Thursday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1 Jeremiah 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13
This word of the LORD came to me:
Go, cry out this message for Jerusalem to hear!
I remember the devotion of your youth,
how you loved me as a bride,
Following me in the desert,
in a land unsown.
Sacred to the LORD was Israel,
the first fruits of his harvest;
Should any presume to partake of them,
evil would befall them, says the LORD.
When I brought you into the garden land
to eat its goodly fruits,
You entered and defiled my land,
you made my heritage loathsome.
The priests asked not,
“Where is the LORD?”
Those who dealt with the law knew me not:
the shepherds rebelled against me.
The prophets prophesied by Baal,
and went after useless idols.
Be amazed at this, O heavens,
and shudder with sheer horror, says the LORD.
Two evils have my people done:
they have forsaken me, the source of living waters;
They have dug themselves cisterns,
broken cisterns, that hold no water.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 36:6-7ab, 8-9, 10-11
R. (10a) With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
O LORD, your mercy reaches to heaven;
your faithfulness, to the clouds.
Your justice is like the mountains of God;
your judgments, like the mighty deep.
R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
How precious is your mercy, O God!
The children of men take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They have their fill of the prime gifts of your house;
from your delightful stream you give them to drink.
R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
For with you is the fountain of life,
and in your light we see light.
Keep up your mercy toward your friends,
your just defense of the upright of heart.
R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
Alleluia Matthew 11:25
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Matthew 13:10-17
The disciples approached Jesus and said,
“Why do you speak to the crowd in parables?”
He said to them in reply,
“Because knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven
has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.
To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich;
from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
This is why I speak to them in parables, because
they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.
Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:
You shall indeed hear but not understand,
you shall indeed look but never see.
Gross is the heart of this people,
they will hardly hear with their ears,
they have closed their eyes,
lest they see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts and be converted
and I heal them.
“But blessed are your eyes, because they see,
and your ears, because they hear.
Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people
longed to see what you see but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”
- Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saint Bridget of Sweden, Religious
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
July 24, 2026 // Friday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time // Optional Memorial of Saint Sharbel Makhlūf, Priest
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 13:18–23
It was the day before Valentine’s Day, and my friends and I gathered in one of their warmly lit kitchens, reminiscing over unwrapped chocolates and fizzing sodas. We started to clean up our mess, and as I pulled open the trash can drawer, I noticed a single rose lying amongst the colorful wrappers and crumpled paper towels. My friend had received it at a show earlier that day and had deemed it too shriveled to put on display. I was sad to see it lying there all alone, so I took it home and placed it in a vase with another bouquet, flower food, and water.
It seemed to draw new strength and life from the surrounding flowers and nourishing food, because the next morning, the bud had reopened to reveal a lush, silken flower. Where we place flowers matters, but where we place ourselves matters even more. In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the Parable of the Sower, warning His disciples that where the seed lands determines whether fruit will be borne or squandered: “But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold” (Matthew 13:23).
Hearing Scripture is one thing, but to accept it and integrate it into our lives is something else entirely. God has left us Scripture as both a love letter and guide for our lives, but it is not meant to be left on the pages. It is meant to be ever on our lips, evident in our actions, and recited in our thoughts as readily as we recite song lyrics.
Today, as we sit down with our morning coffees and open our dog-eared devotionals, let us remember to place ourselves in the midst of God’s Word. We are not passive readers, but active receivers of Scripture who hear our Lord’s commands and set out at once to do His will.
Relate to the Lord // What word or phrase spoke to you from today’s Mass readings? Meditate on it throughout the day.
The 2026 [virtual] Scripture Summit Begins In
Olivia Jackson, known by her family and friends as Liv, recently graduated from the University of Iowa College of Education. She now happily lives and works in Des Moines, Iowa as a third grade teacher at a catholic grade school. She enjoys anything outdoorsy, creative, or active and can often be found reading in a hammock, scrapbooking with music and a snack, or enjoying a fun workout class. Olivia is a social butterfly and loves being surrounded by and meeting Christ in her family, friends, co-workers, and students!
