Gospel: July 23, 2026
July 23, 2026 (Thursday)
16th Week in Ordinary Time
Psalter: Week 4 (Green/White)
St. Bridget, religious
Ps 36:6-7ab, 8-9, 10-11
With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
1st Reading: Jeremiah 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13
A word of the Lord came to me, “Go and shout this in the hearing of Jerusalem. This is the Lord’s word: I remember your kindness as a youth, the love of your bridal days, when you followed me in the wilderness, through a land not sown.
Israel was holy to the Lord, the first fruits of his harvest. All who ate of it had to pay and misfortune fell on them—it is the Lord who speaks.
I brought you to a fertile land to eat of the choicest fruit. As soon as you came you defiled my land and dishonored my heritage!
The priests did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord?’ The masters of my teaching did not know me; the pastors of my people betrayed me; the prophets followed worthless idols and spoke in the name of Baal.
Be aghast at that, O heavens!
Shudder, be utterly appalled—it is the Lord who speaks— for my people have done two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, to dig for themselves leaking cisterns that hold no water!
Gospel: Matthew 13:10-17
Then his disciples came to him and said, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”
Jesus answered, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but not to these people. For the one who has will be given more; and he will have in abundance. But the one who does not have will be deprived of even what he has. That is why I speak to them in parables; because they look and do not see; they hear; but they do not listen or understand. In them, the words of the prophet Isaiah are fulfilled: However much you hear, you do not understand; however much you see, you do not perceive.
For the heart of this people has grown dull. Their ears hardly hear and their eyes dare not see. If they were to see with their eyes, hear with their ears and understand with their heart, they would turn back, and I would heal them.
But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. For I tell you, many prophets and righteous people have longed to see the things you see, but they did not see them; and to hear the things you hear, but they did not hear them.
Reflection:
God’s call is not concealed.
In the gospel, Jesus reveals a profound truth about the nature of God’s revelation. He speaks of the mysteries of the Kingdom, which are made known to those who sincerely seek Him. This passage reminds us that God’s call is not concealed from us but is revealed to those with open hearts and willing spirits.
We often overlook God’s gentle whispers and subtle revelations in our busy lives, distracted by the noise around us and within us. Yet, Jesus invites us to listen—to open our hearts and minds to His messages of hope and grace. The blessing of seeing and hearing is given to us, not because of our merit but because of His love and mercy.
As followers of Christ, we are called to nurture a close relationship with the Lord, seeking the depth of His revelation in our daily encounters and the events of our lives. As we respond to His call, may our lives reflect the light of Christ, guiding others toward Him.
