Daily Gospel Reflection for July 23, 2017 - Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today's Gospel: Matthew 13:24-43 - Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

I remember visiting a store that only sells containers for organizing other things. Walking up and down the aisles of bins, shelves and baskets, I fantasized about what it would be like to have a perfectly arranged closet, pantry, and laundry room with coordinating, labeled containers.

Keeping things neat and tidy makes me feel like I have life under control. I want to believe that if I work hard, stay focused, and do a good job attending to the tasks at hand, things will go smoothly.

Despite our best and most diligent preparations, we really can’t control life. Sometimes it just doesn’t seem to cooperate with us. We can plan and organize and arrange to our hearts’ content, but in the end, sometimes things go in an unexpected direction.

When this happens, the temptation is to blame ourselves. We can drive ourselves crazy trying to think of where we went wrong and what we could have done better. Sometimes, this can be a helpful exercise, of course. But sometimes, we need to recognize that all our list-making and planning are ways that we try to control the outcome because we’re afraid to trust that God has it under control.

When the farmer worked hard to sow his good seed in the field, he should have been able to expect that good seed would grow up and produce good wheat. How frustrating must it have been to see the weeds coming up in the field alongside his wheat, sown there by some enemy who wished him ill! The farmer, although probably disappointed with the situation, shows great wisdom and restraint. Instead of uprooting the weeds and possibly sacrificing the wheat, he decides to wait and harvest them together, then separate the good from the bad.

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Ponder:

When we are faced with a situation that is falling apart in front of us, do we react rashly and try to control it ourselves? Or do we wait for God’s wisdom to help us know how to act?

Pray:

Jesus, sometimes I work so hard to make everything turn out right, and things still fall apart. Help me to trust that You know what is best for me, and help me to wait for Your wisdom before I decide what steps to take next. Amen.