"I AM the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in Me, even if he dies, will live." (In 11:25)
READING OF THE DAY
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah
Jer 7:1-11
The following message came to Jeremiah from the LORD:
Stand at the gate of the house of the LORD,
and there proclaim this message:
Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah
who enter these gates to worship the LORD!
Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel:
Reform your ways and your deeds,
so that I may remain with you in this place.
Put not your trust in the deceitful words:
"This is the temple of the LORD!
The temple of the LORD! The temple of the LORD!"
Only if you thoroughly reform your ways and your deeds;
if each of you deals justly with his neighbor;
if you no longer oppress the resident alien,
the orphan, and the widow;
if you no longer shed innocent blood in this place,
or follow strange gods to your own harm,
will I remain with you in this place,
in the land I gave your fathers long ago and forever.
But here you are, putting your trust in deceitful words to your own loss!
Are you to steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury,
burn incense to Baal,
go after strange gods that you know not,
and yet come to stand before me
in this house which bears my name, and say:
"We are safe; we can commit all these abominations again"?
Has this house which bears my name
become in your eyes a den of thieves?
I too see what is being done, says the LORD.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Matthew
Mt 13:24-30
Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds.
"The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man
who sowed good seed in his field.
While everyone was asleep his enemy came
and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off.
When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well.
The slaves of the householder came to him and said,
'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field?
Where have the weeds come from?'
He answered, 'An enemy has done this.'
His slaves said to him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'
He replied, 'No, if you pull up the weeds
you might uproot the wheat along with them.
Let them grow together until harvest;
then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters,
"First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning;
but gather the wheat into my barn."'"
MEMORIAL OF SAINTS MARTHA, MARY, AND LAZARUS - Jn 11:19-27
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear People of God,
Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. These three saints always followed Jesus Christ closely in preaching the Gospel, bringing the Word of God to all humanity. Saint Martha strongly proclaimed that Jesus Christ is God who must come to the world, the only One who can raise people from the dead.
Today's Word of God speaks of God's love for His fellow human beings, who are as close to him as His blood brothers and sisters and friends.
Jesus Christ is God. He is powerful and exalted, but He still humbles Himself to befriend ordinary and small people like the three siblings Martha, Mary, and Lazarus.
This image shows us that Jesus Christ is the One who is simple and ordinary in life. He did not appear to be a noble and powerful person to be respected by everyone. His simplicity, humility, and self-abasement easily made people close to Him, become friends with Him, and believe that He is Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, who must come into the world to help humanity recognize a God who has full authority over life.
The professing of Saint Martha: "Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the One who is coming into the world."
He reminded everyone to have absolute faith in Jesus Christ as God, the One who came into the world to save humanity. He is the only One who can bring humans back to life like the resurrection of Lazarus. That shows those who believe that Jesus Christ is God, who believe that He is the One who brings humankind back to life, will also be brought back to life by God with Him in heaven. But to achieve that, God wants humans to have absolute faith and trust in His power and love.
It is only God the One who can give love and life. Anyone who comes to call upon the name of God with absolute trust and faith, He will grant them eternal life and eternal happiness in Heaven with God the Father. When humans live according to His teachings, then right here on earth, God will also give people peace and happiness with Him.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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