July 27, 2010
Tuesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
By Beth DeCristofaro
Among the nations' idols is there any that gives rain? Or can the mere heavens send showers?Is it not you alone, O LORD, our God, to whom we look? You alone have done all these things. (Jeremiah 14:22)
The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. (Matthew 13:39-40)
Piety
Our Lady of Sorrows, hear our prayer for all those who will die today because of war and economic oppression, especially the children.
Prepare them for the agony, despair, and terror of the violence that is upon them. Comfort them and hold them close to the bosom of your most Immaculate Heart as they drink deeply of the bitter cup which is forced upon them. Wipe their tears, calm their fears, welcome them to peace and safety. Eternal rest grant to them, and may perpetual light shine upon them. May all rise in judgment against the wickedness that brings this violence upon the world.
Overturn the thrones of tyranny, scatter the unjust, cast down the bloody rulers who make the cry of the widow and orphan rise to heaven. Give us your grace and strength to stand against the demonic powers which prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Grant that peace with justice will come to all the world. Amen. http://www.justpeace.org/various.htm#
Study
Do you ever a day or a week that leads you to believe that life is a field of darnel? In the parable which Jesus makes clear to his disciples, he explains that the poisonous weed is secretly introduced into a healthy field of wheat by an enemy. In our lives, such issues as illness, poverty, divorce, abandonment, abuse, racism, war, and crushing economic situations are poisonous to our optimism and dreams. Sometimes it seems that no matter what we do, the weeds sprout up more abundantly than any solutions can overcome.
Jeremiah’s words and Jesus’ parable should fill us with hope. As we strive to build the kingdom by loving and serving our neighbor, the Spirit is and has been here with us through the loving action of Christ. God alone will insure that the weeds are properly disposed of at the harvest. We can afford to have what Henri Nouwen calls an attitude of abundance because God’s loving care of us through our lives from birth to the harvest at the end time is more than enough. In spite of the weeds we can be generous in our Christian love and action – the weeds will not choke out the people of God.
Action
In the times when I find myself or others choking because of the evils of the world, may my prayers reflect that I cannot overcome these tribulations alone. And may I trust that my efforts will reflect the glory of God. May I turn over to Jesus, as best as I am able, any sense of despair or ill-treatment and act with the courage of the Holy Spirit to continue walking – and working - with God in all things.
