Reading 1
Ex 40:16-21, 34-38
Moses did exactly as the LORD had commanded him.
On the first day of the first month of the second year
the Dwelling was erected.
It was Moses who erected the Dwelling.
He placed its pedestals, set up its boards, put in its bars,
and set up its columns.
He spread the tent over the Dwelling
and put the covering on top of the tent,
as the LORD had commanded him.
He took the commandments and put them in the ark;
he placed poles alongside the ark and set the propitiatory upon it.
He brought the ark into the Dwelling and hung the curtain veil,
thus screening off the ark of the commandments,
as the LORD had commanded him.
Then the cloud covered the meeting tent,
and the glory of the LORD filled the Dwelling.
Moses could not enter the meeting tent,
because the cloud settled down upon it
and the glory of the LORD filled the Dwelling.
Whenever the cloud rose from the Dwelling,
the children of Israel would set out on their journey.
But if the cloud did not lift, they would not go forward;
only when it lifted did they go forward.
In the daytime the cloud of the LORD was seen over the Dwelling;
whereas at night, fire was seen in the cloud
by the whole house of Israel
in all the stages of their journey.
84:3, 4, 5-6a and 8a, 11
Responsorial PsalmR. (2)
How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!
My soul yearns and pines
for the courts of the LORD.
My heart and my flesh
cry out for the living God.
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!
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. How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!
Blessed they who dwell in your house!
continually they praise you.
Blessed the men whose strength you are!
They go from strength to strength.
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!
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. How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!
Gospel
Mt 13:47-53
Jesus said to the disciples:
“The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea,
which collects fish of every kind.
When it is full they haul it ashore
and sit down to put what is good into buckets.
What is bad they throw away.
Thus it will be at the end of the age.
The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous
and throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”
“Do you understand all these things?”
They answered, “Yes.”
And he replied,
“Then every scribe who has been instructed in the Kingdom of heaven
is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom
both the new and the old.”
When Jesus finished these parables, he went away from there.
Meditation: Matthew 13:47-53
“The kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea.” (Matthew 13:47)
Fishing nets are designed to scoop up everything in their path as they are drawn through the water. So naturally, when a net is hauled into the boat, it contains all sorts of things: edible fish, inedible fish, crustaceans, sea urchins, as well as all manner of debris. The net doesn’t discriminate between the good and the bad, or the useful and the useless. It’s up to the fisherman to decide what to keep and what to discard.
Scripture is filled with stories of Jesus fishing for people, both good and bad: the feeding of the five thousand, the woman caught in adultery, the corrupt tax collector Zacchaeus, the upright Pharisee Nicodemus, and so many others. No matter where he went, Jesus was casting his net, trying to gather people into his kingdom.
When Jesus began his earthly ministry, he called his followers to be “fishers of men,” and sent them out to cast their own nets to all they encountered. Today, God calls us to the same exact task. Just as indiscriminately as the first Christians did—and just as indiscriminately as Jesus himself did—God wants us to share the good news with everyone we meet. Imagine how the world could be changed if every one of us reading this meditation would reach out to just two people today with the gospel. The catch could be huge!
You can make a difference. You can tell people about the love of God. You can even help some of them to become fishers of men, spreading the net of Christianity even farther. There are opportunities everywhere: a family member looking for meaning in his or her life, a neighbor who needs a sympathetic ear, a parishioner looking for a friend. Don’t be afraid of sharing the gospel message with them. All you have to do is tell your story; the Holy Spirit will give you the right words. And don’t be concerned with whether the people you encounter are “good” fish or “bad.” Jesus only asks that you catch them and bring them to him. He will take care of the rest.
“Holy Spirit, fill me with the courage and excitement to share the gospel. Make me into a fisher of all the men and women I will meet today.”
No comments:
Post a Comment