’ (Exod. 20:8-11)
The rabbis went on to classify thirty-nine kinds of work as forbidden, including reaping. The Pharisees, who appear as the leaders of the opposition to Jesus in the Gospels, protest against this unlawful act.
Jesus gives them a full and detailed answer. First, he compares the disciples’ act to that of David and his followers in 1 Samuel 21:1-6. In both cases a commandment was broken out of the need to satisfy physical hunger. Second, he speaks of how the priests are allowed to perform acts of work in the Jerusalem Temple on the Sabbath. The law permitted this so that worship in the Temple was not disrupted – Jesus is claiming that he is greater than the Temple! Third, he quotes from Hosea 6:6, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice’ (NIV), to criticize the Pharisees’ faulty scale of values. Jesus respects the holiness of the Sabbath, and gives it its authentic interpretation: ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath’ (Mark 2:27).
Jesus, as the Son of Man, has the ultimate authority over the Sabbath and even more right than David or the priests in the Temple to overrule the Old Testament legislation regarding the Sabbath. Jesus, in the Gospels, is always using opportunities to reveal more of who he is. Here he reveals that ‘the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath’ (v. 8).


Father, we thank you that you have revealed yourself to us in your Son, Jesus Christ. Give us the faith always to trust in your Word.

Saturday 19 July

Matthew 12:14-21




14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.
God’s Chosen Servant

15 When Jesus became aware of this, he departed. Many crowds followed him, and he cured all of them, 16 and he ordered them not to make him known. 17 This was to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
18 ‘Here is my servant, whom I have chosen,
my beloved, with whom my soul is well pleased.
I will put my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
19 He will not wrangle or cry aloud,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
20 He will not break a bruised reed
or quench a smouldering wick
until he brings justice to victory.
21 And in his name the Gentiles will hope.’




The debate between Jesus and the Pharisees over the origin of his powers came to a conclusion with the healing of the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath (vv. 9-14). The Pharisees no longer sought to understand Jesus but now conspired to destroy him.
With this rising opposition, Matthew reminds us of the prophecy of Isaiah (Isa. 42:1-21) concerning the servant of the Lord – a figure who would be called to suffer for his role in God’s plan. This passage from Isaiah is discussing the liberation of Israel from the rule of the Babylonians by Cyrus of Persia. Israel is the chosen people, the servant of the Lord – a servant upon whom the Spirit of the Lord has fallen, a servant who is the mediator in a covenant between God and the nations. It was Israel’s destiny to be a light on a hilltop to redeem the nations, but in order to fulfil its destiny Israel would need to be liberated from its own darkness and captivity.
Israel’s need parallels that of the whole of the human race. It is a need which was fulfilled in Jesus, the true Servant of God. At his baptism Jesus is confirmed as the Servant of God, as the one upon whom the Spirit falls, the one whom the Lord has chosen, and with whom he is pleased (Matt. 3:16-17).
Jesus is the Light, the one who will redeem the nations, the one who brings freedom. Jesus proclaimed justice to the Gentiles. He went to the very limits of the demands of love by giving his life for the redemption of all.
In the face of hostility Jesus did not use violence. Instead, he was gentle and humble, touching all those who came to him in need. He neither broke a bruised reed nor quenched a smouldering wick.
Jesus remained faithful to his calling as a servant. We too are servants of the Lord. Let us pray that the Spirit of the living God will fall upon us and fill us with the love of the Servant King, that we will seek not to be served but to serve.


‘I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.’ (Ps. 9:1-2 NIV)

Sunday 20 July

(A) Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time • Matthew 13:24-43






The Parable of Weeds among the Wheat

24 Another parable he put before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants of the householder came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”
The Parable of the Mustard Seed

31 Another parable he put before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field; 32 it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
The Parable of the Yeast

33 He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”
The Use of Parables

34 All this Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed he said nothing to them without a parable. 35 This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet:
“I will open my mouth in parables,
I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.”

Jesus Explains the Parable of the Weeds

36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of man; 38 the field is the world, and the good seed means the sons of the kingdom; the weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. 41 The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, 42 and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. "




Good news is precious these days. There is little enough of it in our papers and on our television screens! As we contemplate the evils of our world – the injustices, abuses of power, and injuries to the most vulnerable and to children – we can quickly lose hope. People ask how a God so good and so powerful can allow such things to happen. Inwardly we too may often be baffled. How can the love and hope of the gospel exist in a world so full of suffering and evil?
Jesus’ story of the wheat and the weeds has some encouraging answers. First, it is clear that the man sowed good seed in his field; any evil is the work of his enemy. So we cannot blame the bad things in our world on God. Then, given that there are bad things everywhere, it is striking that the owner of the field seems less perturbed by them than do his servants. He is content to let weeds and wheat grow together until the harvest. The world is a mixed bag of good and evil, and the Church is composed of saints and sinners. Our own lives too are a mixture of good and evil. We need to be patient – with ourselves and with others – as we strive for the perfection God seeks (Matt. 5:48), looking kindly upon shortcomings and failure. After all, judgement belongs to the Lord, and only at the harvest can the true nature of the plant be judged.
The glory of the Church now is the holiness of ordinary, weak and sinful men and women. It is the shining of small stars in the darkness. The bright shining of the sun will follow the final separation which the Son will accomplish at the close of the age (v. 43). So let us strive for purity in an impure world, not losing our hope because of the darkness against and within us, but trusting always in the Lord who sowed his good seed in us at baptism. He waits confidently for his seed to bear fruit – let us share his confidence and rejoice.


‘For there is no god, other than you, who cares for everyone, to whom you have to prove that your sentences have been just.’ (Wisd. 12:13)

Monday 21 July

Matthew 12:38-42




The Sign of Jonah

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign; but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nin′eveh will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the South will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. "




The Jewish people lived with a real sense of expectation of and longing for the messianic age. They believed that God would usher in this age with power, signs and miracles. For them the Messiah was a powerful, mighty and judgemental figure who would crush Israel’s enemies and establish God’s reign. Jesus, who claimed to be the promised Messiah, was an enigma wrapped up in a mystery! He did not come in power but performed powerful miracles. He did not enter the stage of human history with trumpet blast and pomp but came in humility and service. The Jews saw in him the power and glory of God, and were both attracted and intrigued and repelled by him. The statement ‘Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you’ (v. 38) is arrogant and belies an attitude which the Lord is quick to condemn: ‘An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign; but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah’ (v. 39). Jesus referred his detractors to the lessons of history.
The Ninevites (a wayward and rebellious people) repented and turned back to God when they heard the preaching of Jonah. The Queen of the South (or Sheba), a woman of tremendous wealth and power, travelled vast distances to listen to the wisdom of Solomon. These stories show that God’s work brings about great changes in people’s lives. Jesus was no Jonah or Solomon but the Son of the living God. Jonah was swallowed by the fish and remained in its belly for three days – in the same way the Lord Jesus was swallowed up by death and remained in the bowels of the earth for three days. Jesus’ death and resurrection (the sign of Jonah) speaks to us a better word than the Old Testament prophets or the wisdom of the ages – it proclaims the greatness of God, before whom we bow down and worship. Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection invite all men and women to repentance and change. The sign of Jonah is for all ages – revelation is complete. We await the second coming, the return of Christ.


Lord Jesus Christ, you are greater than all but you came in humility to save and redeem. You invite all men and women to bow their knee before the name of Jesus and proclaim him as the Servant King and Lord of All.

Tuesday 22 July

(Memorial) St Mary Magdalene • John 20:1-2, 11-18




20 Now on the first day of the week Mary Mag′dalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran, and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”





11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb; 12 and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Saying this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rab-bo′ni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” 18 Mary Mag′dalene went and said to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.




Today we are celebrating the power of love experienced in our relationship with Jesus. Mary Magdalene had had her first experience of that love on the day when Jesus had delivered her from seven demons. From that time onwards it had continued to draw her to him, right up until the day she had witnessed his crucifixion.
Mary Magdalene did not need to go to the tomb, but her presence there at such an early hour reflects her need just to be near Jesus and to gain relief from an aching heart, suffering from the loss of a love that had filled every corner of her life. At the sight of the empty tomb her mind was thrown into confusion. Now, in desperate need of consolation, she did not know where to find her Lord. Is it any wonder that John describes it as ‘still dark’?
How like Mary’s our journey in faith is. We know Jesus, we have tasted of his love, yet sometimes his love sets us along a road that can appear to lead us to a tomb, a place where we struggle to see him. We can feel lost, alone and desolate. Mary’s first reaction was to run to the others in sorrow and dejection. But after they had been and gone, it was Mary’s love that compelled her to keep looking; it was her devotion and loyalty that meant that she didn’t abandon her pursuit of her Lord. In her tears, and in her despair, he came to her: he met her at the tomb. Even then she couldn’t perceive his presence. Only when he called out her name did she recognize his voice. At that moment the darkness turned to light, her eyes were opened, and she saw the risen Lord. Now Mary did not run to the disciples in despondency: she went with a heart rejoicing, ready to proclaim to all that she had seen the Lord.
Mary’s example should encourage us to be confident that in every situation in our lives the Lord is present. It is as we draw near to him that we hear his voice calling us to proclaim the power of the resurrection and compelling us to live as witnesses of his love.


Lord, you call me by name and lead me to the joy of your resurrection. Though there are times when I struggle, help me always to proclaim your love to the world.

Wednesday 23 July

John 15:1-8 • St Bridget of Sweden (Patron of Europe)(Feast)

Jesus the True Vine

15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples."




‘St Bridget of Sweden was born of an aristocratic family in 1303 at Finsta in Sweden. She was a lay woman happily married to Ulfa, a good Christian man to whom she bore eight children. Those who have received a vocation to the consecrated life and lay people will feel that she is close to them. Without abandoning the comfortable condition of her social status, she and her husband enjoyed a married life in which conjugal love was joined to intense prayer, the study of sacred Scripture, mortification and charitable works. Together they founded a small hospital, where they often attended the sick. Bridget was in the habit of serving the poor personally. At the same time, she was appreciated for her gifts as a teacher, which she was able to use when she was required to serve at Court in Stockholm. This experience was the basis of the counsel which she would later give from time to time to princes and rulers concerning the proper fulfilment of their duties. But obviously the first to benefit from these counsels were her children, and it is not by chance that one of her daughters, Catherine, is venerated as a saint.
‘St Bridget had a profound sense of the mystery of Christ and the Church. Her profound union with Christ was accompanied by special gifts of revelation, which made her a point of reference for many people in the Church of her time. Bridget was recognized as having the power of prophecy, and at times her voice did seem to echo that of the great prophets of old. She spoke unabashedly to princes and pontiffs, declaring God’s plan with regard to the events of history. She was not afraid to deliver stern admonitions about the moral reform of the Christian people and the clergy themselves (Rev. 4:49; also 4:5).



‘Bridget stands as an important witness to the place reserved in the Church for a charism lived in complete docility to the Spirit of God and in full accord with the demands of ecclesial communion. In a special way too, because the Scandinavian countries from which Bridget came were separated from full communion with the See of Rome during the tragic events of the sixteenth century, the figure of this Swedish saint remains a precious ecumenical “bridge” strengthened by the ecumenical commitment of her order.’ (St. Pope John Paul II)

Thursday 24 July


Matthew 13:10-17




The Purpose of the Parables

10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 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. 12 For to him who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 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. 14 With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says:
‘You shall indeed hear but never understand,
and you shall indeed see but never perceive.
15 For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and their ears are heavy of hearing,
and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should perceive with their eyes,
and hear with their ears,
and understand with their heart,
and turn for me to heal them.’

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. "




The disciples were baffled as to why the Lord spoke to the people in parables. They were stretched and challenged by this new teaching. Jesus’ teaching caused them to think, to use their minds – in this he was different from the religious teachers they were used to hearing! They were perplexed and confused. The originality and depth of Jesus’ parables tested them profoundly. They weren’t being difficult or obtuse – they just didn’t comprehend.
And so in today’s Gospel Jesus seizes the opportunity to lead them further into the meaning of his parables. He begins by affirming his disciples. In effect he says: ‘You understand much more than you know.’ Or in other words: ‘You have received much more than you can currently understand.’ What was it they had received? They had received knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. If they didn’t grasp their meaning now, a time would come when they would. What was important was their attitude, their disposition, in short their hearts.
The Lord addresses an attitude that he sees as spiritually destructive. It poses a threat to people’s ability to receive his teaching, preventing them from being receptive and open to the Holy Spirit. Oddly it often afflicts those who are very involved in their faith. Jesus, quoting Isaiah, describes such people as those who see but do not see, who hear but do not hear. He laments and grieves over this paradox: they hear but never understand; they see but never perceive.
Why is this? Why are some afflicted in this way? It is because their hearts have become hard. Deep within they refuse to accept God’s teaching. They have become proud, stiff-necked and resistant. A hard heart is an unteachable heart and in this state unreachable. It is only the Holy Spirit who can reach it. The Spirit heals such hearts. A hard heart melts as it responds to the teaching and leading of the Spirit.
We should not judge or condemn, for we need to recognize that it’s easy for our own hearts to become hard. Each of us can find ourselves resisting the Spirit. Our challenge is to ensure that our hearts are open and receptive to his work in our lives.


Holy Spirit, open my heart to your teaching. Holy Spirit, grant me the humility to root out the sin that hardens hearts and the pride that resists your grace and love. Holy Spirit, heal my heart.

Friday 25 July

Matthew 20:20-28 • St James (Feast)




The Request of the Mother of James and John

20 Then the mother of the sons of Zeb′edee came up to him, with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Command that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” 22 But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” 23 He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” 24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave; 28 even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”




The Gospel of Matthew records for us an episode in the life of James and his brother John which reveals a human but flawed aspect of their character. Through the intervention of their mother they wish to have a place of honour beside Jesus when he comes into his kingdom. Jesus challenges them: ‘Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?’ (v. 22). They reply that they can. Their zeal and enthusiasm make them answer rashly and prematurely. Commenting on this, St John Chrysostom wrote: ‘“We can!” Fervour makes them answer promptly, though they really do not know what they are saying but still they think they will receive what they ask for.’
Jesus goes further, prophesying that they will indeed suffer for him and his kingdom. St John Chrysostom paraphrases his words thus: ‘You will be found worthy of martyrdom; you will suffer what I suffer and end your life with violent death, thus sharing all with me.’ Jesus, the Son of Man, did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.

‘See how imperfect they all are: the two who tried to get ahead of the other ten, and the ten who were jealous of the two! But, as I said before, show them to me at a later date in their lives, and you will see that all these impulses and feelings have disappeared. Read how John, the very man who here asks for the first place, will always yield to Peter when it comes to preaching and performing miracles in the Acts of the Apostles. James, for his part, was not to live very much longer; for from the beginning he was inspired by great fervour and, setting aside all purely human goals, rose to such splendid heights that he straightaway suffered martyrdom.’ (St John Chrysostom)


Lord God, you accepted the sacrifice of St James, the first of your apostles to give his life for your sake. May your Church find strength in his martyrdom and support in his constant prayer. ‘Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials.’ (Jas. 1:2)