20250726 REALISM IN SPIRITUAL GROWTH
26 July 2025, Saturday, 16th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Exodus 24:3-8 |
This is the blood of the Covenant that the Lord has made with you
Moses went and told the people all the commands of the Lord and all the ordinances. In answer, all the people said with one voice, ‘We will observe all the commands that the Lord has decreed.’ Moses put all the commands of the Lord into writing, and early next morning he built an altar at the foot of the mountain, with twelve standing-stones for the twelve tribes of Israel. Then he directed certain young Israelites to offer holocausts and to immolate bullocks to the Lord as communion sacrifices. Half of the blood Moses took up and put into basins, the other half he cast on the altar. And taking the Book of the Covenant he read it to the listening people, and they said, ‘We will observe all that the Lord has decreed; we will obey.’ Then Moses took the blood and cast it towards the people. ‘This,’ he said, ‘is the blood of the Covenant that the Lord has made with you, containing all these rules.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 49(50):1-2,5-6,14-15 |
Pay your sacrifice of thanksgiving to God.
The God of gods, the Lord,
has spoken and summoned the earth,
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
Out of Zion’s perfect beauty he shines.
Pay your sacrifice of thanksgiving to God.
‘Summon before me my people
who made covenant with me by sacrifice.’
The heavens proclaim his justice,
for he, God, is the judge.
Pay your sacrifice of thanksgiving to God.
Pay your sacrifice of thanksgiving to God
and render him your votive offerings.
Call on me in the day of distress.
I will free you and you shall honour me.’
Pay your sacrifice of thanksgiving to God.
Gospel Acclamation | Heb4:12 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The word of God is something alive and active:
it can judge secret emotions and thoughts.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jm1:21 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Accept and submit to the word
which has been planted in you
and can save your souls.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 13:24-30 |
Let them both grow till the harvest
Jesus put another parable before the crowds: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everybody was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off. When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, the darnel appeared as well. The owner’s servants went to him and said, “Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? If so, where does the darnel come from?” “Some enemy has done this” he answered. And the servants said, “Do you want us to go and weed it out?” But he said, “No, because when you weed out the darnel you might pull up the wheat with it. Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers: First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn.”’
REALISM IN SPIRITUAL GROWTH
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Ex 24:3-8; Ps 50:1-2,5-6,14-15. Rv 14; Mt 13:24-30]
In the first reading, we read about the Israelites’ readiness to enter into a covenant with the Lord. This required them to observe “all the commands of the Lord and all the ordinances.” With one accord and one voice, they confidently and enthusiastically declared twice, “We will observe all that the Lord has decreed; we will obey.” They were able to make such a promise because they had just witnessed the mighty hand of God delivering them from the Egyptians and destroying their enemies. In their moment of awe and gratitude, they willingly committed themselves to the Living God.
We, too, in our enthusiasm for God after a personal encounter with Him, readily offer to give our entire lives to the Lord. This is particularly true after going through a life-changing retreat or a profound encounter with God. Coming out of such an experience, we often make many promises – to live the Gospel life, to change our ways, and to be His witnesses. Newly baptized Catholics do the same. Someone who is newly ordained or has just professed a religious vow also seeks to give their lives entirely to God and His people. So, too, those of us who take on a new office, job, career, or vocation often want to give ourselves passionately to what we are doing. Newly wedded couples do the same – they profess their vows to each other before the Lord, pledging to remain faithful to each other in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, in poverty and in wealth, for the rest of their lives.
Alas, we know that few are able to keep the vows and promises made to the Lord. We are just like the Israelites in today’s first reading. Despite ratifying the Covenant, they were unfaithful to the Lord from the very beginning until the end. Time and again, they turned away from Him and went after false gods – worshipping pagan gods, money, power and pleasures. Are we not like them as well? How long do we keep our vows and promises we make to God or our fellow human beings? Even more so in today’s world, few remain faithful to their commitments. We are fickle-minded and lack perseverance in times of trial and temptation.
Fortunately, the Lord knows the hearts of men. “The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse who can understand it? I the Lord test the mind and search the heart, to give to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings.” (Jer 17:9f) As King David said, “Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.” (Ps 51:5) This is why, in the parable of the Wheat and the Darnel, the Lord urges patience in dealing with the sins and imperfection – whether our own or that of our fellowmen.
We thank God that He is our judge and not our self-righteous and impatient fellowmen. Unlike them God is compassionate. As in the parable, when the servant asked his master, “Do you want us to weed it out?” the master replied, “No, because when you weed out the darnel you might pull up the wheat with it. Let them both grow until the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers: First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn.” This is why the letter to the Hebrews reminds us: “Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb 4:14-16) Indeed, Christ, who was tempted in every way as we are – yet without sinning – understands our struggles against the temptations that come our way each day.
Indeed, when we seek to grow in our spiritual life, we will be tempted – just as the Lord was – to sin. Whenever we strive to do good, the devil gets jealous and seeks to make us to fall from grace. He will not just tempt us to sin, but being the Father of all lies, he will deceive us, as that is his nature. “He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (Jn 8:44) This was what he did to Eve when he said to her, “You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Gn 3:4f) He confuses us with what is good and evil. The ideology of relativism is the strategy that Satan uses today to sow falsehood in society. In relativism, one no longer knows what is right or wrong, because people are led to believe that there is no absolute truth.
Indeed, it is very difficult to distinguish what is good or evil today – just as it is hard to tell the difference between wheat and darnel when they are still seedlings, because they look alike. We will only recognize them for what they are when they mature. “When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, the darnel appeared as well.” Again, the Evil One is very crafty. He will do things and help us to achieve success and fruitfulness in our work and ministry, and we begin to think that these are from God. However, the devil can mask himself as an angel of light. He will suggest that we get involved in certain projects, New Age techniques, superstitious practices, occult, and immoral activities because they can bring us prosperity, wealth and success. But such success might not be from God, and sometimes, it could even be from the Devil. Nevertheless, the devil will tempt us in our success and achievements to rely on ourselves even more, or on some superstitious and pagan practices, until the time when we are very dependent on him. Then he will start to destroy our lives and take away all our successes, as in the case of Job. Only then will we realise, albeit too late, that we have been tricked by the Evil One.
Indeed, the need for discernment is essential for growth in spiritual life. Unfortunately, most of us lack the ability to discern what is truly from the Lord and what stems from our own human desires. This is because most of us, whilst seeking to do good, often fall asleep and neglect our spiritual life. That is why the Lord said, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everybody was asleep, his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off.” The lack of spiritual alertness to the wiles of the Evil One causes us to fall into the snares that he puts for us. St. Peter therefore exhorts us: “Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.” (1 Pt 5:8f)
How can we overcome the temptations of the Evil One? We need the Word of God to guide us. This was the purpose of the Laws that God gave to His people through Moses. But they did not listen to the Word of God. The letter to the Hebrews tells us, “Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.” (Heb 4:12f) St. Paul, writing to the young Bishop Timothy, said, “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16f)
Secondly, we need to be in true communion with the Lord – both in worship and in our daily lives. In the Old Testament, we read that the Covenant was ratified with the blood of the immolated bullocks, which was sprinkled on the altar and on the people as a sign of communion sacrifices. In the New Covenant, Christ gave Himself – His own blood – for the forgiveness of our sins and our sanctification. This one perfect sacrifice, offered once and for all, is made present at every Mass we celebrate.
However, the blood of Christ – like the blood of the holocausts – would be ineffective in taking away our sins unless we make the sacrifice of Christ our own. To be in communion with the Lord means more than merely attending Mass or even receiving Holy Communion; it means sharing in His life and His sacrificial love through our service to God and to our fellowmen. Only when we are in deep union with Him can we truly say to the Lord, with confidence – like the Israelites once did -“We will observe all the commands that the Lord has decreed.”
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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