July 29, 2026 Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus Memorial Gospel: John 11:19-27
Today is Wednesday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time. Today the Church celebrates the Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus.
The recently published Missal tells us: Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus (1st century) were close friends of the Lord. Jesus often came to their home in Bethany. The Gospel according to John clearly states that Jesus loved them deeply. Martha provided hospitality for Jesus, while Mary listened attentively to His teachings—presenting us with the two dimensions of “action” and “contemplation” in discipleship. Lazarus was restored to life after four days in the tomb, and the chief priests even considered putting him to death, so great was the attention they were attracting. According to tradition, the three siblings went out to preach the Gospel after the Ascension of Jesus and are particularly associated with the southern region of France. Lazarus is claimed to have been both Bishop of Kition (Cyprus) and Bishop of Marseilles (France).
Here, I would like to make special mention of the Decree De Ss. Martha, Maria et Lazarro in Calendarium Romanum Generale describendis issued by the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments on January 26, 2021 (Prot. N. 35/21). The Dicastery teaches us: In the home at Bethany, the Lord Jesus experienced family spirit and friendship with Martha, Mary and Lazarus, therefore the Gospel according to John indicates how Jesus loved them. Martha hospitably welcomed Him, Mary was devoted to listening to His words, and at Jesus’ command Lazarus immediately came forth from the tomb, freed from the shame of death. Latin ecclesiastical tradition could not definitively determine the identity of Mary—Mary Magdalene, to whom Jesus first appeared after His Resurrection; the sister of Martha, the Mary who had been forgiven many sins—so that on July 29, only Martha alone was inscribed in the Roman liturgical calendar. This uncertainty has been resolved by recent scholarship, as attested by the present Roman Martyrology, which also commemorates Mary and Lazarus on the same day. Furthermore, in certain particular calendars, all three siblings are commemorated together on the same day. Therefore, the Supreme Pontiff Francis, considering that they welcomed the Lord into their home, listened attentively to Him, and firmly believed that He is the Resurrection and the Life, thus providing an important witness to the Gospel, and adopting the proposal of this Dicastery, has decreed that July 29 in the Roman liturgical calendar shall be designated as the Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus.
Today’s passage from the Holy Gospel according to John mentions Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus. Let us attempt some reflection.
We often face partings of life and death in our lives. In our view, when our loved ones are separated from us, we think that we have lost them forever and that they are no longer with us. Even we, like Martha (cf. John 11:24), believe that only on the last day of the world will our deceased relatives and friends be resurrected and reunited with us.
Through the Baptism we have received, we have been cleansed of original sin by the living water that flowed from the heart of Jesus—that is, what Jesus proclaimed in the Temple on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles: “Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink. As Scripture says: ‘Rivers of living water will flow from within him.'” (cf. John 7:37-39)—according to the riches of His mercy. Through the Baptism we have received, we are united to Christ, and our spirits are set free, as Paul says: “If Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive because of righteousness.” (Romans 8:10) When we received the Baptism of Christ, we already departed from the shadow cast over our souls by sin and death, because we now live in the light of the true Light that enlightens the world; thus we walk in daylight and will not stumble (John 11:9), for the Holy Spirit illumines and guides us. Once we return to evil and refuse to accept the illumination of the true Light that enlightens the world, we live in the darkness caused by sin, we walk in the night and will surely stumble (John 11:10), leading to eternal perdition.
As soon as Jesus arrived at Bethany, the Jews who were with Martha and her sister Mary came to Jesus together with Martha. They hoped that Jesus would raise Lazarus, who had been dead for four days, just as He had healed the man blind from birth who had lived in darkness for thirty-eight years on the Sabbath (cf. John 11:17-37). But in the dialogue between Jesus and Martha and Mary, Jesus told them plainly: “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” (John 11:25-26) The meaning is: as long as we constantly cherish the desire for eternal happiness, receive the Baptism of Christ and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and live out each day well, even if our life ends in this present world, we still have the hope of obtaining eternal life.
Almighty ever-living God, whose Son was pleased to be welcomed in Saint Martha’s house as a guest, grant we pray, that through her intercession, serving Christ faithfully in our brothers and sisters, we may merit to be received by you in the hall of heaven Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever
July 28, 2026 Tuesday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time Gospel: Matthew 13:36-43
Today is Tuesday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time. The passage from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew continues with Jesus’ parable of the Sower. Let us continue our reflection.
Like the disciples who came to Jesus and asked Him to explain the parable of the Sower (cf. Matthew 13:36), we too can fail to understand the parables spoken by Jesus. The reason they could not understand this parable is that although they were willing to accept the Kingdom of God proclaimed by Jesus, their fixed patterns of thought still conformed to this world—a world whose worldview, philosophy of life, and values are incompatible with those firmly believed and embraced by the Church. Therefore, they could not comprehend it.
Commenting on this passage, St. John Chrysostom said: In order to make the meaning clearer, Jesus said, “This is why I speak to them in parables, because they look but do not see…” If this were natural blindness, the Lord would have healed it long ago. But this is a blindness of their own choosing. They witnessed miracles with their own eyes, yet claimed they were done by the prince of demons; they heard the truth with their own ears, yet refused to listen. Therefore, although the Lord spoke plainly at first, and it was they who distorted His words, He now speaks in parables to prevent them from accusing Him of deliberate slander. (cf. Catena Aurea: Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew by St. Thomas Aquinas)
Today, within our Church, there are often brothers and sisters like this. Although they come to church to participate in the Mass and frequently listen to the Holy Word of God and read the spiritual books published by the Church, they do not interpret the Holy Word they hear during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with the eyes of faith. Even less are they willing to obey the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and, using physical eyes, understand the Holy Word with which God, in His providence and according to their capacity, inspires them in the Church’s publications. To them, the Holy Word of God is simply incomprehensible. Even when the shepherds of the Church explain it to them, they refuse to listen, because they are unwilling to open their hearts to the Holy Word, to open the eyes of their faith, and to unstop the ears of their faith, so that the soul dwelling within their perishable body may hear the Holy Word, understand the holy will of God, and be converted.
May we all become good soil capable of receiving the Holy Word of God, so that the seed of the Holy Word sown in our hearts by God may take root in the soil of our hearts, and we may live out the spirit of the Holy Word. Thus, through our remarkable transformation, the people of the world may see the beauty of humanity as created by God and also accept the Holy Word of God that has already taken root in our hearts, so that this imperfect world may, through the acceptance of the Holy Word, recover the beauty it possessed when God first created it.
O God, protector of those who hope in you, without whom nothing has firm foundation, nothing is holy, bestow in abundance your mercy upon us and grant that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may use the good things that pass in such a way as to hold fast even now to those that ever endure. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,God, for ever and ever
July 27, 2026 Monday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time Gospel: Matthew 13:31-35
Today is Monday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time. The passage from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew continues with Jesus’ parables about the Kingdom of Heaven. Let us continue our reflection.
First, Jesus says: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches” (cf. Matthew 13:31-32). The seed of the Kingdom of God mentioned by Jesus is His Holy Word. His Holy Word seems extremely small in the world, and very few people hear it. However, for those who listen to the Holy Word of God and act according to the teachings of the Savior, this Holy Word sprouts and grows in their hearts. The Holy Spirit Himself waters them, enabling it to continually grow in this world, thus forming the Kingdom of God which coexists with the world. When people are in the church, they can clearly see that those who come and go in the church contemplate God there, find ways to draw near to Him, and converse with Him. At that time, the church is like the large bush mentioned in the Gospel, welcoming all who seek the Holy Word of God.
Next, Jesus says: “The Kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened” (cf. Matthew 13:33). This fully demonstrates the relationship between Christians and the world. In this perishable world, Christians are often a minority. Those who, guided by the Holy Spirit, correctly understand the Holy Word of God are like the yeast that leavens the dough. Following the guidance of the Holy Spirit and in the manner, He shows them, they manifest God’s mercy and compassion to the world. Those who, moved by their preaching, resolve to receive the Baptism of Christ and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and who resolve to remain always in communion with the Successor of the Apostle Peter, and even more so with the Successors of the Apostles who are in communion with him, are like the leavened dough, transformed by the Holy Word of God.
Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord! We have all received the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ and belong to Him. Therefore, let us follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In our daily lives, let us actively embrace and welcome those who interact with us, just as the mustard tree welcomes the birds of the sky to rest on its branches. Like yeast, let us become a catalyst for the harmonious coexistence of all humanity, so that through all that we do, people of the world may, together with us, courageously renounce all their selfish desires and disordered passions, entrust themselves to God, dedicate their lives, generously fulfill the holy will of God, and accomplish the vocation bestowed upon each of them by God.
O God, protector of those who hope in you, without whom nothing has firm foundation, nothing is holy, bestow in abundance your mercy upon us and grant that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may use the good things that pass in such a way as to hold fast even now to those that ever endure. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,God, for ever and ever
全属于祢 
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