20260728 THE JUDGEMENT OF MERCY
28 July 2026, Tuesday, 17th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Jeremiah 14:17-22 |
We confess our wickedness; you, God, are our hope
The Lord said to me:
Say this word to the people:
‘Tears flood my eyes
night and day, unceasingly,
since a crushing blow falls on the daughter of my people,
a most grievous injury.
If I go into the countryside,
there lie men killed by the sword;
if I go into the city,
I see people sick with hunger;
even prophets and priests
plough the land: they are at their wit’s end.’
‘Have you rejected Judah altogether?
Does your very soul revolt at Zion?
Why have you struck us down without hope of cure?
We were hoping for peace – no good came of it!
For the moment of cure – nothing but terror!
Lord, we do confess our wickedness
and our fathers’ guilt:
we have indeed sinned against you.
For your name’s sake do not reject us,
do not dishonour the throne of your glory.
Remember us; do not break your covenant with us.
Can any of the pagan Nothings make it rain?
Can the heavens produce showers?
No, it is you, Lord.
O our God, you are our hope,
since it is you who do all this.’
Responsorial Psalm | ||
Psalm 78(79):8-9,11,13 | ||
Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.
Do not hold the guilt of our fathers against us.
Let your compassion hasten to meet us;
we are left in the depths of distress.
Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.
O God our saviour, come to our help.
Come for the sake of the glory of your name.
O Lord our God, forgive us our sins;
rescue us for the sake of your name.
Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.
Let the groans of the prisoners come before you;
let your strong arm reprieve those condemned to die.
But we, your people, the flock of your pasture,
will give you thanks for ever and ever.
We will tell your praise from age to age.
Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.
Gospel Acclamation | 1P1:25 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The word of the Lord remains for ever:
What is this word?
It is the Good News that has been brought to you.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 13:36-43 |
As the darnel is gathered up and burnt, so it will be at the end of time
Leaving the crowds, Jesus went to the house; and his disciples came to him and said, ‘Explain the parable about the darnel in the field to us.’ He said in reply, ‘The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world; the good seed is the subjects of the kingdom; the darnel, the subjects of the evil one; the enemy who sowed them, the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; the reapers are the angels. Well then, just as the darnel is gathered up and burnt in the fire, so it will be at the end of time. The Son of Man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that provoke offences and all who do evil, and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then the virtuous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Listen, anyone who has ears!’
THE JUDGEMENT OF MERCY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Jer 14:17-22; Ps 79:8-9,11,13; Mt 13:36-43]
Very often in today’s world, even in the proclamation of the Gospel, the emphasis tends to focus on the existential needs of our times.There is a danger that the Gospel is reduced simply to a nice ideology of how we can make this world a better place, how we can make progress and advancement in the world, and, most of all, how to sustain the continued existence of humanity and creation. Indeed, there are some of us who think that the Gospel is merely a social gospel concerned with human liberation from the oppressive structures of the world, injustices, and the need to protect creation.
While all these are true and not outside the scope of the Gospel message, let us never forget that the ultimate goal of the Gospel is directed toward the eschatological Kingdom that the Lord comes to proclaim and establish. Indeed, all of Christ’s parables must be read with an eschatological perspective — that is to say, although the parables speak about the realities of human life, they are ultimately directed toward the establishment of God’s Kingdom and the eternal life that He has come to bring us. But before this takes place, one cannot escape the inevitable: namely, the reality of the four last things — death, judgement, hell, and heaven. These four things underscore the ultimate destiny of humanity.
Pope Benedict XVI warned us about the danger of losing awareness of life’s ultimate realities: “We need to acknowledge with concern the almost complete eclipse of an eschatological sense in many of our traditionally Christian societies” (Washington, D.C., April 16, 2008).
Vatican II in Gaudium et Spes expresses this when it teaches: “While helping the world and receiving many benefits from it, the Church has a single intention: that God’s kingdom may come, and that the salvation of the whole human race may come to pass. What the People of God during its earthly pilgrimage can offer to the human family stems from the fact that the Church is ‘the universal sacrament of salvation’. The Lord is the goal of human history, the focal point of the longings of history and of civilisation, the centre of the human race, the joy of every heart and the answer to all its yearnings. He it is Whom the Father raised from the dead, lifted on high and stationed at His right hand, making Him judge of the living and the dead. Enlivened and united in His Spirit, we journey toward the consummation of human history, one which fully accords with the counsel of God’s love: ‘To reestablish all things in Christ, both those in the heavens and those on the earth’ (Eph. 1:10).” (GS 45)
Within this perspective, we are called to examine world history. The truth is that we are living in an imperfect world. Regardless of advancements in science and technology, a better material life on earth does not mean that people in this world are necessarily happier. In fact, the social effects of modern life make many lonely, abandoned, anxious, competitive, and insecure about their future. This is manifested in greed for wealth and power, domination, and discrimination, sowing the seeds of envy, division, suspicion, and fear. Indeed, we will always have hostile powers in the world seeking and waiting to destroy the good seed of the Gospel. This comes from wicked and sinful individuals, as well as collectively through nations.
And so, whether we like it or not, we live under two kinds of influence acting upon our lives: the battle between the kingdom of darkness and the Kingdom of God. The first seeks to destroy the Gospel and prevent truth and love from growing; the other seeks to overcome evil with good, falsehood with truth, and hatred with love. This is what the parable of the weeds in today’s Gospel wants to teach us.
But this struggle is not found only in the world. The irony is that even within the Church, there are many scandals committed by religious leaders and apparently active, good Catholics in church ministry. We are not spared, even though we are the Church of Christ, because within the Church, Satan has infiltrated some of our members who have been led astray and overcome by temptation.
Hence, the parable of the weeds is an illustration of the complexity of this world. Even when we recognise the conflicting influences in our lives, it is hard to distinguish between what is good and what is evil, what is true and what is false, what is love and what is selfishness. Often, evil is masked as good and presented as truth. This is why evil appears so attractive to people who are not discerning. They see only the surface and the immediate, failing to look at long-term implications or examine the motives and goals behind what is presented to them. In the same vein, the good is often distorted by those with selfish motives, who make it appear contrary to human interests — as if the Gospel would curtail an individual’s freedom, joy, and happiness. With the influence of social media, religion — especially Christianity — is often seen as conservative, naive, and a wet blanket in society, restraining freedom and human progress.
This is why it is important that we not be too hasty and superficial in our judgement of situations, events, and people. This explains the call for restraint in uprooting the weeds, because we could be mistaken and accidentally destroy what is good. This is why the Lord asks us to be patient and wait for the final judgement. God is patient with us, giving us time to grow, mature, and repent. He knows our weaknesses and our ignorance. So the weeds of life are meant to purify us, strengthen us, and help us grow stronger and wiser. The truth is that people can change, and God waits for us to change. He does not give up hope on us.
On the other hand, while God is patient with us, we have only one life, and our choices must be made before death. God gives us a long life not simply to stay on this earth and enjoy ourselves, but to use this world to grow in grace and love. This is why Gaudium et Spes teaches: “While earthly progress must be carefully distinguished from the growth of Christ’s kingdom, to the extent that the former can contribute to the better ordering of human society, it is of vital concern to the Kingdom of God. For after we have obeyed the Lord, and in His Spirit nurtured on earth the values of human dignity, brotherhood and freedom, and indeed all the good fruits of our nature and enterprise, we will find them again, but freed of stain, burnished and transfigured, when Christ hands over to the Father: ‘a kingdom eternal and universal, a kingdom of truth and life, of holiness and grace, of justice, love and peace.'” (GS 39)
Indeed, this is the way God deals with us in our imperfections, just as He dealt with Judah in the First Reading. God punished His people through the Babylonian king, who destroyed the city and the temple of Jerusalem and brought the people into exile. What is significant is that God grieves for His people like a parent disciplining a child: “Tears flood my eyes night and day, unceasingly, since a crushing blow falls on the daughter of my people, a most grievous injury. If I go into the countryside, there lie men killed by the sword; if I go into the city, I see people sick with hunger.” God does not take revenge on us; rather, He disciplines us for our good and for our eternal salvation.
Hence, while we still have time, it is important that we use this period well by praying for the grace of repentance. Like the psalmist, we plead with God for mercy, saying: “Have you rejected Judah altogether? Does your very soul revolt at Zion? Why have you struck us down without hope of cure? We were hoping for peace.” But this plea for mercy must be accompanied by repentance for our sins. So we must also say: “Lord, we do confess our wickedness and our fathers’ guilt; we have sinned against you. For your name’s sake do not reject us, do not dishonour the throne of your glory. Remember us; do not break your covenant with us. It is you, Lord our God, who are our hope, since it is you who do all this.”
In this way, we will allow life’s difficulties to purify us and learn to be grateful for the mistakes we have made so that we can grow in grace. This is the process of growth. The Kingdom of God will ultimately triumph in a world tarnished by sin in all its manifestations. We can be certain that as long as we sincerely seek to fight against sin with all our will, God will supply the rest and bring us into His kingdom because He is love, mercy, and compassion.
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.
