THE RISE AND FALL OF EVIL
“Tie them in bundles for burning, but gather the wheat into my barn.” – Matthew 13:30
Watching
the news on TV makes me think that the evil trends of the world seem to
be unstoppable. Dishonest officials always sit in high positions in
government, promoting graft and corruption. Laws against Christian
morality and ethics are being proposed in congress. Robbery and crime
are on the rise. Wars never come to an end. People renounce their faith.
It appears as if the devil is already winning.
I asked the Lord why He allows these miserable things to happen.
As
I reflected on Scripture, the Lord reminded me that everything in this
world is temporary. The prevailing scheme of the evil one will also fail
and end. Then, the glory of the Lord will rise and rule over this
darkness. Everlasting happiness will be granted to those who stand firm
and put their trust in Him. So it is best that we remain strong in our
faith and persevere in drawing near to our Lord through prayers and good
deeds.
28
REFLECTION:
“All
God’s giants have been weak men who did great things for God because
they reckoned on His power and presence being with them.” (James Hudson
Taylor)
Lord, You’ve empowered us to defeat the evil one. Grant me the courage I need to use that power.
St. Leopold Mandic, pray for us.
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1ST READING
A
prophet’s basic message is always a call to conversion. This is
something we need to reflect on often as sin is always trying to bring
about the opposite result in our lives. It is essential that we seek to
go deeper with the Lord every day as His disciple. If we do not, we will
get lazy and then apathetic and before we know it, sin will have
reestablished its stronghold in our lives.
Jeremiah 7:1-11
1 The following message came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 Stand
at the gate of the house of the Lord, and there proclaim this message:
Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who enter these gates to
worship the Lord! 3 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Reform your ways and your deeds, so that I may remain with you in this place. 4 Put not your trust in the deceitful words: “This is the temple of the Lord! The temple of the Lord! The temple of the Lord!” 5 Only if you thoroughly reform your ways and your deeds; if each of you deals justly with his neighbor; 6 if
you no longer oppress the resident alien, the orphan, and the widow; if
you no longer shed innocent blood in this place, or follow strange Gods
to your own harm, 7 will I remain with you in this place, in the land which I gave your fathers long ago and forever. 8 But here you are, putting your trust in deceitful words to your own loss! 9 Are you to steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal, go after strange Gods that you know not, 10 and
yet come to stand before me in this house which bears my name, and say:
“We are safe; we can commit all these abominations again”? 11 Has this house which bears my name become in your eyes a den of thieves? I too see what is being done, says the Lord.
P S A L M
Psalm 84:3, 4, 5-6, 8, 11
R: How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
2 [3] My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. (R) 3 [4] Even
the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest in which she puts her
young — Your altars, O Lord of hosts, my king and my God! (R) 4 [5] Blessed they who dwell in your house! continually they praise you. 5 [6] Blessed the men whose strength you are! 7 [8] They go from strength to strength. (R) 10 [11] I
had rather one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I had
rather lie at the threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the
tents of the wicked. (R)
GOSPEL
God
will wait until the end of the world before the final judgment is
passed. However, there will be a particular judgment when we die that
will indicate our final destiny. Though there will be purification to
prepare ourselves for eternity in the presence of God, at least we will
know that that is our destination. Purgatory is thus a happy place in
that we know we are destined for eternal beatitude and not hell.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls.
Matthew 13:24-30
24 Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds. “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 While everyone
was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. 26 When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. 27 The
slaves of the householder came to him and said, ‘Master, did you not
sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?’ 28 He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ 29 He replied, “No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. 30 Let
them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to
the harvesters, First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for
burning; but gather the wheat into my barn. ”
Esther C-7
think: Purgatory is thus a happy place in that we know we are destined for eternal beatitude and not hell.
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WAITING AND HOPING PATIENTLY
As
a school director from 1993 to 2010, I had to deal with countless
restless parents and problem students. At the end of the school year,
those who were recommended for transfer to other schools (read: dropped
from the roll) would show up in my office to seek reconsideration. I
must admit that I have a soft spot for crying mothers. I have become
famous (or infamous) for re-admitting students who have become a pain in
the neck to their teachers. Deep inside me, I was hoping against all
hope that each problem student would change after giving them a new
lease in their academic life.
Once,
I accepted a dropout from another school. I wanted to prove that
there’s no such thing as a hopeless case. I asked the the teachers to
patiently guide him and allow the best in him to come out. Come
graduation time, he received the medal for Best in Deportment (Best in
Conduct). Patience pays off after all. As the cliché goes, our God is a
God of second chances — and a third, and a fourth, and so on. He never
gets tired of giving us breaks. He believes in us. He is patient with
us.
Today’s
parable describes the patient landowner who did not allow the bad weeds
to be removed until harvest time. It speaks of the judgment day when
weeds would be burned after being separated from the wheat. In my mind,
the bad weeds could still be turned to good wheat. It may seem
scientifically improbable, but nothing is impossible with God. He is
patient with all of us, both the good and the bad.
People
have been talking about the end of the world because the world has gone
astray. Doomsayers have predicted many dates for the end of the world.
It never came. Not yet. God gives us every opportunity to change. He
continues to enlighten people through His words and sacraments and, by
His grace, the light shines through. There are not a few conversion
stories within prison walls. And there are inspiring stories of those
who used to walk in the dark but were embraced by His light. The stories
are never ending. While He patiently waits...Fr. Erick Y. Santos, SFO
REFLECTION QUESTION: How do you help and practice patience towards difficult people?
May I be patient with others, Lord, just as You are patient with me.
G
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