Wednesday

20th Week in Ordinary Time, Wednesday, Year II

by

Today’s readings presents two images of leadership, one good and another bad, and tries to show the qualities of a good leader. Sheep need a shepherd in order to be fed, protected, and healthy; they cannot easily survive on their own. In the First Reading the Lord describes the poor leaders of Israel as bad shepherds who mistreat and exploit the very sheep they should nourish and protect. He promises to shepherd them personally instead, a promise he would keep through the Good Shepherd who’d lay down his life for his sheep.

In the Gospel Our Lord gives the example of a benevolent employer, but more to describe God’s goodness in rewarding those who enter his Kingdom, whether from the beginning of their lives or at the last minute. Whether they began in his service early or late, the employer out of his goodness and mercy provides what they need to live; he doesn’t try to squeeze more work out of them with raises that they don’t need, nor does he penalize them for being late hires. Unlike the bad shepherds of the First Reading, the benevolent employer focuses on the good of his workers, not what they can do for him. He puts people before profit.

Our Lord doesn’t need our collaboration and service, yet he blesses us when we help him. Let’s thank Our Lord for all the blessings he has showered on us by being good sheep, good workers, good shepherds, or good employers. In short, let’s do well in whatever vocation he has given us.

Readings: Ezekiel 34:1–11; Psalm 23:1–6; Matthew 20:1–16. See also Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Cycle C, and 20th Week in Ordinary Time, Wednesday.

18th Week in Ordinary Time, Wednesday, Year II

by

The Canaanite woman in today’s Gospel shows a lot of courage in the quest to free her daughter from being afflicted by a demon. Canaanites and Jews had a long history, and they did not get along. Our Lord was a Jew, but also a miracle worker, so she decided to try. In her first attempt to greet Our Lord she even used the Messianic title, “Son of David”: for the people of the time it was not clear that the Messiah would be a good thing for anyone who was not a Jew. Perhaps she was trying to butter him up a little.

Our Lord responds as she probably expected: the cold shoulder. However, we know Our Lord can read hearts, so this was not a simple brush off; something more profound was going on. When the disciples press him regarding the matter, he tells them it’s not time yet for his ministry to go beyond the children of Israel. Israel had a special role in the plan of salvation and Our Lord was sent to attend to them; the rest would be attended to later. In a sense, the Canaanite woman was trying to skip the line.

When Our Lord rebuffs her again she is not shy about acknowledging that she is not entitled to what she is requesting. Sometimes we forget that Our Lord doesn’t have to give us anything. Yet Our Lord rewards her faith and humility in the end. Let’s ask Our Lord for what we need, thankful that he’ll consider our petition and humble that we aren’t entitled to it.

Readings: Jeremiah 31:1–7; Jeremiah 31:10–12b, 13; Matthew 15:21–28. See also 18th Week in Ordinary Time, Wednesday.

17th Week in Ordinary Time, Wednesday, Year II

by

In today’s Gospel Our Lord presents two parables to help us understand what the Kingdom of heaven is like. The first (like a treasure hidden in a field) reminds us that its worth is something that takes us by surprise and is found in the most unexpected of places. Someone hid that treasure and you’ve received the good fortune of finding it. It doesn’t come free, and it doesn’t come cheap: if you’re willing to spend everything on obtaining it, it must be of more value that what you already have. This first comparison teaches us that the Kingdom of heaven should put everything we have, everything we are, into perspective. When we invest ourselves completely the returns will be unimaginable.

In the second comparison we’re reminded that the Kingdom of heaven, like finding a great pearl after a lifetime of smaller ones, is something comparable to all the things we value in this world, but much greater in comparison. The Kingdom of heaven is not going to be something totally different from the “treasures” we hold and experience in this life. When we seek the true, the good, and the beautiful in this life, we are paving the way for the Kingdom, already present in those things, to come to full fruition.

Let’s ask Our Lord to help us evaluate what we treasure in this life and to keep an eye out for the hidden treasure he wishes to reveal to us.

Readings: Jeremiah 15:10, 16–21; Psalm 59:2–4, 10–11, 18; Matthew 13:44–46.

16th Week in Ordinary Time, Wednesday, Year II

by

Today’s Gospel is the Parable of the Sower, and, as we’ll see in a few days, the seed being sown is the Word of God trying to make its way into a soul. In today’s First Reading, the beginning of the Book of the prophet Jeremiah, we see Jeremiah recalling when the Word of God was first “sown” into him and all the reservations he had about becoming the Lord’s prophet. This is normal. When the Lord asks something of us, something that inevitably requires the cross, we get nervous and start raising possible objections. This is simply the seed burrowing in and starting to take root.

If we use the language of today’s Gospel in considering today’s conversation between the Lord and Jeremiah we see that we shouldn’t be afraid of welcoming and nourishing the seed of God’s Word, because God has sown it for a good purpose and he will continue to watch over the soil and cultivate it. Jeremiah was young and inexperienced, but the Lord would be with him and all Jeremiah had to do was follow his commands and speak his words.

Don’t be afraid of welcoming the Word of God into your heart. He may ask for something demanding, but he’ll be with you every step of the way and he has plans for something good to grow out of your generosity and sacrifice.

Readings: Jeremiah 1:1, 4–10; Psalm 71:1–4a, 5–6b, 15, 17; Matthew 13:1–9. See also 24th Week in Ordinary Time, Saturday.

15th Week in Ordinary Time, Wednesday, Year II

by

In today’s First Reading the Lord warns Assyria about forgetting why it has had military successes. The Lord explains through Isaiah that it was chosen to be an instrument of punishment toward a wicked Israel and that was the reason for its military victories and expansion. However, Assyria gives itself the credit and falls into pride. The Lord’s revelation would be somewhat shocking to the Assyrians, since each nation thought it had its own gods that attended to its own affairs. Here the Lord, the God of Israel, was showing he was greater than any one nation and greater than the gods of Assyria.

Due to their arrogance the Lord warns that misfortune is headed their way. We can all be instruments of God’s will if we seek his help and guidance; it is a way of repaying him for all that he has done for us, but it is also the best path we can take for our own growth and fulfillment. The Lord warned Assyria today that it was taking the wrong path; Our Lord warns us too when a direction we’re taking in life is not in our best interest. We’re free to choose to do his will or not. The consequences are a fruit of our choices.

Ask the Lord today if your life needs to take a new direction.

Readings: Isaiah 10:5–7, 13b–16; Psalm 94:5–10, 14–15; Matthew 11:25–27. See also 1st Week of Advent, Tuesday, 26th Week in Ordinary Time, Saturday, and 15th Week in Ordinary Time, Wednesday.