THE GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY : Wednesday - July 20, 2022

Wednesday - July 20, 2022

"It is a lesson we all need - to let alone the things that do not concern us. He has other ways for others to follow Him; all do not go by the same path. It is for each of us to learn the path by which He requires us to follow Him, and to follow Him in that path." 
-     St. Katharine Drexel  

July 20, 2022

WEDNESDAY OF THE SIXTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Lectionary: 397

 

Reading I     

                                                                                    Jer 1:1, 4-10

 

The words of Jeremiah, son of Hilkiah,

of a priestly family in Anathoth, in the land of Benjamin.

 

The word of the LORD came to me thus:

 

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

before you were born I dedicated you,

a prophet to the nations I appointed you.

“Ah, Lord GOD!” I said,

"I know not how to speak; I am too young.”

 

But the LORD answered me,

Say not, “I am too young.”

To whomever I send you, you shall go;

whatever I command you, you shall speak.

Have no fear before them,

because I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.

 

Then the LORD extended his hand and touched my mouth, saying,

 

See, I place my words in your mouth!

This day I set you

over nations and over kingdoms,

To root up and to tear down,

to destroy and to demolish,

to build and to plant.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                  Ps 71:1-2, 3-4a, 5-6ab, 15 and 17

 

R. (see 15ab) I will sing of your salvation.

 

In you, O LORD, I take refuge;

let me never be put to shame.

In your justice rescue me, and deliver me;

incline your ear to me, and save me.

R. I will sing of your salvation.

Be my rock of refuge,

a stronghold to give me safety,

for you are my rock and my fortress.

O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.

R. I will sing of your salvation.

For you are my hope, O Lord;

my trust, O God, from my youth.

On you I depend from birth;

from my mother’s womb you are my strength.

R. I will sing of your salvation.

My mouth shall declare your justice,

day by day your salvation.

O God, you have taught me from my youth,

and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.

R. I will sing of your salvation.

 

Alleluia                                              Phil 2:8

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower;

all who come to him will live for ever.

R. Alleluia

 

Gospel                                                           Mt 13:1-9

 

On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.

Such large crowds gathered around him

that he got into a boat and sat down,

and the whole crowd stood along the shore.

And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:

“A sower went out to sow.

And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,

and birds came and ate it up.

Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil.

It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep,

and when the sun rose it was scorched,

and it withered for lack of roots.

Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.

But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit,

a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.

Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

 

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IS INADEQUACY HOLDING YOU BACK?

You are a modern-day Jeremiah. God has given you a Word to speak: his holy Word in the form of encouragement, affirmation, faith-building, or healing. You have knowledge about the kingdom of God that will benefit others. You have experiences that can inspire others to grow closer to God. You have wisdom from the Holy Spirit that's meant to be shared.

 

God appointed you to be one of his prophets while you were still in your mother's womb. Though you might feel inadequate for the task (like Jeremiah did when he thought he was too young in today's first reading), God is the one who will place the words in your mouth. What he shares with you to share with others is more than adequate!

 

So what's stopping you from doing more? Why do you hesitate? What do you fear? For most of us, the feeling of inadequacy is a consequence of focusing on ourselves and forgetting that God has a bigger role than we do in fulfilling what he calls us to do. He supplies us with everything we need for success.

 

Consider how much you enjoyed helping people in the past, but alas, some of them have not responded well. Do you feel like you failed? This contributes to the feeling of inadequacy. Are you afraid that you can't make a big enough difference, so why try? Have you decided that to care so much about someone is just too painful and too sad, because you cannot see good results coming from your attempts to help?

 

We don't like being the farmer of the parable in today's Gospel reading, working hard in the blazing sun only to watch the crops die.

 

To find renewed energy, we must spend time appreciating the differences that we have made. Not everyone has rejected our help. Some have been rich soil, and the seeds we've sowed have sprouted and produced new growth.

 

And where our efforts have failed, well, we never know when rocky soil is going to become fertile soil. The groundwork we've laid is never futile, but it might take another farmer to produce results. God appreciates the hard work we do, even when the soil produces nothing good. Apparent failures should never stop us. Why should someone else be denied the seeds we can give, just because we've stubbed our toes on dry or rocky soil?

 

We should take our stubbed toes to the Lord and let him heal us. Then the seeds of our healing will produce a harvest of courage, and the fruits that grow will produce seeds that can help others find healing too.

 

So what if only some of our seeds sprout and grow? The only thing that matters is that we are called to be farmers. We are not responsible for making the seeds grow; we are only the sowers.

 

Today's Prayer

 

My Lord, give me the grace to open myself up to Your Word and to practice it, to be patient with my limitations and to consecrate my life to proclaiming You in every time and place. Amen.

 

 

 God Bless You.....

The Rosary Family

The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”