30 July 2025 (Wednesday)
Wednesday of week 17 in Ordinary Time or Saint Peter Chrysologus, Bishop, Doctor.
Ordinary Weekday/ Saint Peter Chrysologus, Bishop, Doctor.
Readings from the Bible of the Roman Catholic Church:
First Reading : Exodus 34:29‐35
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.
Responsive 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 : Matthew 13:44‐46
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.’
For our reflection today:
These parallel stories highlight two characteristics regarding possession of the Kingdom of God: searching and sacrifice. It is true that the Kingdom of God is offered to all, it is a gift, it is a present, it is a grace, but it does not come on a silver platter: it requires dynamism; it is about searching, journeying, working hard. The attitude of searching is the essential condition for finding. The heart must burn with the desire to reach the valuable good, that is, the Kingdom of God which is made present in the person of Jesus. He is the hidden treasure; he is the pearl of great value. He is the fundamental discovery who can make a decisive change in our lives, filling it with meaning. Faced with the unexpected discovery, both the farmer and the merchant realize that they are facing a unique opportunity which should not be missed; hence, they sell all that they own. Assessing the inestimable value of the treasure leads to a decision that also implies sacrifice, detachment and renunciation. When the treasure and the pearl are discovered, that is, when we have found the Lord, we must not let this discovery become barren, but rather sacrifice everything else in order to acquire it. It is not a question of disdaining the rest but of subordinating them to Jesus, putting him in first place; grace in first place. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 30 July 2017)
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