Churches of the Day

Thursday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

Saint of the Day: - July 30 - St Peter Chrysologus (d. 450) bishop and doctor
C/f A short look at the life of this saint can be found below today's Readings and Reflection.

FIRST READING

A reading from the book of the Prophet Jeremiah             18:1-6.
As the clay is in the potter's hand, so you are in mine.

The word that was addressed to Jeremiah by the Lord,
'Get up and make your way down to the potter's house; there I shall let you hear what I have to say.'
So I went down to the potter's house; and there he was, working at the wheel. And whenever the vessel he was making came out wrong, as happens with the clay handled by potters, he would start afresh and work it into another vessel, as potters do. Then this word of the Lord was addressed to me,
'House of Israel, can not I do to you what this potter does? - it is The Lord who speaks. Yes, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so you are in mine, House of Israel.'

The Word of the Lord            Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm         Ps 145: 2-6. R/v 5.
Response                               He is happy who is helped by Jacob's God.
Or                                              Alleluia!

1. My soul, give praise to the Lord; I will praise the Lord all my days,
make music to my God while I live.                                                                                 Response

2. Put no trust in princes, in mortal men in whom there is no help.
Take their breath, they return to clay and their plans that day come to nothing. Response

3. He is happy who is helped by Jacob's God, whose hope is in the Lord his God;
who alone made heaven and earth, the seas and all they contain.                           Response

Gospel Acclamation     Jn 15: 15
Alleluia, alleluia!
I call you friends, says the Lord, because I have made known to you
everything I have learnt from my Father.
Alleluia

or                                       Acts 16: 14
Alleluia, alleluia!
Open our heart, O Lord, to accept the words of your Son.
Alleluia

GOSPEL

The Lord be with you                     And with your spirit.
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew 13:47-53            Glory to you, O Lord
They collect the good ones in a basket and throw away those that are no use.

Jesus said to the crowds:
'The kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea that brings in a haul of all kinds. When it is full, the fishermen haul it ashore; then, sitting down, they collect the good ones in a basket and throw away those that are no use. 

This is how it will be at the end of time: the angels will appear and separate the wicked from the just to throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.
'Have you understood all this?'
They said, 'Yes.'
And he said to them, 'Well then, every scribe who becomes a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out from his storeroom things both new and old.'

When Jesus had finished these parables he left the district.

The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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Gospel Reflection        Thursday        Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time         Matthew 13:47-53

The parable in today’s gospel reading presupposes the practice of the fishermen on the Sea of Galilee dragging a large net between two boats or drawing it towards the land after it has been dropped in the sea. Such a way of fishing would have drawn in a very large variety of fish, some of which could have been sold at the market place and others which could only be thrown away. Jesus is suggesting that his ministry casts a very wide net. He had earlier said in this gospel, in the setting of the Sermon on the Mount, that ‘your Father in heaven… makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends his rain on the righteous and the unrighteous’ (Mt 5:45). The indiscriminate nature of God’s generous providing love is reflecting in the broad, inclusive, ministry of Jesus. Like the sower, Jesus casts the seed of his word with abandon.

Jesus reveals a God who seeks to embrace all sorts, without exception. Like the potter in the first reading, Jesus did not reject what was far from perfect, what ‘came out wrong’. He was at home with tax collectors and sinners, with the weaknesses and frailties of others, knowing that God’s love at work through him could recreate all who came to him so that they could become all that God was calling them to be. Yet, having been embraced by the Lord’s love, conversion is required of us, a daily turning towards the one who is always turned towards us.

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The Scripture Readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd. and used with the permission of the publishers. http://dltbooks.com/
The Scripture Reflection is made available with our thanks from his book Reflections on the Weekday Readings: The Word is near to you, on your lips and in your heart by Martin Hogan and published by Messenger Publications c/f www.messenger.ie/bookshop/

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Saint of the Day: - July 30 - St Peter Chrysologus (d. 450)

St Peter : Bishop, Doctor of the Church. Born late in the Fourth century at Imola (Italy); died on 31 July about 450. Bishop of Ravenna, known as "Chrysologus" (golden-worded). Noted for his eloquent sermons, his loyalty to the bishop of Rome, and his dedicated pastoral service.

Patrick Duffy tells his story.

Peter was bishop of Ravenna, the city famous for its mosaics, in the mid 5th century, when the Empress Galla Placidia was living there. On hearing his homilies she is said to have given him the name Chrysologus "Golden-worded" and became a patron of many of his projects.. His surviving 176 homilies show what an excellent preacher he really was.

A Native of Imola
Peter was born at the city of Imola (30 miles west of Ravenna) and was ordained a deacon there by its bishop Cornelius. During a visit with his bishop to Rome, Pope Sixtus III appointed him bishop of Ravenna in 433.

Chrysologus ( "Golden-worded")
As a preacher Peter was afraid of boring his audience and became famous for his short, inspiring homilies, 176 of which have survived. He spoke about the incarnation in simple and clear language. His homilies are an indication of how the liturgical year was celebrated at that time and also show how he stood against the christological heresies at that time.

Against Paganism
As bishop Peter was concerned with the survival of paganism. He preached especially against the annual carnival, saying: "He who delights in the devil cannot rejoice in Christ". But he urged his listeners to have confidence in the forgiveness offered through Christ. He was also an advocate of frequent communion.

A Supporter to Pope St Leo I
When Leo I became pope in 440 Peter became an advisor to him and one of his staunchest supporters both in opposing the heresies of the time and in defending the primacy of the Church of Rome.

Friend of Germanus of Auxerre
When Germanus of Auxerre visited Ravenna to plead the cause of the rebellious Bretons with the emperor, Peter warmly received him and when he died there Peter presided at his funeral.

Death and Influence
Peter himself died in 450 while on a visit to his native Imola. A contemporary portrait of him exists in the mosaics of the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista in Ravenna, where he is depicted among the members of the eastern and western imperial family, showing his extraordinary influence.

A collection of his 176 homilies was made by Felix, Bishop of Ravenna (707-17). Peter was declared a doctor of the Church in 1729.

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Memorable Quote for today

 "Listen to the Lord's appeal:.. Come, then, return to me and learn to know me as your father,
who repays good for evil, love for injury, and boundless charity for piercing wounds."

    ~ St Peter Chrysologus ~

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18th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A

FIRST READING           

A reading from the book of the Prophet Isaiah         55:1-3
Come and eat.


Thus says the Lord:
Oh, come to the water all you who are thirsty; though you have no money, come!
Buy corn without money, and eat, and, at no cost, wine and milk.
Why spend money on what is not bread, your wages on what fails to satisfy?

Listen, listen to me, and you will have good things to eat and rich food to enjoy.
Pay attention, come to me; listen, and your soul will live.
With you I will make an everlasting covenant out of the favours promised to David.

The Word of the Lord                Thanks be to God

Responsorial Psalm            Ps 144: 8-9. 15-18. R/v 16
Response                                  You open wide your hand, O Lord, you grant our desires.

1. The Lord is kind and full of compassion, slow to anger, abounding in love.
How good is the Lord to all, compassionate to all his creatures.             Response

2. The eyes of all creatures look to you and you give them their food in due time.
You open wide your hand, grant the desires of all who live.                    Response

3. The Lord is just in all his ways and loving in all his deeds.
He is close to all who call him, call on him from their hearts.                 Response

SECOND READING

A reading from the second letter of St Paul to the Romans          8:35. 37-39
No created thing, can ever come between us and the love of God made visible in Christ

Nothing therefore can come between us and the love of Christ, even if we are troubled or worried, or being persecuted, or lacking food or clothes, or being threatened or even attacked. These are the trials through which we triumph, by the power of him who loved us.

For I am certain of this: neither death nor life, no angel, no prince, nothing that exists, nothing still to come, not any power, or height or depth, nor any created thing, can ever come between us and the love of God made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Word of the Lord          Thanks be to God

Gospel Acclamation       Lk 19: 38
Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessings on the King who comes, in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heavens!
Alleluia!

Or                                        Mt 4:4
Alleluia, alleluia!
Man does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God
Alleluia!

GOSPEL 

The Lord be with you                      And with your spirit
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew 14:13-21          Glory to you, O Lord
They all ate as much as they wanted.

When Jesus received this news of John the Baptist's death, he withdrew by boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves. But the people heard of this and, leaving the towns, went after him on foot. So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them and healed their sick.

When evening came, the disciples went to him and said, 'This is a lonely place, and the time has slipped by; so send the people away, and they can go to the villages to buy themselves some food'.
Jesus replied, 'There is no need for them to go: give them something to eat yourselves'. But they answered 'All we have with us is five loaves and two fish'.
'Bring them here to me' he said. He gave orders that the people were to sit down on the grass; then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven and said the blessing. And breaking the loaves handed them to his disciples who gave them to the crowds.

They all ate as much as they wanted, and they collected the scraps remaining; twelve baskets full. Those who ate numbered about five thousand men, to say nothing of women and children.

The Gospel of the Lord         Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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For homily resources for this Sunday's Gospel click here: https://www.catholicireland.net/sunday-homily/




Taken from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, published and copyright 1966 by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House Inc, and used by permission of the publishers.

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