Readings & Reflections: Tuesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time & St. Peter Chrysologus, July 30,2019

Peter Chrysologus, the “golden-worded,” served as a fifth-century bishop of Ravenna, the governmental seat of the Western Empire, Empress Galla Placidia heard his first sermon and lent her generous support to his building efforts in Ravenna, one the most beautifully adorned cities of Christendom. Of Peter’s writings only one letter, urging the heretic Eutyches to remain in union with the Church, and a number of sermons survive. His homilies were vivid yet concise – marvels of brevity. He lent support to Pope Leo the Great’s teachings on the Incarnation. Through his sermons, he awakened in the hearts of the faithful a deeper awareness of the mystery of God-become-man: “By the fact that he assumes a human nature, acts the part of man, enters into the centuries, passes through the periods of life, teaches by word, works cures by his power, tells parables, gives examples, and manifests in himself the burden of our emotions – by all this he reveals that he has an indescribable affection of human love.” Peter labored among his flock in Ravenna until his death, around the year 450 A.D. He was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1729 A.D.

The glory of Moses was that “the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face.” And yet, that is the very privilege that belongs to the believers of Jesus: “His disciples approached him and said, ‘Explain to us the parable.’” Christ’s parable reveals a “merciful and gracious God, rich in kindness and fidelity.” With Moses we cry, “Come along in our company!”

AMDG+

 Opening Prayer

“Lord, may your all-consuming love rule in my heart and transform my life that I may sow what is good, worthy, and pleasing to you.” Amen.

Reading I
Ex 33:7-11; 34:5b-9, 28

The tent, which was called the meeting tent, Moses used to pitch at some distance away, outside the camp. Anyone who wished to consult the LORD would go to this meeting tent outside the camp. Whenever Moses went out to the tent, the people would all rise and stand at the entrance of their own tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent. As Moses entered the tent, the column of cloud would come down and stand at its entrance while the LORD spoke with Moses. On seeing the column of cloud stand at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise and worship at the entrance of their own tents. The LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as one man speaks to another. Moses would then return to the camp, but his young assistant, Joshua, son of Nun, would not move out of the tent.

Moses stood there with the LORD and proclaimed his name, “LORD.” Thus the LORD passed before him and cried out, “The LORD, the LORD, a  merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity,continuing his kindness for a thousand generations, and forgiving wickedness and crime and sin; yet not declaring the guilty guiltless, but punishing children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation for their fathers’ wickedness!” Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship. Then he said, “If I find favor with you, O LORD, do come along in our company. This is indeed a stiff-necked people;  yet pardon our wickedness and sins, and receive us as your own.”

So Moses stayed there with the LORD for forty days and forty nights, without eating any food or drinking any water, and he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 103:6-7, 8-9, 10-11, 12-13
R. (8a) The Lord is kind and merciful.

The LORD secures justice
and the rights of all the oppressed.
He has made known his ways to Moses,
and his deeds to the children of Israel.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.

Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
He will not always chide,
nor does he keep his wrath forever.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.

Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.

As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.

Gospel
Mt 13:36-43

Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house.
His disciples approached him and said,
“Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”
He said in reply, “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man,
the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom.
The weeds are the children of the Evil One,
and the enemy who sows them is the Devil.
The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire,
so will it be at the end of the age.
The Son of Man will send his angels,
and they will collect out of his Kingdom
all who cause others to sin and all evildoers.
They will throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
Then the righteous will shine like the sun
in the Kingdom of their Father.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Reflection 1 – Whoever has ears ought to hear

Jeremiah acknowledged his own sins and those of the people of Judah as he pleaded to the Lord to remember His covenant. Although the hardened nation of Judah deserves punishment, Jeremiah, a man of true compassion is overcome by grief at the prospect of further suffering that lies ahead. Despite what
the people have done to him, having been humiliated and threatened, he did not judge or hate them for their sinful infidelities which threatened to bring down the whole nation. Though he was innocent he even had the courage to identify with the people in the hope that God will free the entire nation of Judah.

The prayers of the people of Judah were empty as their blatant idolatry has dragged God’s Name through the mud. They defiled His temple when they supposed that they could sin and worship at the same time.  Their sordid predicament deserved nothing less than God’s wrath and judgment. But Jeremiah continued to pray for God’s mercy. He prayed that God’s love and forgiveness will be upon the land and that all will be saved.

Jeremiah’s merciful and compassionate heart for the people of Judah played a major role in God’s decision to give a remnant of the people another chance and eventually to lead them out of exile.  His prayers of intercession were heard by God and spared a remnant in Jerusalem.

Today, God wants us to take note of the power of prayers and what we can do to intercede for our neighbor. God reveals to us what an ounce of mercy can do.  He wants us to realize that should He not see fit to hear our prayers for all the guilty and the sinful, those who are broken and wounded, the sick and the deformed, He will certainly bless all who shall come to Him with a humble and
repentant heart. He will pour His mercy and healing grace on those who shall confess their sins and seek His mercy. God is full of mercy and will always forgive a truly repentant sinner.

In today’s first reading, God gave us Jeremiah to follow and imitate. He wants us to share the very same mercy Jeremiah had for the people of Judah. He wants us to speak the truth and yet be full of mercy and compassion.

Have we been like Jeremiah to our neighbor or have we instantly judged others because we know we bear the truth? Have we used the truth to bring people closer to God or have we used it as an instrument to condemn?

Let us do good to our neighbor and intercede for one another, not one of those who will be judged as evildoer who cause others to sin, but the righteous who “will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father.” Let us remember that “Whoever has ears ought to hear” and should patiently apply God’s word to one’s life.

Direction

To receive God’s mercy, we need to be merciful and compassionate.

Prayer

Heavenly father, we recognize, O Lord, our wickedness, the guilt of our fathers; that we have sinned against you. For your name’s sake spurn us not, disgrace not the throne of your glory; remember your covenant with us, and break it not. In Jesus, we pray. Amen

Reflection 2 – Do not be overcome by evil

Where does evil come from and why does it exist? And why doesn’t God do something about it? The only kind of so-called answer Jesus gives us is that at judgment time things will be evened out, but the meantime you live with ambiguity and let the weeds and the wheat, the good and the evil, grow up together. How do we respond to evil?

Glance at any newspaper and the headlines tell you what’s wrong with the world. Watch television, listen to the radio, talk to friends, and you will find no shortage of opinions as to what is wrong on planet Earth. That’s because pointing out what’s wrong is easy.

When terrorists hijacked passenger planes and slammed them into the Pentagon, two New York skyscrapers, and a Pennsylvania field, the world quickly called it evil. The destructive power of this epic evil event made people feed paralyzed and helpless. And that’s what evil does best; it makes us feel powerless.

But we’re not. Most of us experience evil on a smaller, more personal scale. And for us, the apostle Paul outlined the proper response. He said we are to abhor evil (rom 12:9), not to repay it with more evil (Rom 12:17), and not to be overcome by it (Rom 12:21).

Evil gets all the headlines, but God’s goodness is stronger, and he wants us to use it on His behalf to overcome His enemy. As light overcomes darkness, goodness can overcome evil.

Therefore we must stand guard lest evil take root in our hearts and corrupt us. And let us be challenged to: “Sow an act of love and you reap a habit loving. Sow a habit of loving and you reap a character of self-giving unconditionally. Sow a character of self-giving unconditionally and you reap a destiny to the Father in heaven,”

Reflection 3 – The righteous will shine like the sun in the Father’s kingdom

Are you quick to judge the faults of others? Jesus’ parable teaches us patience lest we judge before the time is right. Jesus also warns that there is an enemy who seeks to destroy the good seed of his word before it can bear fruit. Both good and evil can be sown in our hearts like tiny seeds which germinate, and in due time yield a harvest of good or bad fruit. We must stand guard lest evil take root in our hearts and corrupt us.

Reaping what we sow in this life
Charles Read wrote: “Sow an act and you reap a habit. Sow a habit and you reap a character. Sow a character and you reap a destiny.” In the day of judgment each will reap what he or she has sown in this life. Those who sow good will shine in the kingdom of their Father. They will radiate with the beauty, joy, and fulness of God’s love. Do you allow the love of Jesus Christ to rule in your heart, thoughts, and actions?

“Lord Jesus, may your all-consuming love rule in my heart and transform my life that I may sow what is good, worthy, and pleasing to you.” – Read the source: http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/2019/jul30.htm

Reflection 4 – Our God is like no other god

The stories of the Greek and Roman gods and the expansive dramas of their myths are being lost as more and more schools drop courses in Classic and Ancient Literature. But these myths can teach us how dramatically different our God is. The ancient gods were an amazingly “human” lot, sensitive to human reception and occupied with their dramatic interactions. Ancient mythology reads like a soap opera, filled with familial intrigue and private secrets, the gods in competition for human worship. When bad things happened, they caused it. Be it droughts, earthquakes or disease, the gods were always messing things up in order to make the people do what they wanted.

Moses teaches the people of Israel about the one God who is above and beyond our human intrigue. As the “cloud” of God’s presence descends on the camp, Moses enters into a personal relationship with this God who is not dependent on human beings for his existence or success. This free God invites Moses to enter into a covenant with him, to become more like him.

For the God of Israel, evil is not something divinely willed. Bad things happen precisely because there are weeds around. Some things choke off the life that is intended to trive. Evil is not just a way of looking at things. It is a tangible force that can steal life and energy from the goodness of the field. Jesus’ explanation of the parable of the seeds shows a God who is constantly “planting” seeds of faith, drawing people into personal relationships with him. The fact that the Son of man plants the seeds and that the ever growing fields are the people of the “good seed,” shows that God desires good for his creatures – he wants them to grow and prosper.

Perhaps every generation is prone to return to ancient myths. Waiting for God to put things back the way they were, to fix our illnesses and pay our mortgages is a constant focus for our prayers. Some nurture guilt as though that will help God feel better about us, while others used a novena as a way to manipulate God to change his mind. All of that keeps us totally in line with the mind of the ancients, but it does nothing for our Christian faith. The fact is, like the ancients, our first temptation when faced with bad things is to blame them on God – “How could he do this to me?”

There is no doubt that we need to fight evil. The difficulty comes in understanding that evil doesn’t come from God. In fact, we may not really know where it’s coming from. We can’t be too quick to name it. God’s kingdom will thrive and things will get separated, in due time. Meanwhile, we need to nourish our fields with the goodness and love God intended, knowing that he intends nothing more and nothing less. (Source: Rev. John Petrikovic, OFM, Cap. Weekday Homily Helps. Ohio: St. Anthony Messenger Press, July 28, 2009).

Reflection 5 – How can we shine like the sun?

St. Peter Chrysologus (+450 AD) said, “He sowed weeds among the wheat” – because the devil has become accustomed to sow of his own accord heresies among the faithful, sin among the saints, quarrels among the peaceful, deceptions among the simple, and wickedness among the innocent. He does this not to acquire the weeds of cockle, but to destroy the wheat; not to capture the guilty ones, but to steal away the innocent. An enemy seeks the leader rather than a soldier. He does not besiege the dead but attacks the living. Thus, the devil is not seeking to capture sinners whom he already has under his dominion, but is laboring thus to ensnare the just.

“He sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away – because with great might the devil drives men towards destruction. But, after he has prostrated someone, he abandons him. The devil seeks not the man, but his destruction. Brethren, he rejoices over our evils, he swells with pride over our ruin, he grows strong from our flesh, he lives by our death. The devil does not wish to possess a man, but to destroy him. Why? Because he does not wish, he does not dare, he does not allow the man to arrive at the heaven from which the devil fell.”

Reflection 8 – Doing God’s will when it comes to the weeds 

“That we may feel a facility of doing on all occasions the divine will, we must beforehand offer ourselves continually to embrace in peace whatever God ordains or wills….

“Saint Teresa offered herself to God fifty times in the day, that he might dispose of her as he pleased; and she declared her readiness to embrace either prosperity or adversity. The perfection of our oblation consists in offering ourselves to God without reserve. All are prepared to unite themselves to the divine will in prosperity; but perfection consists in conforming to it, even in adversity. To thank God in all things that are agreeable to us, is acceptable to him; but to accept with cheerfulness what is repugnant to our inclinations is still more pleasing to him. Father M. Avila used to say, that “a single blessed be God in adversity is better than six thousand thanksgivings in prosperity.”

“We should conform to the divine will, not only in misfortunes which come directly from God – such as sickness, loss of property, privation of friends and relatives – but also in crosses which come to us from men, but indirectly from God – such as acts of injustice, defamations, calumnies, injuries, and all other sorts of persecutions. But you may ask, does God will that others commit sin, by injuring us in our property or in our reputation? No; God wills not their sin; but he wishes us to bear with such a loss, and with such a humiliation; and wishes us to conform, on all such occasions, to his divine will.” (Source: St. Alphonsus Liguori, +1787 A.D., Magnificat, Vol. 19, No. 6, August 2017, pp. 25-26).

Reflection 9 – St. Peter Chrysologus (406-450? A.D.)

A man who vigorously pursues a goal may produce results far beyond his expectations and his intentions. Thus it was with Peter of the Golden Words, as he was called, who as a young man became bishop of Ravenna, the capital of the empire in the West.

At the time there were abuses and vestiges of paganism evident in his diocese, and these he was determined to battle and overcome. His principal weapon was the short sermon, and many of them have come down to us. They do not contain great originality of thought. They are, however, full of moral applications, sound in doctrine and historically significant in that they reveal Christian life in fifth-century Ravenna. So authentic were the contents of his sermons that, some 13 centuries later, he was declared a doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XIII. He who had earnestly sought to teach and motivate his own flock was recognized as a teacher of the universal Church.

In addition to his zeal in the exercise of his office, Peter Chrysologus was distinguished by a fierce loyalty to the Church, not only in its teaching, but in its authority as well. He looked upon learning not as a mere opportunity but as an obligation for all, both as a development of God-given faculties and as a solid support for the worship of God.

Some time before his death, St. Peter returned to Imola, his birthplace, where he died around A.D. 450.

Story:

Eutyches, the leader of the heresy denying the humanity of Christ, sought support from church leaders, Peter Chrysologus among them, after his condemnation in ad 448. Peter frankly told him: “In the interest of peace and the faith, we cannot judge in matters of faith without the consent of the Roman bishop.” He further exhorted Eutyches to accept the mystery of the Incarnation in simple faith. Peter reminded him that if the peace of the church causes joy in heaven, then divisions must give birth to grief.

Comment:

Quite likely, it was St. Peter Chrysologus’s attitude toward learning that gave substance to his exhortations. Next to virtue, learning, in his view, was the greatest improver of the human mind and the support of true religion. Ignorance is not a virtue, nor is anti-intellectualism. Knowledge is neither more nor less a source of pride than physical, administrative or financial prowess. To be fully human is to expand our knowledge—whether sacred or secular—according to our talent and opportunity.

Read the source:  http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1092

SAINT OF THE DAY
Catholic saints are holy people and human people who lived extraordinary lives. Each saint the Church honors responded to God’s invitation to use his or her unique gifts. God calls each one of us to be a saint.