July 31, 2018

Gospel: Mt 13:36-43
Then he sent the crowds away and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” Jesus answered them, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world; the good seed are the people of the kingdom; the weeds are those who follow the evil one. The enemy who sows the weeds is the devil; the harvest is the end of time, and the workers are the angels. Just as the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of time. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom all that is scandalous and all who do evil. And these will be thrown into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the just will shine, like the sun, in the kingdom of their Father. If you have ears, then hear.

Reflections
The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom all that is scandalous and all who do evil In his meditation on the Two Standards, Ignatius explains that Jesus and the Evil One battle over our hearts. It is not enough to declare I choose Jesus and his Gospel instead of the Evil One and his ways. Throughout our lives, we need to be purified of sin within and choose to follow Jesus. Perhaps St. Ignatius’ most precious gifts to the Church are his Spiritual Exercises and Examen of Consciousness which equip us with tools to discern God’s will, by examining the movements of the good and evil spirits within us. We pray then to choose Jesus daily.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2018