July 30, 2026
Thursday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time
St. Peter Chrysologus, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Optional Memorial)
Gospel: Matthew 13:47-53

Today is Thursday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time. Today the Church celebrates the Optional Memorial of St. Peter Chrysologus, Bishop and Confessor of the Faith, and Doctor of the Church.

The recently published Missal tells us: St. Peter Chrysologus (c. 380 – c. 450) was born in Imola, Italy, and was appointed Bishop of Ravenna in 433. He maintained close relations with the imperial family, and in a mosaic in Ravenna, he is depicted together with the imperial household. Empress Galla Placidia called him “Chrysologus” (Golden Worded). He is most remembered for his eloquent sermons and his struggles against heresy. He was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1729.

Today’s passage from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew continues Jesus’ teaching on the parables of the Kingdom of Heaven.

First, Jesus said to his disciples: “The Kingdom of God is like a net thrown into the sea, which gathers fish of every kind. When it is full, they haul it ashore and sit down to put the good into buckets, but the 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” (cf. Matthew 13:47-50).

If we understand Jesus’ saying about the Kingdom of God merely according to the literal meaning, we might regard this kingdom as a realm with boundaries, limitations, and a time limit. If that were the case, we would be gravely mistaken. For we know that the Kingdom of God is infinite; it belongs not only to the Jews, but equally to us Gentiles. As Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me… I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice” (cf. John 10:14-16).

Then, where is the Kingdom of God in the world we live in? I believe many brothers and sisters in the Lord would say: the Kingdom of God is in our hearts. However, this is not entirely accurate. In fact, when we are called to gather in the church in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, at that moment, the Kingdom of God appears among us. Within this Kingdom of God, some remain faithful to the Holy Word of God and accomplish all that God requires of them, just as Moses did in the First Reading today. Others, though initially faithful to the Holy Word and obedient to the holy will of God, become corrupted in spirit and body when seduced by worldly temptations and material luxuries, and defiled by the devil and his angels. When the day appointed by God arrives, those who are faithful to the Holy Word and are pleasing in the sight of God will be like the “good fish,” remaining in the “bucket,” clothed in the righteousness of the children of God; those who have been defiled by the devil and his angels will be like weeds, thrown out, and they will enter into eternal death, enduring perpetual punishment.

O God, who made the Bishop Saint Peter Chrysologus
an outstanding preacher of your Incarnate Word,
grant, through his intercession,
that we may constantly ponder in our hearts
the mysteries of your salvation
and faithfully express them in what we do.
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.

©Totus Tuus 2026
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica