20250730 IGNITE AND SHINE
30 July 2025, Wednesday, 17th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Exodus 34:29-35 |
Moses passes on to the people the orders given by the Lord
When Moses came down from the mountain of Sinai – as he came down from the mountain, Moses had the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands – he did not know that the skin on his face was radiant after speaking with the Lord. And when Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, the skin on his face shone so much that they would not venture near him. But Moses called to them, and Aaron with all the leaders of the community came back to him; and he spoke to them. Then all the sons of Israel came closer, and he passed on to them all the orders that the Lord had given him on the mountain of Sinai. And when Moses had finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. Whenever he went into the Lord’s presence to speak with him, Moses would remove the veil until he came out again. And when he came out, he would tell the sons of Israel what he had been ordered to pass on to them, and the sons of Israel would see the face of Moses radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he returned to speak with the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 98(99):5-7,9 |
You are holy, O Lord our God.
Exalt the Lord our God;
bow down before Zion, his footstool.
He the Lord is holy.
You are holy, O Lord our God.
Among his priests were Aaron and Moses,
among those who invoked his name was Samuel.
They invoked the Lord and he answered.
You are holy, O Lord our God.
To them he spoke in the pillar of cloud.
They did his will; they kept the law,
which he, the Lord, had given.
You are holy, O Lord our God.
Exalt the Lord our God;
bow down before his holy mountain
for the Lord our God is holy.
You are holy, O Lord our God.
Gospel Acclamation | Ps118:105 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your word is a lamp for my steps
and a light for my path.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn15:15 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I call you friends, says the Lord,
because I have made known to you
everything I have learnt from my Father.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 13:44-46 |
He sells everything he owns and buys the field
Jesus said to the crowds: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which someone has found; he hides it again, goes off happy, sells everything he owns and buys the field.
‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls; when he finds one of great value he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it.’
IGNITE AND SHINE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Ex 34:29-35; Ps 99:5-7,9; Mt 13:44-46]
Earlier, in the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord had told His disciples that they were called to be the light of the world and to give glory to the Father in heaven. Indeed, we are conscious that all of us are called to be the light of Christ in the world, to radiate the glory of God in our lives. Yet, many of us, in trying to live out this call, have lost the radiance of God’s glory in our lives. This is true regardless of the area of life we are in. There are many who have been newly baptized, or who have encountered the Lord through a renewal experience, those who have been ordained or taken religious vows, and those who are married. When we begin a new office, a new role, or a new chapter in life, we are usually full of joy, passion, and enthusiasm. But over time, we come to realize that we have lost that passion. We are no longer enthusiastic. Often, after a while, whatever we do becomes a chore, a burden, a drudgery. As a result, we continue doing things, but without passion. That is why people remark that after assuming an office or entering a new state in life, we seem to have lost our radiance.
What has happened to that joy within us? Perhaps we need to take a lesson from Moses. If we have lost our shine, it may be because we have lost our personal contact with the Lord. We have not seen the Lord face to face. We have not spent time with Him in intimacy. We have not basked in His love. That is why we have forgotten our vision and our calling. Without the strength that comes from God, we end up relying solely on our own human strength. And that is why we eventually we give up — because relying on ourselves cannot get us very far. We tend to become myopic and introspective. Instead of looking forward with hope, courage, and with faith, we begin to dwell on our own limitations and constraints in life.
And that is why, today we are reminded of Moses. When he came down from the mountain, he was grieved by the sins of his people. Yet Moses had a special relationship with the Lord. He was the only one, as Scripture says, to whom God spoke as a friend. He was intimate with God, and God would reveal His plan to him. In fact, as we read in yesterday’s first reading, God revealed Himself to Moses as a God of tenderness and mercy. Despite the sins of the people, God showed that He remains a forgiving, compassionate, and loving God. This revelation gave Moses the strength to carry on. Even though he was angry with the people, he was able to forgive them and, ultimately, to plead and intercede on their behalf. We are told that Moses’ face would shine each time after he encountered the Lord. And when he met with the people, he had to put a veil over his face because of the brightness that radiated from his encounter with God. Truly, Moses received the radiance of God — because he spent time with Him.
At the same time, those who do not spend time with the Lord often find the radiance of Moses — not just of God — intimidating. That is why the people dared not approach Moses, because they had sinned against God. And this is true for us. Very often, we lose our authority as leaders, as a person called to inspire others, simply because we have lost that radiance within us. But if we still possess it, we can continue to speak with authority. For us Christians today, the face of God is revealed in Christ Jesus. As the Letter to the Hebrews tells us, Jesus is the image of God, the reflection of His glory, the exact imprint of His very being. Jesus manifests the radiance of God in His very life. That is why, at Mount Tabor, He was transfigured — giving His disciples a glimpse of His glory. God the Father was with Him, affirming all that He was doing. As Jesus prayed at the end of His life, in the Gospel of John: “Father, glorify Your Son, so that He could glorify you.” The Lord makes it clear that His entire life was lived to glorify the Father. And because of this, the Father, in turn, glorified Him. And so, today we are called to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. Moses was just a foreshadowing of the true Moses to come. Jesus is the true Moses. Jesus is the true radiance of God. Therefore, if we want to shine again, if we wish to recover our zeal and renew our strength, we must spend time with the Lord.
Yet again, we know that encountering the Lord is not something that depends on our efforts alone. It is, above all, pure grace. In today’s Gospel, we are given two parables. The first is the parable of the hidden treasure. Here, we have someone who stumbles upon a treasure by chance. We are told that he hides it, goes off joyfully, sells everything he owns, and buys the field. This reflects the experience of some of us in life — throughout our lives, we may never have encountered God, nor even intended to. Perhaps we are struggling or even living in sin. But one day, through the grace of God, we find Him. And this is true. There are people like that. We may have thought they were lost causes. And yet, at some point in their lives, they experience a radical conversion. That is why we should not write off people too easily. We should not give up on our children, thinking that because they do not have faith in God or go to church, they will always remain that way. The truth is, we really do not know. The grace of God works in very mysterious ways. Some people are converted at the age of 60 or 70, some at the age of 10 or 12. It does not follow any human logic or timeline — it is entirely the grace of God.
But one thing is clear: when we encounter God deeply, we respond like the man who found the hidden treasure — he goes off happy, sells everything he owns, and buys the field. If we have encountered Jesus, we would do the same. Of course, for most of us, our encounter with Jesus is not as radical as that of St. Paul or the man in today’s Gospel. That is why our commitment to the Lord is often half-hearted. It is weak, because we have not really found Him as the greatest treasure of our lives. We have many treasures. For most of us, Jesus is just one among many — not the most priceless one. There are other treasures we desire and pursue. We try to gather them all, keeping Jesus as a backup, just in case the others fail. So at least, we think, we have Jesus to fall back on. But Jesus is not meant to be a backup. He is meant to be the treasure. And that is why we don’t give ourselves wholeheartedly to what Jesus is asking of us.
And so, for most of us, we are like the other merchant in the parable — the one who was searching for fine pearls. He was constantly looking, always seeking. If we have not encountered the Lord, let us not lose hope. We need to keep searching. For some, it takes a long and persistent journey of seeking. But one day, the search will come to an end. We will find a pearl of great value, and when we do, we will be willing to sell everything to possess it. For most of us, that will be the process. So, this ongoing reality of life is important. Faith is a process. That is why we must continue to walk the journey and remain faithful to the process. It is also important to remember that even after finding God, it does not mean we will never lose Him. That is what some people think. They think one conversion experience is enough. It is never enough, because you will lose it if you do not nurture that grace. Those of us who say, “I found him”, must also realize that even in finding, there is the risk of losing — because a relationship is ongoing. That is why the first reading today is so beautiful — it reminds us that our relationship with God must remain alive and dynamic.
We are told that the man found the treasure and he hid it. One commentator suggests that the reason he hides it is to show us that God, too, will sometimes hide the treasure after we have found it, so that we do not take it for granted. This hiding will awaken in us a yearning for the treasure once again. Such is life. When things are going well, when we get whatever we want, we tend to take them for granted after some time. At first, we are very happy, “I have moved to a big bungalow! Last time, I was staying in a 2-room flat.” And indeed, you are happy — for about three months. After that, you’ll get used to it, and the happiness fades. Then, perhaps, you will dream of moving into Buckingham Palace! But that is human nature. That is why we need to constantly renew our encounter with God. That is why God hides the pearl. The moment we find Him, after some time, He may hide again. Then we find ourselves lost once more, and we begin to search for Him again. So, this cycle of seeking and finding continues throughout our spiritual journey. In the Song of Songs, the beloved is always searching for the one she loves. Love, especially divine love, is never static. It must be constantly pursued.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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