Daily Gospel Reflection for October 27, 2026

Explore how faith can grow from small beginnings, as illustrated through Rahab's story, reminding us to trust in God's grace in nurturing our children's faith.

Today's Gospel: Luke 13:18-21

“It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden. When it was fully grown, it became a large bush.”  Luke 13:19

I am reading a novel about Rahab from the book of Joshua. We learn in the Bible that Rahab was a Canaanite prostitute who hid the two Israelite spies Joshua sent to gather reconnaissance on Jericho. What we don’t know is why Rahab became a prostitute and what led her to defy her own king by harboring the spies. That’s where the author takes artistic license, adding fictional details to round out Rahab’s story.

Although the details are fabricated, we get to see when that first seed of faith is planted in Rahab and what waters it to grow. Like a mustard seed that is the smallest seed of all yet grows into a large bush, we read how that tiny speck of faith touches her heart then grows so large it leads to her salvation and that of her family. It also leads to her marrying Salmon, giving birth to Boaz, and grafting herself into Jesus’s family tree.

None of it seems possible. And that’s the point: What seems impossible to us is always possible with God. Because someone planted a seed in Rahab, God was able to grow her from a prostitute to an ancestor of Christ.

When we plant seeds of faith in our children, we need to trust that God is going to grow something wonderful in them. Yes, we need to nurture that seed along the way, but it’s really God who grows their heart and their faith.

Ponder:

Although I plant and water the seed of faith in my children, do I recognize that it’s God’s grace that actually grows that seed into something larger? 

Pray:

Master Gardener, when it appears as if all the work I’ve done planting and watering seeds of faith in my children is for nought, remind me that You can grow anything in anyone. Increase my trust in You. 

Pray Together:

Together as a family, plant a seed in a small pot on your kitchen windowsill. Pray as you water it, calling down God’s grace to help it grow.

Copyright 2026 Claire McGarry