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Saint Matthew 13:36-43.

by Daily Gospel | Source: Daily Gospel

Book of Exodus 33:7-11.34:5b-9.28.

The tent, which was called the meeting tent, Moses used to pitch at some distance away, outside the camp. Anyone who wished to consult the LORD would go to this meeting tent outside the camp.

Whenever Moses went out to the tent, the people would all rise and stand at the entrance of their own tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent.

As Moses entered the tent, the column of cloud would come down and stand at its entrance while the LORD spoke with Moses.

On seeing the column of cloud stand at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise and worship at the entrance of their own tents.

The LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as one man speaks to another. Moses would then return to the camp, but his young assistant, Joshua, son of Nun, would not move out of the tent.

Having come down in a cloud, the LORD stood with him there and proclaimed his name, "LORD."

Thus the LORD passed before him and cried out, "The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity,
continuing his kindness for a thousand generations, and forgiving wickedness and crime and sin; yet not declaring the guilty guiltless, but punishing children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation for their fathers' wickedness!"
Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship.
Then he said, "If I find favor with you, O Lord, do come along in our company. This is indeed a stiff-necked people; yet pardon our wickedness and sins, and receive us as your own."
So Moses stayed there with the LORD for forty days and forty nights, without eating any food or drinking any water, and he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.

Psalms 103(102):6-7.8-9.10-11.12-13.

The LORD does righteous deeds, brings justice to all the oppressed.

His ways were revealed to Moses, mighty deeds to the people of Israel.

Merciful and gracious is the LORD, slow to anger, abounding in kindness.

God does not always rebuke, nurses no lasting anger,
Has not dealt with us as our sins merit, nor requited us as our deeds deserve.

As the heavens tower over the earth, so God's love towers over the faithful.

As far as the east is from the west, so far have our sins been removed from us.

As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on the faithful.


Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 13:36-43.


Then, dismissing the crowds, he went into the house. His disciples approached him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field."

He said in reply, "He who sows good seed is the Son of Man,
the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one,
and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

Just as weeds are collected and burned (up) with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.
The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers.

They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.

Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear.


Commentary of the day
The letter to Diognetus (c.200)
Ch 8 (Breviary)

God's patience

God, the Lord and maker of all things, who created the world and set it in order, not only loved man but was also patient with him. Thus he has always been, and is, and always will be kind, good, free from anger, truthful; indeed, he and he alone is good. He devised a plan, a great and wonderful plan, and shared it only with his Son. As long as he kept this secret and preserved his own wise counsel, he seemed to be neglecting us, to have no concern for us. But when, through his beloved Son, he revealed and made public what he had prepared from the very beginning, he gave us all at once gifts such as we could never have dreamt of: even the sight and knowledge of himself.

      
After God had made all his plans in consultation with his Son, he waited until a later time, allowing us to follow our own whim, to be swept along by unruly passions, led astray by pleasure and desire. Not that he was pleased by our sins: he only tolerated them. Not that he approved of that time of sin: he was planning this era of holiness. When we had been shown to be undeserving of life, his goodness consisted in making us worthy of it. When we had made it clear that we could not enter God's kingdom by our own power, we were enabled to do so by the power of God... He did not show hatred for us or reject us or take vengeance; instead, he was patient with us.