Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection July 24, 2024
Sixteenth Week of Ordinary Time
24th July 2024 (Wednesday)
Psalter: Week 4
Reading of the Day
First Reading: Jeremiah 1:1, 4-10
The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.” Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”
Psalm 71:1-2, 3-4a, 5-6ab, 15ab and 17 (R. see 15ab)
R/. My mouth will tell of your salvation, Lord.
Gospel Acclamation
V/. Alleluia
R/. Alleluia
V/. The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower; all who come to him will live forever.
R/. Alleluia.
Gospel : Matthew 13:1-9
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the lake. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.”
Daily Gospel Reflection
Wednesday – Sixteenth Week of Ordinary Time
Guidelines: God provides us all that is needed for our growth and fruitfulness. But it depends on us how to respond to and cooperate with His grace and produce fruit abundantly
1. Very many times, it is sad to see that a good many waste their life without any sense of purpose and direction. They are just unproductive and unfruitful. They receive many opportunities to grow and prove themselves worthwhile and useful. But they are not responsive and responsible.
2. This is because they are not sensitive and susceptible to sense the offer of God’s grace. They are not receptive to it. They are not cooperative with it. Consequently, they fail to produce fruits that are abundant and lasting. This message is strongly conveyed by the parable of the sower in the gospel.
3. The four types of soil represent four kinds of response and cooperation. The first way-side soil indicates all those who are totally indifferent and unbothered about the seeds of God’s grace. God and God’s things for them do not matter at all. God has no entry into their lives.
4. The second rocky soil indicates all those who receive God’s grace willingly but are not deep-rooted. So easily their initial enthusiasm fades away. The third bushy and thorny soil denotes all those who are regarded as religious and devout people but are dominated by worldliness. The worldly interests and preoccupations distract, deviate, and distort them. Consequently, their life of faith is choked and restricted.
5. The fourth fertile soil receives the seeds, cultivates them diligently, and produces a rich harvest of abundant fruits. What is notable is that on God’s part, there is no lapse. There is no scarcity in the supply of seeds. He distributes His seeds without any discrimination.
6. This positive response and active production require a consistent awareness and living of our very vocation and mission like that of Jeremiah. Jeremiah receives God’s call in all humility. He is aware of his unworthiness, inexperience, and incompetence. But God assures him, “Do not be afraid, for I am with you to deliver you”. He equips him with His own power, by “putting His words in his mouth”.
Practice: Our call is God’s own design and making. It is He who consecrated us and appointed us prophets. This requires that we are diligent and fruit-bearing and we also make others fruit-bearing
