今天是常年期第十六周星期六。教會在今天慶祝聖伯多祿宗徒的慶日。最近出版的羅馬彌撒經書告訴我們：聖雅各伯（+44），載伯德的兒子，與胞弟聖若望同蒙主召。他是伯多祿、若望之外的另一位宗徒，曾目睹耶穌顯聖容（瑪17:1）及山園祈禱（瑪26:37）。黑落德·阿格裡帕下令處死他，他於西元44年殉道，成為十二宗徒中首位流血致命者。他在西班牙聖地牙哥-德孔波斯特拉（Santiago de Compostela）的朝聖地，該地至今仍是著名的朝聖地。
今天是常年期第十六周星期六。教会在今天庆祝圣伯多禄宗徒的庆日。最近出版的罗马弥撒经书告诉我们：圣雅各伯（+44），载伯德的儿子，与胞弟圣若望同蒙主召。他是伯多禄、若望之外的另一位宗徒，曾目睹耶稣显圣容（玛17:1）及山园祈祷（玛26:37）。黑落德·阿格里帕下令处死他，他于公元44年殉道，成为十二宗徒中首位流血致命者。他在西班牙圣地亚哥-德孔波斯特拉（Santiago de Compostela）的朝圣地，该地至今仍是著名的朝圣地。
July 31, 2026 Saint Ignatius of Loyola (Memorial) Gospel: Matthew 13:54-58
Today is Friday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time. Today the Church celebrates the Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. The recently published Missal tells us: Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) was born into a noble family at Loyola. He was wounded at the battle of Pamplona (1521) and experienced a conversion during his convalescence. He went on to write the Spiritual Exercises, studied theology at Paris, and, with his companions, founded the Society of Jesus. The Jesuits have had a huge impact on the reform of the Church, the education of the young, and the preaching of the Gospel to every corner of the world.
Today’s passage from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew presents us with the narrative of Jesus being rejected in the synagogue of His hometown.
We all know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. When Saint Joseph brought Him back from Egypt, He lived in Nazareth until the day of His public appearance (cf. Luke 2:51). The Jews in Nazareth were very familiar with Jesus and His family. Since Nazareth was a very remote place, the Jews there received the education of the rabbis. The world of God taught by those rabbis was one of a God of clear reward and punishment: He only favored those who offered sacrifice to Him and punished anyone who did not. When they heard Jesus’ teaching, they were astonished, but because they knew Jesus’ background, they began to shame Him because of His origins.
Often we are like those in the synagogue of Jesus’ hometown who listened to His teaching, judging the brothers and sisters who proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom to us based on our own human understanding. In our eyes, those brothers and sisters who proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom are, like us, created by God in His own image, and have no extraordinary qualities. We might even think that some of them are less knowledgeable than we are, and therefore we question in our hearts everything they proclaim to us. Like those in today’s Gospel who took offense at Him (cf. Matthew 13:57), we reject all that they proclaim to us and continue to live according to our own will.
However, the compassionate Father has fully revealed Himself to us through His beloved Son. For “No one has ever seen God; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, has revealed Him” (John 1:18). He is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, upholding all things by His powerful word (Hebrews 1:3). In the fullness of His grace, through the Baptism we have received—washed once and for all in the blood and water flowing from His sacred side—we have been cleansed of original sin and united to Him, and through His glorious Resurrection, we have begun a new life in Him. After He was taken up into heaven, He sent His Holy Spirit to His pilgrim Church, so that together with all the brothers and sisters who have received the Baptism of Christ, died with Christ, and begun a new life in Him, we may receive the Holy Spirit who proceeds from Him and the Father. Through the Holy Spirit we have received, we share in the communion of saints, together with the heavenly saints, partaking in His eternal divine life.
O God, who raised up Saint Ignatius of Loyola in your Church to further the greater glory of your name, grant that by his help we may imitate him in fighting the good fight on earth and merit to receive with him a crown in 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 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.
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