Tuesday 16 August 2022

Today is Tuesday the 16th August, in the 20th week of Ordinary Time.


The Porter’s Gate sings, ‘Good Lord, Deliver Us’.

Good Lord
Good Lord
Good Lord, deliver us
Good Lord
Good Lord
Good Lord, deliver us
From the merchants in the temple
And the worship of our greed
From the whisper of the tempter
We should take more than we need
From the chains of wealth and plunder
From our avarice and pride
From the ever growing hunger
From our vanity and strife
Good Lord
Good Lord
Good Lord, deliver us
Good Lord
Good Lord
Good Lord, deliver us
From our constant quest for power
Over all that we survey
From the lies that we devour
From the fears we cannot face
Come and save us from our demons
Come and strip away our hate
Come O Lord, restore our reason
Come O Christ, the time is late
Good Lord
Good Lord
Good Lord, deliver us
Good Lord
Good Lord
Good Lord, deliver us


Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Matthew.

Matthew 19:23-30

Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’ When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astounded and said, ‘Then who can be saved?’ But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.’

Then Peter said in reply, ‘Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.

Notice your initial reaction to today’s passage… perhaps this is one you’ve always struggled with…how can you meditate on it afresh today?


Picture the scene and image that Jesus expresses here: A heavily laden camel trying - unsuccessfully - to squeeze through something so small. It’s vivid and almost comical. Jesus uses it to describe a human struggle; a struggle of the heart.


Picture the ‘last’ and ‘first’ changing positions.

How would you define ‘the kingdom of heaven’?

“Look, we have left everything and followed you”. "The disciples make a spirited, human response. “Good on them”, you might think! What might your response be? Place yourself with the disciples as you listen to Jesus’ words…


As you hear the passage again, notice where you are drawn.


‘'For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.’ What might you need to ask God for, in these closing moments?


Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.