Daily Gospel Reflection for August 1, 2017

Today's Gospel: Matthew 13:36-43 - St. Alphonsus Ligouri

Do you ever look around at church, at home, in various public forums, and wonder how some people came to their positions of influence? Perhaps despite what you know of their personal lives, their faith, or their morals? How did these weeds sprout up in an otherwise growing and thriving field of wheat, and is their weediness going to choke out the growth of those striving to reach the Son?

In today’s reading, Jesus teaches His disciples about the meaning of this parable from Matthew 13: 24-30. The wheat and the weeds grow together, one planted by Christ, the other by the enemy, until the end of the age, when God will bring in the harvest and separate the two. “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:43) and justice will be done for all.

In the meantime, we keep growing, we strive for God, and we build community with our fellow wheat. From the vantage point of the field, it is sometimes difficult to know who really is a weed, and if we try to uproot them while we are all growing, we can do damage to our fellow believers. Judgement belongs to Him who can see the entire field.

[Tweet "Judgement belongs to Him who can see the entire field. By @PayneAshleigh"]

Ponder:

How can I support my fellow believers, especially when they are struggling in the weeds?

Pray:

Dear Lord, thank You for Your perfect knowledge of my heart. Help me strive for You in all I do and with all I am, and keep the weeds at bay in my community and church.

Ashleigh is a Catholic wife, mama to two little ones (5 and 2), and physician striving for grace, balance, and community every day. Follow her blog at Small Things with Great Love.