Thirteenth Week of Ordinary Time
05th July 2024 (Friday)
Psalter: Week 1
Reading of the Day
First Reading: Amos 8:4-6, 9-12
Hear this, you who trample on the needy and bring the poor of the land to an end, saying, “When will the new moon be over, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may offer wheat for sale, that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great and deal deceitfully with false balances, that we may buy the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals and sell the chaff of the wheat?” “And on that day,” declares the Lord God, “I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight. I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on every waist and baldness on every head; I will make it like the mourning for an only son and the end of it like a bitter day. “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord God, “when I will send a famine on the land—not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it.
Psalm 119:2, 10, 20, 30, 40, 131 (R. Matthew 4:4)
R/. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Gospel Acclamation
V/. Alleluia
R/. Alleluia
V/. Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
R/. Alleluia.
Gospel : Matthew 9:9-13
At that time: As Jesus passed on, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Daily Gospel Reflection
Friday – Thirteenth Week of Ordinary Time
Guidelines: True religion and devotion should not be reduced only to some external ritual practices or rules or traditions. What is needed is a change of heart
1. Jesus in the gospel admonishes the Pharisees, “Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice’”. They failed exactly in this. They abounded in religious sacrifices and observances. But they lacked mercy toward others. They despised the tax collectors and many other strata of people as sinners but rated themselves as holy and righteous.
2. The same lack of mercy and justice infected the Israel people in the Old Testament as found in the first reading from Amos. They practiced rigorously the religious duties like the Sabbath. But they dealt deceitfully with the poor and needy. They pretended to be righteous but in truth were the real sinners. In reference to Jesus’ words, these are the really sick who are sick and have the need of a physician.
3. In such situations, God does not remain indifferent. He intervenes offering various possibilities for repentance and renewal. He will create a “famine not of bread or water but of hearing the words of the Lord”. He will cause them “seek the word of the Lord”.
4. God unceasingly calls anyone, “Follow me!” This has no discrimination or social tags and preferences. That is why we find Jesus calling Matthew, who was a tax collector and labeled as a sinner. In this call, the purpose is clear: a personal renewal and a mission to carry on. Blessed was Matthew who responded positively to the call! He fulfilled the purpose of his call by living as a disciple and working as an apostle.
Practice: God’s incessant call, “Follow me!” needs a positive response. It calls for a radical change of life and a commitment to the mission of the Lord
