Daily Gospel Reflection for July 26, 2024

Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.

Today's Gospel: Matthew 13:18-23

On this feast of Sts. Anne and Joachim, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary and grandparents of our Lord, I think it’s safe to say these two represent the rich soil in today’s Gospel. Anne and Joachim are among those “who [hear] the word and [understand] it, who indeed [bear] fruit and [yield] a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”

This Gospel passage always invites us to look at our present situation, to see which kind of soil we represent at the moment and whether we need to do something about it. But today, as this passage falls on this particular feast, I think we can also look back to those who came before us and ahead to those who will come after and reflect more deeply on the last line, that about bearing fruit and yielding a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Some of us may have families full of faithful people who went before us and modeled devout life.

Some of us may have only one or two good examples to encourage us. Either way, we can see that the sacrifices these people made and the love they poured out had an effect on us. Likewise, the way we live our lives will, for better or worse, have repercussions beyond that which we’ll see in our lifetimes. Perhaps some of us will become saints and many people will find inspiration in our lives. Most of us will likely have lower-profile legacies, but these matter too.

Notice that in the last line of the Gospel, the extent of the yield gets smaller, not bigger as the sentences goes on. Christ doesn’t say, “thirty, or sixty, or a hundredfold!” to show us how huge things can be. Rather, the numbers get smaller, as if to say, even this is enough.

Ponder:

What is one thing you can do today to live as “rich soil” and act on God’s word?

Pray:

Dear Lord, thank You for the example of those who have gone before me. Help me to live with integrity and grace and so lead others to Your kingdom.

Copyright 2024 Lindsay Schlegel