Friday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

399 Friday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

CCC Cross Reference:
Jer 2-3 1611; Jer 3:4-19 370
Jer 31 1611
Mt 13:3-23 1724; Mt 13:22 29

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Reading 1: Jer 3:14-17

Return, rebellious children, says the LORD,
for I am your Master;
I will take you, one from a city, two from a clan,
and bring you to Zion.
I will appoint over you shepherds after my own heart,
who will shepherd you wisely and prudently.
When you multiply and become fruitful in the land,
says the LORD,
They will in those days no longer say,
"The ark of the covenant of the LORD!"
They will no longer think of it, or remember it,
or miss it, or make another.

At that time they will call Jerusalem the LORD's throne;
there all nations will be gathered together
to honor the name of the LORD at Jerusalem,
and they will walk no longer in their hardhearted wickedness.

Responsorial Psalm: Jeremiah 31:10, 11-12abcd, 13

R. (see 10d) The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

Hear the word of the LORD, O nations,
proclaim it on distant isles, and say:
He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together,
he guards them as a shepherd his flock.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

The LORD shall ransom Jacob,
he shall redeem him from the hand of his conqueror.
Shouting, they shall mount the heights of Zion,
they shall come streaming to the LORD's blessings:
The grain, the wine, and the oil,
the sheep and the oxen.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

Then the virgins shall make merry and dance,
and young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into joy,
I will console and gladden them after their sorrows.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

Gospel: Mt 13:18-23

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Hear the parable of the sower.
The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the Kingdom
without understanding it,
and the Evil One comes and steals away
what was sown in his heart.
The seed sown on rocky ground
is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy.
But he has no root and lasts only for a time.
When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
he immediately falls away.
The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word,
but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word
and it bears no fruit.
But the seed sown on rich soil
is the one who hears the word and understands it,
who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold."

Readings from the Jerusalem Bible

First reading Jeremiah 3:14-17

Come back, disloyal children – it is the Lord who speaks –
for I alone am your Master.
I will take one from a town, two from a clan,
and bring you to Zion.
I will give you shepherds after my own heart,
and these shall feed you on knowledge and discretion.
And when you have increased and become many in the land,
then – it is the Lord who speaks –
no one will ever say again:
Where is the ark of the covenant of the Lord?
There will be no thought of it, no memory of it,
no regret for it, no making of another.

When that time comes, Jerusalem shall be called: The Throne of the Lord;
all the nations will gather there in the name of the Lord
and will no longer follow the dictates of their own stubborn hearts.

Responsorial Psalm:
Jeremiah 31:10-13

The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

O nations, hear the word of the Lord,
proclaim it to the far-off coasts.
Say: ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him
and guard him as a shepherd guards his flock.’

The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

For the Lord has ransomed Jacob,
has saved him from an overpowering hand.
They will come and shout for joy on Mount Zion,
they will stream to the blessings of the Lord.

The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

Then the young girls will rejoice and dance,
the men, young and old, will be glad.
I will turn their mourning into joy,
I will console them, give gladness for grief.

The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

Gospel Matthew 13:18-23

Jesus said to his disciples,
‘You are to hear the parable of the sower.
When anyone hears the word of the kingdom
without understanding,
the evil one comes and carries off
what was sown in his heart:
this is the man who received the seed on the edge of the path.
The one who received it on patches of rock
is the man who hears the word and welcomes it at once with joy.
But he has no root in him, he does not last;
let some trial come, or some persecution on account of the word,
and he falls away at once.
The one who received the seed in thorns is the man who hears the word,
but the worries of this world and the lure of riches choke the word
and so he produces nothing.
And the one who received the seed in rich soil
is the man who hears the word and understands it;
he is the one who yields a harvest and produces now a hundredfold,
now sixty, now thirty.’

Readings and Commentary from the Navarre Bible


Friday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time

From: Jeremiah 3:14-17

Call to conversion
--------------------------
[14] Return, O faithless children, says the LORD;
for I am your master;
I will take you, one from a city and two from a family,
and I will bring you to Zion.

[15] "'And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. [16] And when you have multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, says the LORD, they shall no more say, "The ark of the covenant of the LORD." It shall not come to mind, or be remembered, or missed; it shall not be made again. [17] At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the LORD, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart.

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Commentary:

3:14-18. The fall of the city to the armies of Nebuchadnezzar and the deportations that followed (587 BC) marked the depth of Judah's misfortune; her repeated infidelity was the sole cause. Here, as in the previous oracle, the prophet says that God is ready to receive Israel and Judah back, provided they seek his forgiveness (3:12-13).

The oracle is full of hope; the future will never have any reason to hanker after the past. An entirely new situation will be created. Up to this, the ark of the Covenant was considered to be the foremost evidence of God's presence. According to the Bible, the ark was made in the wilderness on Moses' instructions, in line with the Lord's specifications; it was to be the centerpiece of the sanctuary (cf. Ex 25:10-22). The ark stayed with the people all the way to the land of Canaan and, after being kept in various places, it was solemnly placed by Solomon in the temple of Jerusalem. It contained the Covenant that the Lord made with Israel when he brought it out of the land of Egypt (cf. 1 Kings 8:21). With the fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar and the looting of the temple, there is no further mention of the ark of the Covenant. That event marks the end of the old situation, Jeremiah's oracle seems to say. In the future it will be the whole city of Jerusalem that evidences the presence of God (vv. 16-17).

As is true of other oracles from Jeremiah, even though in the first instance they refer to the restoration of Judah after the exile, his words have a wider application, reaching out to the renewal that will take place when the Messiah comes. The Covenant to which the ark bore witness has been broken by Israel (cf. 11:6-8), and its place will be taken by a New Covenant to which the hearts of men shall bear witness (cf. 31:31-37) and which will have a new priesthood ("shepherds": v. 15).

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From: Matthew 13:18-23

Meaning of the Parable of the Sower
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[18] "Hear then the parable of the sower. [19] When any one hears the Word of the Kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart; this is what was sown along the path. [20] As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is he who hears the Word and immediately receives it with joy; [21] yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the Word, immediately he falls away. [22] As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the Word, but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the Word, and it proves unfruitful. [23] As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the Word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."

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Commentary:

3. Chapter 13 of St. Matthew includes as many as seven of Jesus' parables, which is the reason why it is usually called "the parable discourse" or the "parabolic discourse". Because of their similarity of content and setting these parables are often called the "Kingdom parables", and also the "parables of the Lake", because Jesus taught them on the shore of Lake Gennesaret. Jesus uses these elaborate comparisons (parables) to explain certain features of the Kingdom of God which He has come to establish (cf. Matthew 3:2)--its tiny, humble origins; its steady growth; its worldwide scope; its salvific force. God calls everyone to salvation but only those attain it who receive God's call with good dispositions and who do not change their attitude; the value of the spiritual benefits the Kingdom brings--so valuable that one should give up everything to obtain them; the fact that good and bad are all mixed together until the harvest time, or the time of God's judgment; the intimate connection between earthly and heavenly aspects of the Kingdom, until it reaches its point of full development at the end of time.

On Jesus' lips, parables are exceptionally effective. By using parables He keeps His listeners' attention, whether they are uneducated or not, and by means of the most ordinary things of daily life He sheds light on the deepest supernatural mysteries. He used the parable device in a masterly way; His parables are quite unique; they carry the seal of His personality; through them He has graphically shown us the riches of grace, the life of the Church, the demands of the faith and even the mystery of God's own inner life.

Jesus' teaching continues to provide every generation with light and guidance on moral conduct. By reading and reflecting on His parables one can savor the adorable humanity of the Savior, who showed such kindness to the people who crowded around to hear Him--and who shows the same readiness to listen to our prayers, despite our dullness, and to reply to our healthy curiosity when we try to make out His meaning.

19. He does not understand because he does not love--not because he is not clever enough: lack of love opens the door of the soul to the devil.

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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

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