SUNDAY’S GOSPEL—July 19, 2020 – 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Para la versión en español, haga clic aquí.

Matthew 13:24–43 or 13:24–30

 ‘Master, did you not sow good seed? Where have the weeds come from?’ –Matthew 13:27

For Children: Share this short video lesson about loving God with your young children.

For Adults: Good seeds and bad weeds grow together everywhere. You find them in families and neighborhoods, classrooms and businesses, courthouses and churches. We search in vain for the pure meadow of unadulterated wheat. If we go knocking on the door of any monastery, we’ll be told readily that the holiest monk there wrestles with the darkest demons. If we look in our own hearts with honesty, the seeds and weeds are evident.

Jesus describes two groups in this parable: children of the kingdom, and children of the evil one. While it’s pleasant to imagine these as two distinct communities that never dine together, in fact I’m both a citizen of the kingdom and a child with a dark heart, often on the same day. The weeds are in us, just as the good seed is planted firmly in our hearts Which claims the greatest territory has a lot to do with which one we water most.

How do you encourage the good seed and discourage the weeds in your field?

LET US PRAY… We praise you, Source of Love, for the generous gift you’ve made to us in Creation. We thank you for the beauty of nature, the warmth of friendship, the responsibility of family, and the goodness of our labor. Help us to see this world as charged with your grace and to protect what you have planted. Amen.

While The Gospel at Home takes a break in the summer months, we’ll be drawing our weekly reflections from Exploring the Sunday Readings by Alice Camille.

 
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