CCC Cross Reference:
Ps 79:9 431
Mt 13:41-42 1034; Mt 13:41 333; Mt 13:42 1034
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Reading 1: Jer 14:17-22
Let my eyes stream with tears
day and night, without rest,
Over the great destruction which overwhelms
the virgin daughter of my people,
over her incurable wound.
If I walk out into the field,
look! those slain by the sword;
If I enter the city,
look! those consumed by hunger.
Even the prophet and the priest
forage in a land they know not.
Have you cast Judah off completely?
Is Zion loathsome to you?
Why have you struck us a blow
that cannot be healed?
We wait for peace, to no avail;
for a time of healing, but terror comes instead.
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.
Among the nations' idols is there any that gives rain?
Or can the mere heavens send showers?
Is it not you alone, O LORD,
our God, to whom we look?
You alone have done all these things.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 79:8, 9, 11 and 13
R. (9) For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Help us, O God our savior,
because of the glory of your name;
Deliver us and pardon our sins
for your name's sake.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Let the prisoners' sighing come before you;
with your great power free those doomed to death.
Then we, your people and the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
through all generations we will declare your praise.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
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."
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
First reading Jeremiah 14:17-22
The Lord said to me:
Say this word to the people:
‘Tears flood my eyes
night and day, unceasingly,
since a crushing blow falls on the daughter of my people,
a most grievous injury.
If I go into the countryside,
there lie men killed by the sword;
if I go into the city,
I see people sick with hunger;
even prophets and priests
plough the land: they are at their wit’s end.’
‘Have you rejected Judah altogether?
Does your very soul revolt at Zion?
Why have you struck us down without hope of cure?
We were hoping for peace – no good came of it!
For the moment of cure – nothing but terror!
the Lord, we do confess our wickedness
and our fathers’ guilt:
we have indeed sinned against you.
For your name’s sake do not reject us,
do not dishonour the throne of your glory.
Remember us; do not break your covenant with us.
Can any of the pagan Nothings make it rain?
Can the heavens produce showers?
No, it is you, the Lord.
O our God, you are our hope,
since it is you who do all this.’
Responsorial Psalm:
Psalm 78(79):8-9,11,13
Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.
Do not hold the guilt of our fathers against us.
Let your compassion hasten to meet us;
we are left in the depths of distress.
Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.
O God our saviour, come to our help.
Come for the sake of the glory of your name.
O Lord our God, forgive us our sins;
rescue us for the sake of your name.
Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.
Let the groans of the prisoners come before you;
let your strong arm reprieve those condemned to die.
But we, your people, the flock of your pasture,
will give you thanks for ever and ever.
We will tell your praise from age to age.
Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.
Gospel Matthew 13:36-43
Leaving the crowds, Jesus went to the house;
and his disciples came to him and said,
‘Explain the parable about the darnel in the field to us.’
He said in reply, ‘The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man.
The field is the world; the good seed is the subjects of the kingdom;
the darnel, the subjects of the evil one;
the enemy who sowed them, the devil;
the harvest is the end of the world; the reapers are the angels.
Well then, just as the darnel is gathered up and burnt in the fire,
so it will be at the end of time.
The Son of Man will send his angels
and they will gather out of his kingdom
all things that provoke offences and all who do evil,
and throw them into the blazing furnace,
where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.
Then the virtuous will shine like the sun
in the kingdom of their Father.
Listen, anyone who has ears!’
Readings and Commentary from the Navarre Bible
Tuesday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time
From: Jeremiah 14:17-22
Oracles in a time of drought
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[And the Lord said to me:]
[17] "You shall say to them this word:
'Let my eyes run down with tears night and day,
and let them not cease,
for the virgin daughter of my people is smitten with a great wound,
with a very grievous blow.
[18] If I go out into the field,
behold, those slain by the sword!
And if I enter the city,
behold, the diseases of famine!
For both prophet and priest ply their trade through the land,
and have no knowledge.'"
[19] Hast thou utterly rejected Judah?
Does thy soul loathe Zion?
Why hast thou smitten us
so that there is no healing for us?
We looked for peace, but no good came;
for a time of healing, but behold, terror.
[20] We acknowledge our wickedness. O Lord,
and the iniquity of our fathers,
for we have sinned against thee.
[21] Do not spurn us, for thy name's sake;
do not dishonour thy glorious throne;
remember and do not break thy covenant with us.
[22] Are there any among the false gods of the nations that can bring rain?
Or can the heavens give showers?
Art thou not he, O Lord our God?
We set our hope on thee,
for thou doest all these things.
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Commentary:
14:1-15:9. This highly dramatic passage is made up of poems and dialogues between God and Jeremiah. It paints a picture of anguish, hunger and death – a desperate attempt to provoke repentance. "The prophet includes here a prayer to God on behalf of his chosen people, so that having punished them he will also show them his mercy" (St Thomas Aquinas, "Postilla super Jeremiam", 14, 1).
What Jeremiah had been saying about the evils that would befall Jerusalem was all coming true. After the attack on the city in 597 and the deportation that ensued, the situation was terrible. The affliction suffered by the city was compounded by a terrible drought which made its plight and that of all Judah even worse (14:1-6; cf. 8:18-23). In their extremity the people cry out to God, begging him not to treat them like strangers (14:7-9). The Lord replies through his prophet, and despite Jeremiah's attempts to excuse his fellow citizens, he does not mince his words: all these disasters are due to the faults and sins of the people (14:10-12), who made the mistake of relying on false prophets who put their minds at ease with promises of peace and prosperity (14:13-16). Jeremiah is deeply distressed by the whole situation, and he again begs God not to punish Judah (14:17-19); and the people again entreat God, their only hope (14:20-22). But the Lord has already promulgated his sentence. He will not go back on it --not even if the nation's great mediators, Moses and Samuel, were to speak on its behalf (15:1-4; cf. Ex 32:11-14; 1 Sam 7:8-12). Its wickedness dates back a long time -- certainly to the reign of Manasseh (698-642), the son of Hezekiah (15:4), who tolerated and even promoted impiety and idolatry (2 Kings 21:1-18). So, the Lord had no option but to carry out his sentence (15:5-9): Judah had "rejected" him (cf. 15:6). This last part of the oracle is very severe and shows the profound pain felt by the prophet, for there is nothing he can do to ward off this great misfortune.
The words of 15:2 (cf. 43:11) are quoted in the book of Revelation (13:10) with reference to the latter days, to exhort readers to accept the truth of God's message and bear persecution with endurance and faith.
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From: Matthew 13:36-43
The Parable of the Weeds Explained
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[36] Then He (Jesus) left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." [37 He answered, "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; [38] the field is the world, and the good seed means the sons of the Kingdom; the weeds are the sons of the evil one, [39] and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels. [40] Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. [41] The Son of Man will send His angels, and they will gather out of His Kingdom all causes of sin and evildoers, [42] and throw them out into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. [43] Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear."
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Commentary:
36-43. While making its way on earth, the Church is composed of good and bad people, just men and sinners: they are mixed in with one another until the harvest time, the end of the world, when the Son of Man, in His capacity as Judge of the living and the dead, will divide the good from the bad at the Last Judgment—the former going to eternal glory, the inheritance of the saints; the latter, to the eternal fire of Hell. Although the just and the sinners are now side by side, the Church has the right and the duty to exclude those who cause scandal, especially those who attack its doctrine and unity; this is can do through ecclesiastical excommunication and other canonical penalties. However, excommunication has a medicinal and pastoral function--to correct those who are obstinate in error, and to protect others from them.
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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.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
