Daily Gospel Reflection for July 23, 2026

Explore the power of storytelling in Jesus's parables and discover how to engage your children's learning through meaningful narratives and real-life examples.

Today's Gospel: Matthew 13:10-17

Storytelling can be powerful. When a story is shared, it stirs up emotions. It engages the imagination. It helps a person to relate and connect with what is being conveyed and to think more deeply about it, adding his or her own experiences and engaging with it on a personal level.

Truth can be shared in a way that the listener may otherwise miss. Often a story will stick with a person longer, allowing them to mull it over in their minds and remember it far longer than a straightforward, to-the-point lesson.

Jesus frequently spoke in parables, using stories and relating His teachings to normal life in Israel. His teachings were challenging and mysterious, often beyond understanding. The ways of God are so deep and so far beyond human ways, and the New Covenant brought the Old Covenant to a depth that the people then could not have imagined. Some people were unable to understand; others refused to see things differently. Parables helped many to engage their imagination and relate to Jesus’s teachings on a more personal level, understanding something they may not have grasped otherwise.

In homeschooling, I find my kids learn history better through reading living books than simply being fed dates and facts. Choosing good, godly books goes a long way in supporting their moral development. Even in teaching the basics of algebra, relating it to real-life examples helps my daughter to understand variables better.

Stories are a powerful tool we parents can use in guiding our children. As Jesus taught effectively through stories, so can we. We don’t need to be writers or storytellers ourselves. There are enough resources out there that we can access, including Old Testament stories, Jesus’s parables, high-quality books, fables, and poetry.

Ponder:

Do I spend time prayerfully reading and reflecting on Jesus’s parables? What is one parable that relates to my life and that I can learn from?

Pray:

Thank You, Lord, for teaching us in parables. Thank You for Your Truth and for helping us to know and live it.

Pray Together:

Read Old Testament stories and Jesus’s parables and discuss them with your children. Fill your house with high-quality books and encourage your children to read them and retell the stories to you.

Copyright 2026 Kimberly Andrich