The Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jeremiah 23:1-6; Psalm 22; Ephesians 2:13-18; Mark 6:30-34

In our first reading we see the Lord condemning those shepherds who have not cared for their flocks but have allowed them to be scattered and destroyed. The Lord says that he will raise up true shepherds who will properly pasture his sheep. In the gospel passage from St Mark – which is the conclusion to the passage begun last week – we see the Twelve returning to Jesus after they had been preaching in his name and they return rejoicing. They go off to be alone and to rest but the people follow them because they want to hear more about Christ and his message. He takes pity on them and teaches them himself. Little has changed between Christ’s time and ours – the world badly needs those who will preach Christ’s message of salvation. No matter who we are or what we do in life, as baptised Christians we were all commissioned to go out and to preach the good news of the kingdom both in word and in the example of our lives. There are still many in our world who have not heard about Christ or who have forgotten about him or not really come to know him. Each of us has a duty to bring our fellow men and women to the truth and the knowledge of God.

In the second reading St Paul tells us that Christ is the link which joins so many people together in peace. All who believe in him regardless of their skin colour or their nationality have a place in the kingdom and so all are brothers and sisters in the eyes of God.

Feast of St Mary Magdalene 

Songs 3:1-4 (or Corinthians 5:14-17); Psalm 62; John 20:1-2, 11-18

The first reading from the Song of Songs tells of a person seeking the one whom they love. Today we can understand it as Mary Magdalene seeking the Lord. In the gospel from St John we see Mary at the empty tomb and been greeted by Christ himself, now risen from the dead. For her faithfulness to him she has been rewarded by being the first person to see the Lord after his resurrection and also by being the one to proclaim that news to the apostles.

Mary of Magdala was one of the followers of Christ who is mentioned in all four Gospels. She stood by the cross of Christ as he was dying and she was the first to see the risen Lord. Because she was the one who told the apostles that the Lord had risen, she is often referred to as “the apostle to the apostles.”

Feast of St Bridget of Sweden, Patroness of Europe

Bridget was born between 1302 and 1304 in Sweden and in 1316 was married to Ulf Gudmarsson and together they had eight children. She became the chief lady-in-waiting at the royal court of King Magnus II in 1335, possibly due to her father’s post as a provincial governor. She was widowed in 1344 and from then on devoted her life to the poor and destitute. She travelled to Rome for the Jubilee Year in 1350 and spent the rest of her life there. She also established the Bridgettines though it never received official approval in her lifetime. She died in Rome in 1373 and her remains were returned to her native Sweden, to the Bridgettine monastery she had founded. Catherine – her fourth child – followed her mother and dedicated her life to the poor and to the strengthening of the Bridgettines. She too was widowed at a young age and she too was canonized.

Readings

Galatians 2:19-20; Psalm 33; John 15:1-8

The first reading from St Paul to the Galatians speaks very much of the life of St Bridget of Sweden. She gave what she had in the service of the poor and of Christ and the life she lived was not hers but Christ’s. The gospel speaks of the vine whose branches bear much fruit if they remain pure and part of the vine tree. We are called to be like Bridget and to give of what we have in the service of the Lord and of his people. If we do so then we will produce much fruit for the kingdom.

Jeremiah 1:1, 4-10; Psalm 70; Matthew 13:1-9

In our first reading today we read of the call of Jeremiah to be the prophet of God. Jeremiah is afraid – like Moses and so many other prophets – and does not want the job but the Lord strengthens him and the words that Jeremiah will proclaim are the words of God himself. This is about the year 626 BC. The Gospel text from St Matthew recounts the parable of the sower. The seed fell in various places and produced different effects. Today is a good time to ask ourselves whether we are the good and fertile soil of the parable or whether the Lord sees us as one of the lesser soils. As the Lord strengthened Jeremiah with his word, so too will he strengthen us if we allow him to do so.

Memorial of Blessed John Soreth, Carmelite Priest

John Soreth was born at Caen in Normandy and entered Carmel as a young man. He studied at Paris and pre-dated St Teresa of Jesus (of Avila) in his attempts to reform the Order. He was Prior General from 1451 until 1471 and was responsible for the Constitutions of 1462. He introduced nuns into the Order in the Netherlands in the early 1450s and also promoted the Third Order. He died in 1471.

Feast of St James the Apostle

Also known as James the Greater, he was the brother of St John the Apostle and Evangelist. Not much is known about him other than what is to be found in the Gospels where he has a special place among the Twelve with Peter and John. In Spain it is believed that he preached the Gospel in the Iberian Peninsula and that his relics were buried at Santiago de Compostela, but this is not maintained outside of Spain. He was the first of the apostles to die having been martyred by Herod Agrippa between 42 and 44 AD.

Readings

2Corinthians 4:7-15; Psalm 125; Matthew 20:20-28

In our passage from the second letter to the Corinthians St Paul tells us that, because he believes and proclaims the word of God, he will be raised to life with Christ. The death and the life of Christ are at work in him in a very powerful way. There is also a reminder that there will be trials in witnessing for the Lord. In the gospel we see Zebedee’s wife coming to Jesus to ask that her sons sit at his right and left in heaven. Jesus can grant them places in heaven but only if they suffer for him through the spread of the Gospel. We too are called to live lives worthy of the kingdom no matter what trials may come our way. We are to carry our cross every day for Christ and to proclaim the Gospel by the example of how we live.

Jeremiah 3:14-17; Psalm – Jeremiah 31:1-13; Matthew 13:18-23

The Lord calls his people back to him in the first reading from the Prophet Jeremiah. He tells them that he will give them shepherds to guide them and that Zion will be their focal point as is a throne in a throne room. Today’s Gospel text explains the parable of the sower. We are called on to be the rich soil in to which the seed fell and produced a harvest. We are reminded today to look into ourselves from time to time in order to rid ourselves of anything which might reduce our faith and so separate us from the love of God.

Memorial of Sts Joachim & Anne, Parents of Our Lady

These are the names traditionally given to the parents of Our Lady, though nothing is known about them. Anne is the Patron Saint of Canada, women in labour, miners, cabinet-makers and home-makers.

Jeremiah 7:1-11; Psalm 83; Matthew 13:24-30

In our reading from Jeremiah today, the Lord is telling the people how they must behave towards God and towards others. If they act according to his will, then he will stay with them. This is about the year 609 BC and Jeremiah is warning the people that the fact that the Temple is in Jerusalem will not mean that Jerusalem will stand against their enemies – God will only be on their side to protect them if they are faithful to him. In the Gospel, Jesus uses another parable – that of the seed and the darnel which grow side by side – one useful, the other useless – but the farmer leaves them both to grow until the harvest. In our world there are both good people and bad people and both grow and live side by side. The good should not worry that the bad grow and appear to prosper better than they, for the Lord will weed the good from the bad on the day of judgement. We must continue to live good lives converting ourselves more and more to the Gospel.

Memorial of Saint Titus Brandsma, Carmelite Priest & Martyr

Anno Sjoerd Brandsma was born at Bolsward, The Netherlands, in 1881, joined the Carmelite Order in 1898 taking the name ‘Titus’, and was ordained priest in 1905. Following studies in Rome he lectured in philosophy at the Catholic University of Nijmegen from 1923 to 1942, where he also served as professor and Rector Magnificus. He was also a journalist and was involved in a number of publications, being appointed ecclesiastical advisor to Catholic journalists in 1935. During the 1930’s he visited Ireland and stayed in Kinsale with the Carmelite Community there – to improve his English – before giving a series of lectures in the United States. Throughout the 1930s Nazi propaganda was on the rise but Fr Titus refused to support or print anything in support of the Nazi regime, working instead to maintain the freedom of the Catholic press and education in the Netherlands. By 1942 it was required that the press in the Netherlands print articles in favour of the Nazi regime but, continuing to refuse, Titus was arrested by the Gestapo on January 19, 1942, and imprisoned in his native country before being sent to the concentration camp at Dachau where he brought comfort and peace to his fellow prisoners. In Dachau he was experimented on in the medical wing and was finally put to death by lethal injection on July 26, 1942. Saint Titus was canonised by Pope Francis on May 15, 2022.