17TH MONDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Matthew 13:31-35) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened.” (Mt 13:33)

FIRST READING - Ex 32:15-24,30-34

"What a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold."

A reading from the Book of Exodus

¹⁵ Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back. ¹⁶ The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.

¹⁷ When Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “There is the sound of war in the camp.”

¹⁸ Moses replied:

“It is not the sound of victory,    it is not the sound of defeat;    it is the sound of singing that I hear.”

¹⁹ When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. ²⁰ And he took the calf the people had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it.

²¹ He said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?”

²² “Do not be angry, my lord,” Aaron answered. “You know how prone these people are to evil. ²³ They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’ ²⁴ So I told them, ‘Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!”

³⁰ The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”

³¹ So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. ³² But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.”

³³ The Lord replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book. ³⁴ Now go, lead the people to the place I spoke of, and my angel will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin.”

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Mt 13:31-15

"The smallest of all seeds becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

✠From the Gospel according to Matthew

³¹ He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. ³² Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

³³ He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds^[a] of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

³⁴ Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. ³⁵ So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:

“I will open my mouth in parables,    I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”^[b]

17TH MONDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Matthew 13:31-35)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

The Word of God for today, God the Father reveals that the Kingdom of Heaven will be given to those who open their hearts to receive the Word of God and put it into practice. As Jesus Christ Himself said: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.”

Likewise, God the Father compares the Kingdom of Heaven to the yeast that a woman mixes into three measures of flour, which, given enough time, will leaven the dough.

Jesus Christ teaches that the Kingdom of Heaven will be sown in the soul of each person, like yeast in dough. At the appointed time, it will rise and give off the aroma of new wine. Just as yeast is crushed and mixed into the dough, so too must those who live according to God’s teachings die to themselves and become one with the world, so that God may renew the face of the earth.

On the other hand, when someone lives acording and put into practices the teachings of God the Father that is worshiping Him alone as the one true God and loving their brothers and sisters are fulfilling His commandments. By living according to His Word, through the Lord’s Prayer and the Ten Commandments given to Moses on Mount Sinai, such individuals will inherit the happiness of the Kingdom of Heaven. Indeed, the Kingdom of Heaven will dwell within them.

What is the Kingdom of Heaven? The Kingdom of Heaven is a place of true happiness—a heavenly realm where God the Father reigns. It is a place where His light and love are made manifest in those who belong to Him. And when God the Father calls these individuals out of this world, they will enter and partake in the eternal joy of the true Kingdom of Heaven.

Moreover, God the Father also teaches mankind that: when God the Father grants the Kingdom of Heaven to dwell within the soul of each person, yet if that person does not practice and follow the teachings of God the Father, then the Kingdom of Heaven shall not dwell within that person’s soul. And that person will invite Satan into his own heart, will encounter the sins and passions of the world, and will not live in serenity, peace, and happiness to walk in the light of God, but will only walk in the darkness of the sins of the world, of Satan alone.

The Word of God today, God the Father calls upon His children:

• Be watchful and practice the teachings of God the Father, so that His Word may grow and flourish within your own heart. Remain vigilant against the temptations of Satan—against sinful passions, death, hatred, envy, and selfishness. Let the Word of God the Father reign in your heart.

• Welcome the Kingdom of Heaven, which is true peace and happiness. Embrace the Kingdom of Heaven as the light of God’s Word. Accept the Kingdom of Heaven by allowing God the Father to work within you, just as Saint Paul once said. “I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20)

Thanks be to God. Amen.