St. Alphonsus Liguori, bishop  & doctor 

＊＊＊1st Reading＊＊＊

Exodus 40: 16-21, 34-38

 Moses did this; he did exactly as Yahweh had commanded him.

The Holy Tent was set up on the first day of the first month in the second year.  Moses set up the Holy Tent. He fixed the bases for it, put up its frames, put its crossbars in position, set up its posts.  He spread the tent over the Holy Tent and on top of this the covering for the tent, as Yahweh had commanded Moses. 

 He took the Covenant and placed it inside the ark. He set the poles to the ark in place and put the mercy Seat on it.  He brought the ark into the Holy Tent and put the screening veil in place; thus he screened the ark of Yahweh, as Yahweh had commanded Moses. 

Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting and the Glory of Yahweh filled the Holy Tent. Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because of the cloud that rested on it and because of the Glory of Yahweh that filled the Holy Tent.

 At every stage of their journey, whenever the cloud rose from the Holy Tent the people of Israel would continue their march.  If the cloud did not rise, they waited and would not move their camp until it did.  For the cloud rested on the Holy Tent by day, and a fire shone within the cloud by night for all the House of Israel to see. And so it was for every stage of their journey.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

Matthew 13: 47-53

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a big fishing net let down into the sea, in which every kind of fish has been caught.  When the net is full, it is dragged ashore. Then they sit down and gather the good fish into buckets, but throw the bad away.

That is how it will be at the end of time; the angels will go out to separate the wicked from the just  and to throw the wicked into the blazing furnace, where they will weep and gnash their teeth.”

 Jesus asked, “Have you understood all these things?” “Yes,” they answered. So he said to them, “Therefore, every teacher of the Law who becomes a disciple of the Kingdom of heaven, is like a householder who can produce from his store things both new and old.”

 When Jesus had finished these parables, he left the place. 

 

Reflection gospel：

“HAVE YOU UNDERSTOOD ALL THESE?”

One of the marks of Jesus’ disciples, as trained for the reign of God, is being able to comprehend the teachings of Jesus about the in breaking of God’s reign. And this understanding is made possible only through Jesus. The disciples got the meaning of his message, which made them “blessed recipient of the mystery of God’s love” (Donald Senior).Having been guided to a profound understanding of the love of God, they got the message right.

Many times we need someone, or few others, to help us understand things. We need people to help us see things that are hidden from view and comprehension.We know people who have suffered unfortunate, immoral and devastating lives because of the failure to get things right by seeking other people’s knowledge, wisdom and experience about life and human affairs.

As often been said: We stand on others’ shoulder to accomplish something. The knowledge, wisdom, experience of others are blocks by which we build our lives. And the Spirit of God puts all these together, cemented in one piece.Genuine understanding of things has the power to raise the level of our consciousness, change our perspective, widen our horizon, create positive and lasting impact(s) in human affairs and condition of the natural world.