Gospel: August 13, 2024

(Tuesday)

19th Week in Ordinary Time

Psalter: Week 3 / (Green/Red)

St. Pontian, pope, martyr and

St. Hippolytus, priest & martyr

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 119: 14, 24, 72, 103, 111, 131

How sweet to my taste is your promise!

1st Reading: Ezekiel 2: 8 – 3: 4

Listen then, son of man, to what I say, and don’t be a rebel among rebels. Open your mouth and take in what I’m about to say.”

I looked and saw a hand stretched out in front of me holding a scroll. He unrolled it before me; on both sides were written lamentations, groaning and woes.

He said to me, “Son of man, eat what is given to you. Eat this scroll and then go; speak to the people of Israel.” I opened my mouth and he made me eat the scroll; and then he said to me, “Eat and fill yourself with this scroll that I’m giving you.” I ate it; and it tasted as sweet as honey.

He said, “Son of man, go to the Israelites; speak to them with my words.

Gospel: Matthew 18: 1-5, 10, 12-14

At that time, the disciples came to Jesus and asked him, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

Then Jesus called a little child, set the child in the midst of the disciples, and said, “I assure you, that, unless you change, and become like little children, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble, like this child, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, and whoever receives such a child, in my name, receives me.

See that you do not despise any of these little ones; for I tell you, their angels in heaven continually see the face of my heavenly Father.

What do you think of this? If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them strays, won’t he leave the 99 on the hillside, and go to look for the stray one? And I tell you, when he finally finds it, he is more pleased about it, than about the 99 that did not go astray. It is the same with your Father in heaven. Your Father in heaven doesn’t want even one of these little ones to perish.

Reflection: “Finding the lost sheep”

Along our journey, we have seen the first three discourses found in the Gospel of Matthew: the Sermon on the Mount (cf. Mt. 5–7), the Missionary Discourse (cf. Mt. 10) and the Parabolic Discourse (cf. Mt. 13). Today, we begin reflecting on the fourth discourse, the Discourse on the Church. In today’s Gospel, Jesus narrated the parable of the lost sheep. It is but fitting to first reflect on the challenge, for those of us in the Church, to always look for the lost sheep. The man who has lost a sheep would leave the 99 sheep in the hillside to look for the lost one. Here, Jesus appeared to challenge all the Church people to find and take care of the last, the least and the lost. Jesus founded a Church that seeks the lost. It is sad if we have already become too complacent about our mission as a Church and not anymore willing to go out of our comfort zones. Often, we tend to be already contented in having the “99 sheep” with us, unwilling to take the risk to find the lost. We may further reflect on the fact that nowadays, there are too many lost ones.