Feast Day of St. Dominic

August 9, 2026

Your contribution to the kingdom is important.

GOSPEL

“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.* You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. (j) Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. (k) Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father. (l) “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. (m) Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.*

* [5:1–7:29] The first of the five discourses that are a central part of the structure of this gospel. It is the discourse section of the first book and contains sayings of Jesus derived from Q and from M. The Lucan parallel is in that gospel’s “Sermon on the Plain” (Lk 6:20–49), although some of the sayings in Matthew’s “Sermon on the Mount” have their parallels in other parts of Luke. The careful topical arrangement of the sermon is probably not due only to Matthew’s editing; he seems to have had a structured discourse of Jesus as one of his sources. The form of that source may have been as follows: four beatitudes (Mt 5:3–4, 6, 11–12), a section on the new righteousness with illustrations (Mt 5:17, 20–24, 27–28, 33–48), a section on good works (Mt 6:1–6, 16–18), and three warnings (Mt 7:1–2, 15–21, 24–27).

* [5:13–16] By their deeds the disciples are to influence the world for good. They can no more escape notice than a city set on a mountain. If they fail in good works, they are as useless as flavorless salt or as a lamp whose light is concealed.

* [5:13] The unusual supposition of salt losing its flavor has led some to suppose that the saying refers to the salt of the Dead Sea that, because chemically impure, could lose its taste.

* [5:17–20] This statement of Jesus’ position concerning the Mosaic law is composed of traditional material from Matthew’s sermon documentation (see note on Mt 5:1–7:29), other Q material (cf. Mt 18; Lk 16:17), and the evangelist’s own editorial touches. To fulfillthe law appears at first to mean a literal enforcement of the law in the least detail: until heaven and earth pass away nothing of the law will pass (Mt 5:18). Yet the “passing away” of heaven and earth is not necessarily the end of the world understood, as in much apocalyptic literature, as the dissolution of the existing universe. The “turning of the ages” comes with the apocalyptic event of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and those to whom this gospel is addressed are living in the new and final age, prophesied by Isaiah as the time of “new heavens and a new earth” (Is 65:17; 66:22). Meanwhile, during Jesus’ ministry when the kingdom is already breaking in, his mission remains within the framework of the law, though with significant anticipation of the age to come, as the following antitheses (Mt 5:21–48) show.

* [5:19] Probably these commandments means those of the Mosaic law. But this is an interim ethic “until heaven and earth pass away.”

i. [5:13] Mk 9:50; Lk 14:34–35.
j. [5:14] Jn 8:12.
k. [5:15] Mk 4:21; Lk 8:16; 11:33.
l. [5:16] Jn 3:21.
m. [5:18] Lk 16:17.

ENCOUNTER CHRIST REFLECTIONS AND MEDITATIONS

Preparation for the Session

Adapted from Sacred Space: The Prayer Book 2025

Presence of God: Jesus, As I come to you today, fill my heart, my whole being, with the wonder of your sacred presence.  Help me to become more aware of your presence in my life, and more receptive to that presence. I desire to love you as you love me.  May nothing ever separate me from you. (1-2 minutes of silence)

Freedom: Jesus, Grant me the grace to have freedom of spirit. Keep me from being bound by desires and actions that are not good for me or others.  Cleanse my heart and soul that I may live joyously in your love. (1-2 minutes of silence)

Consciousness: Where am I with God?  With others in my life? What am I grateful for?  Is there something I am sorry for, words or actions that have hurt others, and which I now regret?  I take a moment to ask forgiveness of God and of those whom I have hurt.  God, I give you thanks for your constant love and care for me. Keep me always aware of your presence in my life. (2-3 minutes of silence)

Opening Prayer

Lord, it is through engagement with others that our light will shine. So it was with St. Dominic, and so it is with me.  I need to see how important I am to the mission, even though my contribution may be small. Help me to persevere in personal time of blandness and darkness so that I can reflect and amplify the beauty of your Kingdom.

Companions for the Journey

A History of St. Dominic and the founding of the Dominican order. Adapted and sometimes stolen from various sources, including the magazine of the English and Scottish Dominicans, 2021 (O.P.’s quoted by name are English Dominicans.)

The Order of Preachers honors St Dominic de Guzman (c.1174 - 1221), who was born in the small Castilian village of Caleruega, as its founder but, as Fr Simon Tugwell OP notes, “the Order was not simply his personal brainchild and he was not, and never claimed to be, its sole inspiration or even the primary embodiment of its nature and ideals.” Rather, Dominic was raised up by Providence to bring to birth a new movement within the Church - itinerant mendicant friars - and he accomplished this by engaging with the needs of his time and in collaboration with other people. “It was always with his brethren and with the authorities of the Church that he shaped the nascent Order of Preachers. As an adolescent, he had a particular love of theology and the Scriptures became the foundation of his spirituality.  During his studies and Palencia, Spain, he experienced a dreadful famine, prompting him to sell all his books and other equipment to help his neighbors.  He was made a canon and ordained to the priesthood in the Monastery of Santa Maria de la Vid.  After completing his studies he was appointed to the cathedral chapter of Osma.  In 1203, Dominic, now a Canon, traveled with his bishop, Diego, through the south of France and encountered the Albigensians who taught that the physical world is evil.  This heresy not only devalued our own humanity, but also Christ and the sacramental life of the Church.   After an all-night debate in Toulouse with an Albigensian innkeeper whom he converted, Dominic was moved by compassion and realized the great ignorance of the Faith that existed.  Thus he saw the need for preachers who could reach the people and could explain and defend the faith. So began the friars’ life of itinerant mendicancy, with their base at the newly-founded monastery of nuns at Prouille. After Diego’s death in 1207, Dominic, eschewing the violence which was then being waged against the Albigensians, devoted himself to preaching and the rigors of the apostolic life which he had begun with bishop Diego. In Languedoc, where Dominic called himself “the humble servant of the preaching”, a small band of co-workers had joined him and in 1215, Bishop Fulk of Toulouse approved the foundation of a new religious order. “Concern for the Faith was the main concern of the new Order”. Later that year, he travelled with Fulk to Rome to meet Pope Innocent III. The pope advised Dominic to adopt an existing Rule as new rules were forbidden by the Fourth Lateran Council. In 1216, Dominic and his brethren adopted the Rule of St Augustine which he had already been keeping as a canon of Osma. Fr Vladimir Koudelka, OP, notes that “they chose the Augustinian Rule, not for what it contains, but for what, by virtue of its universality, it does not contain. This enabled them to specify in the customs which they added to the rule the goal of their order and the new means for attaining their goal, without contradicting the rule.” On 22 December 1216, Pope Honorius III approved the foundation of the St Dominic’s community and took them under papal protection. Finally, on 21 January 1217, Pope Honorius III issued a second bull to Dominic which crowned the first and completed the confirmation of the Order. The new bull conferred on the new Order a ‘revolutionary’ name and office - an order of preachers rather than just an order comprised of people who are preaching. The pope thus addresses Dominic and his sons as “Friars Preachers” and entrusts them with the preaching mission. Dominic had obtained, explicitly and officially, what he had first petitioned from Innocent III: “An Order which would be called and would be an Order of Preachers.” Having obtained confirmation of his Order from Pope Honorius III, on 15 August 1217 St Dominic placed his trust in God and dispersed the sixteen brethren that then comprised the Friars Preachers to Paris, Spain, Rome and Bologna, and the pope commended the universal mission of the Dominicans to the bishops in 1218. Dominic inspired his followers to develop a ”mixed” spirituality. They were both active in preaching and contemplative in study, prayer and meditation. The brethren of the Dominican order were urbane and learned as well and contemplative and mystical in their spirituality. From the beginning, friars have been drawn to urban centers and, in distinction from the monks, preached the Gospel to city-dwellers in their own vernacular languages, not Latin. As Fr Anthony Ross OP said, “the Black Friars lived in contact with the bustle of life in towns and cities, although some monastic elements of prayer and silence were retained in the domestic life of their communities”, thus combining the Dominican elements of contemplation and apostolic ministry. However, St Dominic did not just choose cities but university towns, for there his friars could study, engage with new ideas and recruit new friars. On August 15, 1217, Dominic dispatched seven of his followers to the great university center of Paris to establish a priory focused on study and preaching. The Convent of St. Jacques, would eventually become the order's first studium generale. Dominic was to establish similar foundations at other university towns of the day, Bologna in 1218, Palencia and Montpellier in 1220, and Oxford just before his death in 1221. Fr. Simon Tugwell notes: “Dominic’s policy is clear: it was from the great universities of Europe that he wanted his order to radiate. The friars clearly met the needs of rapidly expanding city life and the intellectual challenge of the new universities, and St Dominic’s strategy of expansion, which was ably continued by his successor, Bl Jordan of Saxony, was immensely successful.” Between 1217 and 1222, the Order had established 40 priories in 8 provinces. By the end of the thirteenth century there were 404 priories and almost 15,000 friars including a province in the Holy Land. The Order in eight centuries has encompassed theologians and philosophers like St Albert and St Thomas Aquinas, Garrigou-Lagrange and Chenu, Congar and Schillebeeckx, mystics like St Catherine of Siena, Tauler and Meister Eckhart, artists like  Fra Angelico and Michelangelo, humble saints like St Martin de Porres and St Agnes of Montepulciano, reformers like St Antoninus and Pope St Pius V, and prophetic preachers like St Vincent Ferrer, Savonarola, Bartolomé de las Casas, Francisco de Vitoria, Lacordaire and Gustavo Gutierrez. Today, there are Dominicans in over 100 countries, over 41 provinces and vicariates and some 6,500 friars, 4,000 nuns, 35,000 active sisters, and over 100,000 lay Dominicans in the Dominican Family.

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today's reading and discussion? Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions which follow.

Reflection Questions:

The enemy of this gospel is the feeling that we are too insignificant to matter. In my own life, how can I counteract this self-defeating tendency to be passive rather than active?

What is an “everyday saint”? 
Do you feel you are one?
What does it mean to be light for the world?   
What does it NOT mean?

For a lot of our religious history, we have been taught that our main mission is to avoid sin, to stay out of trouble, to perfect our interior spiritual development. Period.  This gospel passage runs counter to that.   How much of my life has been spent on my own personal growth and spiritual development, and how much has been spent witnessing to others?

Walter Burghardt, S.J., has described our mission in life as “Grace on Crutches”.   How does work as a metaphor for our own personal brokenness and imperfection and our role in this world?

Is the career I find myself in utterly divorced from the directives contained in this gospel?   
How?   
Is there anything I can do to change this?

Are there people or places in our area where a Christian witness is for all intents and purposes absent? 
Can we do anything about that?  

What are some “non-heroic” actions people can take to make God’s kingdom more present?

Who are some of the discarded in this world for whom Christians can be salt and light?

Often criticism and judgmentalism leach all the flavor and joy out of life. Has this been my experience?   
How do I counteract it?  

Joy is something that can actually change the world.  In what everyday ways do I radiate the joy of the gospel?

Without salt, food is tasteless and uninviting, or spoils and is discarded. Without care and concern, our world can become flat and unwelcoming, causing people’s hope and energy to wither and disappear.   Despite all that we do already, many of us can do a little more.   What is one thing you can do to spice up your little corner of the world?

Closing Prayer

Don’t forget to provide some prayer time at the beginning and at the end of the session (or both), allowing time to offer prayers for anyone you wish to pray for. 

(Adapted from Sacred Space)

Lord, help us to see that we are children of the light, that our lives are illumined by you, the light of the world (John 8:12). Help us to see in your light the hidden hope of glory that is in us, so we can rejoice even in the darkness of the world.   Help us to be light for others, for that is our commission.

For the Week Ahead

Weekly Memorization:

(Taken from the gospel for today's session)

You are the salt of the earth; your light must shine before others.

Meditations:

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions: Very often, when we are confronted with the teaching of Jesus that we are to be the light for the world, we claim that we would love to do more, but we are just too busy. Life is crazy right now, etc., “I don’t have time”. Here are some problems with that statement:  

1. When will you ever have more time than you do now?  
2. Who, actually, has more time than you do?  
3.   Have you evaluated the time commitment you might have to make, or are you dismissing any time commitment at all?
4.  Excuse #492: I am so messed up myself I cannot possible be a good resource for anyone else.
Query:  Were the first apostles always models of unselfishness, maturity and piety?
Query:  What daily practices can I follow to sustain myself as someone for others?
Excuse #493: I have so much I am personally dealing with right now; I do not have the bandwidth to take on anyone else’s needs.
Query:  Did the first apostles not have families, economic difficulties and relationship commitments as well?

A Meditation in the Franciscan Style/Action: Read Isaiah 58:6-10 "6.Is not this the sort of fast that pleases me: to break unjust fetters, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break all yokes? 7. Is it not sharing your food with the hungry, and sheltering the homeless poor; if you see someone lacking clothes, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own kin? 8. Then your light will blaze out like the dawn and your wound be quickly healed over. Saving justice will go ahead of you and Yahweh's glory come behind you. 9. Then you will cry for help and Yahweh will answer; you will call and he will say, 'I am here.' If you do away with the yoke, the clenched fist and malicious words, 10. If you deprive yourself for the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, your light will rise in the darkness, and your darkest hour will be like noon." Both Sunday’s gospel and the first reading fly in the face of the commonly acknowledged “truth” that it takes money and power to change the world. Instead, says Walter Burghardt, S.J. the world needs Christian disciples, not just popes or martyrs, not great orators or donors to great causes. The world needs everyday, ordinary disciples who go about their lives witnessing to the message of Jesus to forgive, to care for the lonely, the sick, the hungry , to heal those has He did. Can I say I am disciple? Why or why not? Pick one thing you can do this week to be Christ for others. And do it.

A Meditation in the Augustinian Style/Relationship: (From Sacred Space, a service of the Irish Jesuits) Light does not change a room: it enables us to see what is in it. It helps us appreciate what is good and beautiful, just as it facilitates avoiding pitfalls. We are children of the light: our lives are illumined by Jesus, the light of the world (John 8:12). This light helps us to see the hidden hope of glory that is in us. So we can rejoice even in the darkness of the world.

Psalm 112: 4-9

"For the honest he shines as a lamp in the dark, generous, tender-hearted, and upright. 5. All goes well for one who lends generously, who is honest in all his dealing; 6. for all time to come he will not stumble, for all time to come the upright will be remembered. 7. Bad news holds no fears for him, firm is his heart, trusting in Yahweh. 8. His heart held steady, he has no fears, till he can gloat over his enemies. 9. To the needy he gives without stint, his uprightness stands firm for ever; his reputation is founded on strength.

Read this psalm as example of what it means to be salt and light, then write your own mini-psalm transliterating the words of the psalm into to first person (“all goes well for me who lends generously”, etc). Pray it every day this week.

Poetic Reflection

Thomas Centolella, a former Stegner Fellow from Stanford, has written a poem about “raising ourselves to the power of ten” in order to accommodate all the needs that are out there in our world.  See if it says anything to you.

At Big Rec
A few hours spent in the dry rooms of the dying.
Then the walk home, and the sudden rain
comes hard, and you want it coming hard,
you want it hitting you in the forehead
like anointment, blessing all the days
that otherwise would be dismissed
as business as usual. Now you’re ready
to lean on the rail above the empty diamonds
where, in summer, the ballplayers wait patiently
for one true moment more alive than all the rest.
Now you’re ready for the ancient religion of dogs,
that unleashed romp through the wildness, responding
To no one’s liturgy but the field’s and the rain’s.
You’ve come this far, but you need to live further in.
You need to slip into the blind man for a while,
tap along with his cane past the market stalls
and take in, as if they were abandoned, 
the little blue crabs which within an hour will be eaten.
You have to become large enough to accommodate
all the small lives that otherwise would be forgotten.
You have to raise yourself to the power of ten.
Love more, require less, love without regard
For form. You have to live further in.

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

August 2, 2026

God’s generosity and ours

GOSPEL

Matthew 14:13-21

When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns. When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus said to them, “There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.” But they said to him, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.” Then he said, “Bring them here to me,” and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over—twelve wicker baskets full. Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children.

REFLECTIONS ON THE GOSPEL

First Impressions, A Division of the Southern Dominican Province

The Isaiah reading names the dissatisfactions we feel when we look  for fulfillment in places that are not of God. We deceive and drain ourselves in a search for what can only be satisfied by God. God holds out a lavish food for us, free of charge, a food that will not run out when life tests us. We are being offered a food that assures us that, when the testing of the desert comes, we will find the sustenance for the life we need. God fed the Israelites in the desert, and the Gospel reminds us that through Christ we are nourished in sustaining ways. The gestures and words of Jesus in the Gospel bring to mind the Last Supper. The Gospel writer is making clear references in this miracle story to the Eucharist. How can we read this story today and not see a gracious God (the God of Isaiah) saying to us too, "come receive grain and eat"? This is a crowd that realized that Jesus had something to offer them in their "desert places." Jesus wasn’t just filling their stomachs. They were a deserted people; life had passed them by. They were not the rich, the famous, the educated or the powerful; they were the afflicted and the marginated. Life may have passed them by, but Jesus didn't. He took note of them, and they in turn saw in him a place to be nourished, a place where deep hungers and longings would be fulfilled.  Why else would they have stayed so long listening to him in that deserted place? They were not disappointed, for at the end of the day they were filled. He had seen their many hungers and had fed them, “all ate and were satisfied.” The miracle recalls God’s feeding of the Israelites in the desert. The God of the Promise has not abandoned the chosen ones in the desert, but continues, day by day, to nourish us with food that does not disappoint. Are we turning for nourishment to places that will eventually disappoint us? What and who will sustain us when we are in distress, in our own private "desert place?" We need nourishment that will be there for us in the desert. And we all must pass through a desert of some type,  at some time. The Gospel shows that Christ can offer us a food that will really fill and satisfy us. This miracle is also a reassuring sign to us that when that "desert day" comes, God will see us in our need, as Jesus does in the Gospel, and have a heart "moved with pity" for us. We will not be alone in these deserted place, there will be an abundance of daily bread to sustain and give us our fill. This is not a story of “just enough to get by on.” This is a story of “more than enough.” After everyone has had their fill there are lots of leftovers. In God’s place no one need go hungry, all experience abundance. Where else and what else can satisfy in this way? Remember Isaiah’s probing question, “Why spend your money for what is not bread?” The physical bread of the miracle story was of temporary value. It could not satisfy deeper hungers, but it was a sign that Jesus can and that his heart is moved with pity for us. Notice how he handled the food with reverence, the same reverence he felt for the crowd whom he knew were the beloved of God. The miracle is a sign to us that we too are the beloved of God, and we will not be left hungry. The disciples are overwhelmed by what they see and the seeming insufficient resources they have. In this version of the story, there is no boy to provide the loaves and fishes  for this miracle. The disciples have the food. Was it their own food for the trip? Is Jesus asking them to share out of their supplies? Is he asking them to risk it all, to take a chance at extravagant generosity? And they do – maybe this too is the miracle; the change in the disciples who now have learned that whatever they have, it will be more than enough in collaboration with Christ? They are learning to cast their lots with him, to risk what they have in his service. As we heard last week, the person who discovers the treasure in the field goes out and sells everything to buy the field and have the treasure. The disciples too are being invited to invest their all in Christ. Are we? Sell it all. Invest yourself in the One who will not disappoint. We have Eucharistic ministers in our parishes who take the bread of communion beyond our assembly to those in "deserted places." That's often how the sick, dying, imprisoned, and elderly  feel in our society—deserted. They feel on the fringe of life, less than appreciated, less than valued. We send our Eucharistic ministers out to them with communion to tell them that they are part of us, part of the people being fed by God. They are not forgotten in their difficult places. The bread from our altar extends Christ's presence to them but also extends our presence as well. We invite the Eucharistic ministers today to share this Gospel story with the sick and to tell them that the community has prayed for them and shares with them our life and hope sustaining bread. Many of us have sat beside the bedsides of the sick and dying.  We have seen them with tubes in their nostrils and with needles in their arms. We feel useless and  fragile before the enormity of their suffering and fears. We feel we should step aside and let the professional medical experts do their  specialties; what can we do after all? The disciples in the Gospel experience that same helplessness; so many hungry and so little to give them. Yet, Jesus urges, "give them something to eat yourselves." Give them what you can. We feel we have nothing to offer in the enormity of their need. Yet we do have something to give, the gift of our presence, as meager as that feels. And so, we make the offering of ourselves. But Christ takes what we have to offer, blesses it, breaks it and gives more than enough nourishment to the hungry in deserted place. And in giving ourselves, we become the "true presence" of Christ to others. Aren't we being challenged to look into our own resources, as insignificant as they may seem, and take the risk for "the crowd"? I know a nurse in a terminal ward in a nearby hospital. While on duty, she tries to find as much time as possible to be with the dying in their last moments. She works the night shift, when the ward is quiet and she can take some free moments. It is when the dying are most alone, and all one can hear is their labored breathing. She may hold their hand, maybe just sit there with them. Her spiritual practice is the Jesus Prayer, which she prays quietly to herself throughout the day. While tending the dying, she prays the Jesus prayer over and over again. “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on me a sinner.” She experiences it is a privileged place to be, with  someone as he or she lets go of this life. She hopes her presence can help. For those who are afraid to die, she prays and calms their fears, stroking their forehead. At this moment in a dying person’s life, what else is wanted or needed?  What about all the things we saved up to buy, all our ambitions, professional achievements, all our “stuff”? What good are they at this moment? The prophet speaks a sobering reminder to us today, “Why spend your money for what is not bread, your wages for what fails to satisfy?” This nurse offers what will satisfy, and gives a strength no other thing can, her calming presence, a person of faith being there for another. It may feel like just five loaves and two fish in the presence of the powerful force of death, but her prayer is a reminder that Someone else is there, multiplying the offerings of the disciple so that they are more than enough. Can the preacher think of other ways people’s simple offerings are multiplied for those in need? The Eucharist is like Isaiah’s call from God to turn away from that which is not satisfying and will only disappoint. We have this liturgical celebration today to examine what we search and strive after and whether or not we are really being filled. We need then to rethink our unhealthy or abusive relationships—false priorities—value on achievements—obsessions with our careers—any  misplaced energies and investment of ourselves. We need to have confidence as well, that no deserted place we may find ourselves is outside the compassionate gaze of Christ at this Eucharist. “...he saw the vast crowd and his heart was moved with pity for them...”

Justice Bulletin Board by Barbara Molinari Quinby, MPS, Director Office of Human Life, Dignity, and Justice Ministries Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral, Raleigh, NC

The Lord is good to all and compassionate toward all his works. — Psalm 145:9

In ancient times the poor were subjected to insult, blamed for their poverty, and lived without hope. When you think of the poor, what thoughts come to your mind? What things influence your attitude to the poor? How does this passage from Psalms, as seen through the lens of Jesus’ life, affirm or challenge your attitude? What should you do? The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops write: “Catholic disciples are called to put Two Feet of Love in Action! This foundational tool describes two distinct, but complementary, ways we can put the Gospel in action in response to God's love:  social justice (addressing systemic, root causes of problems that affect many people) and  charitable works (short-term, emergency assistance for individuals). Charitable Works  are our ‘response to immediate needs and specific situations: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for and healing the sick, visiting those in prison, etc.’ ( Deus Caritas Est, no. 31). We step with the Charitable Works foot when we work to aid or assist others both locally and globally to meet their immediate, short-term needs. Examples include engaging in direct service or providing food, clothing, shelter, or monetary assistance to help those in need. Social Justice ‘concerns the social, political, and economic aspects and, above all, the structural dimension of problems and their respective solutions’ ( Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, no. 201). We step with this foot when we work to address the  root causes of problems facing our communities by advocating for just public policies and helping to change the social structures that contribute to suffering and injustice at home and around the world.” 

Faith Book

Mini-reflections on the Sunday scripture readings designed for persons on the run. “Faith Book” is also brief enough to be posted in the Sunday parish bulletins people take home.

From today’s Gospel Reading: Taking the five loaves and two fish, and looking up to heaven, Jesus said the blessing, broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.

Reflection: Jesus saw the hungry crowd and with the loaves and fish his disciples offered, he fed them.  While we might receive comfort knowing that our inner hungers are fed at our Eucharistic meal, let’s not just “spiritualize” today’s gospel. Let’s remember that Jesus’ pity extended to the crowd’s physical needs  he saw when he disembarked from the boat. Matthew tells us, “he was moved with pity for them and he cured their sick,” and, with the disciples’ help, he fed their hunger.

So we ask ourselves:
• What hunger do I bring to this Eucharist today that I turn to Jesus to feed?
• In my world, what hunger am I hearing Jesus invite me to feed—with his help? 

Some Thoughts on the Feeding of the Five Thousand (John’s Gospel 6:1-15)

From Walter Burghardt, S.J.: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. How many of us can remember any encyclical except the one on contraception (Humanae Vitae)? WE never listened to Leo XIII declaring the right of workers to dignity, a living wage, labor unions. WE never heard Pius XI recommend that workers share in the profits of owners. WE never heard Pius XII insist on the strict right all human beings have to whatever materials goods they need to develop as persons, as images of God. WE never heard John XXIII declare that farmers should share in the rewards of industrialized societies, that developing countries should share in the benefits of more highly developed nations. WE forgot Paul VI declare to the UN: "War! Never again!" We have not heard John Paul II denounce both Marxist socialism and unbridled capitalism, castigate the all-consuming desire for profit and a destructive thirst for power; the danger of "having" over "being". 

From Nancy Greenfield: How many of us have read Francis I's recent exhortation: "Rejoice and Be Glad"? In this document he says: "Hedonism and consumerism can be our downfall….We will find it hard to feel and show any real concern for those in need, unless we are able to cultivate a certain simplicity of life, resisting the demands of a consumer society, which leave us impoverished and unsatisfied, anxious to have it all now." He enjoins us to avoid complacency which leads to a state of spiritual lethargy, and self-deception, which is a comfortable and self-satisfied form of blindness.--Everything then appears acceptable…

From: Rev Paul Gallagher, OFM: The crowd misses the meaning of the signs and again, after the feeding, does not understand what the signs say about who Jesus is for them. When they see the signs they interpret them to mean that Jesus is the expected messiah ("the Prophet") and they want to make him king. That's not what Jesus hoped the sign of the feeding he performed for them would communicate, so "...he withdrew again to the mountain alone." "Again"...sounds like he has had to withdraw before, doesn't it? This is not the first time people have misunderstood Jesus and the meaning of the works he was doing. This time they think he is "the Prophet." The bread miracle stirs and excites them because they had been waiting for from one like Moses or, in light of the first reading, one like Elisha. Both prophets had provided bread for the hungry and scattered people. Jesus sees the seeming inadequacies, but he also sees great potentials for what God can do. First of all he gives thanks for the loaves---God has given gifts and God will feed the crowd's hunger with them. How did God provide more than enough food? By means of a seeming nobody, a little boy with five barley loaves and two fish. Even the type of bread suggests inadequacy; barley was the grain of the poor. We face huge hungers. The story reminds us that when we offer, even what seems insignificant and small, that God can more than make up for our lack. God can do wonders with willing servants. Jesus sets the example for us. He takes what little he has, acknowledges it as a gift from God by giving thanks and then sets about serving those in need. Jesus was the first to note the crowd's hungers. He reminds us that God is the first one concerned for those who lack and God wants to address those in need through us, even though we feel what we have to offer is negligible in the face of the needs around us. 

Justice Bulletin Board from Anne and Bill Werdel, Sacred Heart Cathedral, Raleigh, N.C.

When they had eaten, there was some left over, as the Lord had said (2 Kings 4:44) (John 6:1-15) Most of us have so many leftovers in our lives. We likely have leftover time in our week, leftover space in our homes, leftover knowledge, leftover food in the freezer or fridge and maybe even leftover money that we just might need someday. It’s even possible that we have more than enough compassion and love to give some of our very selves away. In today’s first reading and in the Gospel, we learn what God can do with leftovers that are offered for sharing. The world’s needs for food, for healthcare, for education, for housing and for love could be easily met with our leftovers, if they were offered by us generously and blest by God’s Spirit and grace. “No man or woman of good will should stand as an idle witness to the complex social problems of our day. Equally deserving of our attention and care is the private suffering of countless children, women, and men who do not have enough food to eat; who are deprived of adequate education, housing, or employment; or who suffer the trauma of abuse or neglect.”“Social ministry is an expression of the Gospel and of the prophetic, servant ministry of Jesus Christ; as such, it is a fundamental element of the mission of the Church.” “The charitable and justice-oriented activities of the Church are integral to the collective responsibility of all citizens to build the common good of our nation and of the entire human family.” (US Catholic Bishops "In All Things")

ENCOUNTER CHRIST REFLECTIONS AND MEDITATIONS

Preparation for the Session

Adapted from Sacred Space: The Prayer Book 2025

Presence of God: Jesus, As I come to you today, fill my heart, my whole being, with the wonder of your sacred presence.  Help me to become more aware of your presence in my life, and more receptive to that presence. I desire to love you as you love me.  May nothing ever separate me from you. (1-2 minutes of silence)

Freedom: Jesus, Grant me the grace to have freedom of spirit. Keep me from being bound by desires and actions that are not good for me or others. Cleanse my heart and soul that I may live joyously in your love. (1-2 minutes of silence)

Consciousness: Where am I with God? With others in my life? What am I grateful for? Is there something I am sorry for, words or actions that have hurt others, and which I now regret? I take a moment to ask forgiveness of God and of those whom I have hurt. God, I give you thanks for your constant love and care for me. Keep me always aware of your presence in my life. (2-3 minutes of silence)

Opening Prayer

Lord, help me to see the Eucharist as gift--your gift to us  so that we would always know that you are with us, deep inside us. You sustain my life in so many ways. Help me to be thankful by showing generosity of heart to others.

Companions for the Journey

from "First Impressions", a service of the Southern Dominican Province

A few years back I preached in a city where there was a soup kitchen for street people run by three Catholic sisters.  Well, it wasn't a soup kitchen exactly---it was more like a restaurant.  The "guests" were greeted at the door by church volunteers and shown to tables with tablecloths and given a menu.  The fare was limited, but they had a choice of "entrees" from which they could choose.  There are quicker and more efficient ways to feed the hungry, especially these days with so many homeless and hungry on our streets. Food 

pantries and soup kitchens can barely keep up with those who come seeking food and clothing. The current numbers of the hungry are increasing and the charitable collections of food and clothing are just not enough to meet the urgent needs.  But still, that special soup kitchen, with its parish volunteers and special "guests" stays with me as a wonderful sign of what the scriptures reveal today 

about the food and drink we are promised at God's table---where we will be treated as honored guests and where no one will lack food and clothing. That's a promise we can bank on.  Are we believers all just dreamers?  Considering the plight of so many poor, homeless and victimized in the world, who has the audacity to promise anything better in the future when things are so very bad now?

That's how it always is with God. When we are at our lowest point, in one exile of our own making, or another, a special delivery letter comes to invite us back home, where a meal is waiting us. The invitation reads, "I don't care what you have done, come on home!  Let me supply the nourishment you have desired and searched for in all the wrong places.  I have what you really need and I want to 

give it to you free of charge.  For heaven's sake, forget the past, we have a future together!"  Here in the southern U.S. we might word the invitation differently: "Ya'll come!  Set yourself down. Eat.  Hear?"

In Jesus, God has sent out another similar invitation to special guests to come, sit down, eat and drink.  The multiplication of the loaves and fish is a spectacular miracle.  But it starts very small and among seeming-insignificant people. Which is where God usually starts a good work, so that the people can't claim any success was based just on their skills and merits. God is at work here. It is God's idea to feed the least and it is God who makes it possible to do it.  Nevertheless, as we learn from Matthew's account, people do have a part to play; though it does seem small by the world's ways of measuring.  The disciples understand their situation: the crowd is large and they have next to nothing to give to address the people's hunger. "Five loaves and two fish are all we have here."  They may have practically nothing to offer, but at least they "heed" what Jesus says and offer up what little they do have.  They could have looked to their own needs and saved the few loaves and fish for themselves. That would have been the prudent thing to do. But the crowd was hungry, they had to be fed and the disciples put what little they had to feed them completely into Jesus' hands. There are times when we just have to throw our whole lot in with the Lord; take a chance on him; join him in his sometimes reckless project. We provide the best we can to do God's work and, instead of standing far off to see how we do, God rolls up the sleeves and gets to work with us. We have got to trust that -- otherwise, we would never set about to address the huge issues we face in our world, like hunger, racism, war, injustice, violence, disease, social inequalities, etc.  We do what we can, even though it feels puny to us and appears insignificant by the world's standards of measurement.  We hand over what we have to Christ who invites, "Bring them here to me" and we see what he does with our offerings.

We pray that the Spirit come upon us who gather to "heed" God's Word so we will be guided and empowered in Christ's service.  May the "loaves and fish" of our daily lives feed those hungry Christ sends us into the world to feed. 

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today's reading and discussion? Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow.

Reflection Questions:

This story shows up in all four gospels because of its obvious connection to the Eucharist celebration. Do I view the Eucharist as basic food for my very life?

What hunger to I bring to the Eucharistic celebration that I turn to Jesus to feed?

What hunger in the world am I hearing about that I am being called to address—with God’s help?

Has there been a time in your life when you were sorrowful or troubled, but went out of your way to help someone else?

How is sharing a meal a way to enhance community?

Jesus fed the five thousand through the agency of his disciples.   In what way is Jesus expecting me to be an agent for his message/mission?

This miracle required the cooperation and the generosity of those who gave what little they had. How often do I approach life and my own obligation to others in need through a mentality of scarcity, worried that I might not have enough?

A priest I know said that there is enough for everybody if everybody shared when they had more than they needed. Where in my life are there opportunities to “share my food” with those in need?
In what way does my Church mirror this practice?  

Has there ever been a time in your life when someone helped you in a time of need?
Were you grateful?   
Did you express your gratitude?  
Did you pay it forward?

Do I really trust in God’s goodness and generosity? Why or why not?
Do I ever doubt that God will want to meet my needs? Why do I think this?
Do need to pray for the trust to “sit down” in a time of crisis and give my worries to God?

Do I ever think my insignificance, or lack of education, or lack of money exempt me from service?  
What about the original disciples?  
What about Mother Teresa?

Closing Prayer

Give us this day our daily bread. We come to you Lord, for sustenance, for comfort, for our very lives. Give me this day what I need, and nothing more; if there is excess, let me be generous with what I have and attuned to the needs of others.

FOR THE WEEK AHEAD

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today's session…“There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.”

Meditations

A Meditation in the Augustinian Style/Relationship:

(From Sacred Space 2025)

This is the only miracle that is reported by all the four gospels, because the link to the Eucharist is obvious. The verbs used at the end of this miracle to describe what Jesus did with the bread are repeated at every mass. The Eucharist has the same characteristics of this miracle: the community, the transformation of humble elements into what satisfies us and is a sign of God’s abundant gifts. Yet the gift is immeasurably greater: it is the body and blood of Christ. I stand in awe of this great gift, and ask for the grace to be grateful and to enter more deeply into this great mystery.

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

Read the first part of Mt 14, which describes the banquet thrown for Herod on his birthday, and how that turned out in the end. Contrast that with the story of the feeding of the five thousand, and, finally, Read Matthew 25: 35-41. (Lord, when did I see you hungry, etc.) Reflect on the various segments of our current society reflected in the three passages. Which people in our current world fit into one of these categories Jesus is describing in Matthew 25?  Do you find it difficult to see Christ in those around you? Which group annoys you the most? Why? How do you reconcile Jesus' teaching on this question of justice, need, and personal responsibility with the Church's social teaching? With this country's policies? With your own attitudes and actions? Then read James 2:1-9 (Do not make class distinctions). Think of all the ways in which we categorize people. Why is this common? Why is it wrong?

A Meditation in the Augustinian Style/Relationship:

Read today's selection from Romans 8 slowly and solemnly. 

“What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? No, in all these things we coner overwhelmingly through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things,* nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth,* nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Then rewrite these words, speaking them to Christ (eg.: What will separate me from your love?) Pray this prayer several times this week, reflecting on your personal relationship with Jesus. How does it affect you?

A Meditation in the Franciscan Style/Action:

Read Matthew 25-46, which included the following about the final judgement.

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you made me welcome, lacking clothes and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me." Then the upright will say to him in reply, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and make you welcome, lacking clothes and clothe you? When did we find you sick or in prison and go to see you?" And the King will answer, "In truth I tell you, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me."

Pastor Emeritus James Forbes, of Riverside Church in Manhattan, was famously quoted as saying: “Nobody gets into heaven without a letter of reference from the poor.” How would I fare? Has my generosity been active and personal? Has it been distant and reluctant? Has it been non-existent while I focused on other aspects of my religious journey? I ask Jesus to open the eyes of my heart so that I can respond more fullly to the needs of those less fortunate, and maybe eventhose less worthy. Give me the spirit of true generosity.

Poetic Reflection

Through the stories and reflections in her book My Name is CHILD of GOD, And Not “Those People,”  Julia Dinsmore puts a face on poverty and challenges readers to answer God's call to respond to poverty and its effects, to feed the bodies and very souls of those “five thousand” who have little or nothing.

My name is not “Those People.”
I am a loving woman, 
a mother in pain, giving birth to the future, 
where my babies have the same chance to thrive as anyone.

My name is not “Inadequate.”
I did not make my husband leave – he chose to,
and chooses not to pay child support.
Truth is though, there isn’t a job base for all
fathers to support their families.
While society turns its head, my children pay the price.

My name is not “Problem and Case to Be Managed.”
I am a capable human being and citizen, not a client.
The social service system can never replace the compassion
and concern of loving Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Fathers,
Cousins, Community – all the bonded people who need to be
but are not present to bring children forward to their potential.

My name is not “Lazy, Dependent Welfare Mother.”
If the unwaged work of parenting, homemaking and community building 
was factored into the Gross National Product, my work would have untold value. 
And I wonder why my middle-class sisters whose husbands support them to raise their children 
are glorified – and they don’t get called lazy and dependent.

My name is not “Ignorant, Dumb or Uneducated.”
I live with an income of $621 with $169 in food stamps.
Rent is $585. that leaves $36 a month to live on. 
I am such a genius at surviving that I could balance the state budget in an hour.
Never mind that there is a lack of living-wage jobs.
Never mind that it is impossible to be the sole emotional, social and economic support to a family.
Never mind that parents are losing their children 
to the gangs, drugs, stealing, prostitution, social workers, kidnapping, the streets, the predator.
Forget about putting money into schools – just build more prisons.

My name is not “Lay Down and Die Quietly.”
My love is powerful and my urge to keep my children alive will never stop. 
All children need homes and people who love them. 
They need safety and the chance to be the people they were born to be.
The wind will stop before I let my children become a statistic.
Before you give in to the urge to blame me,
the blames that lets us go blind and unknowing into
the isolation that disconnects us, take another look.
Don’t go away.
For I am not the problem, but the solution.
And…My name is not “Those People.”

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

July 26, 2026

What do the parables illuminate about the experiences of your life?

GOSPEL

Matthew 13:44-52

Jesus said to his disciples: "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. When it is full they haul it ashore
and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away. Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. "Do you understand all these things?" They answered, "Yes." And he replied, "Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old." 

REFLECTIONS ON THE GOSPEL

First Impressions

“Such a deal!” You can almost hear the young king Solomon say that to God in our first reading. Imagine getting an invitation from the Almighty, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.” What an opportunity! Who wouldn’t want to have such an offer from One who could give anything? Makes us wonder what we might ask for if God gave us a blank check. So much to ask for! Where to start? How to choose? Solomon the young king and son of David, is about to take the throne. We now know him by his reputation for wisdom. When we refer to someone as having “the wisdom of Solomon,” it is high praise. But at this stage in his life and reign, Solomon isn’t feeling very wise. He knew what he needed to reign properly: he needed wisdom and he also knew he couldn’t get it on his own. Only God could give him this gift, so wisdom is what he asks for in response to God’s magnanimous offer. Solomon didn’t have to climb a distant mountain, or succeed at Herculean tasks to get the wisdom he would need to rule well. He just had to ask for it. Biblical wisdom is about everyday life; it concerns practical matters and guides us in living a godly life. Readers familiar with the bible will know the unique qualities of this wisdom. A person of wisdom may not be the most intellectually brilliant person in the room.  When the bible speaks of a wise person, a wisdom figure like Solomon, or a prophet, it presents a person who is closely attuned to God.  The wise one and God have a strong and intimate relationship and the recipient of wisdom is characterized by very practical, everyday knowledge that enables him/her to live an ethically upright life. Solomon isn’t asking for esoteric knowledge about other-worldly mysteries. He knows as a ruler he will have to make decisions between right and wrong, not only for himself, but for the people he has been chosen to lead. He wants to be a good king, one who rules in conformity with God’s ways. Unfortunately, later in his life, we learn that Solomon betrays God’s will and becomes self-seeking. Since he was also the ruler, the nation of Israel suffers dire consequences for his betrayals of God. Still, at this early stage we can learn from Solomon about the importance of the divine gift of wisdom as we struggle to live out our Christian calling in some very ambiguous situations. We want to live good lives that reflect the divine life in us we have through baptism. We repent those thoughts and actions that were unwise and pulled us away from God. We, in short, are sorry for the things we have said and done that have hurt others...if only we had acted more wisely. Remember two Sundays ago, Matthew began this parable discourse with Jesus’ sitting down in a boat to teach. He presents Jesus as a wisdom teacher and thus suggests to us that the wisdom we seek is given us in Jesus. He is wisdom made flesh; his actions and words are our guidance for daily life and his life in us keeps us in intimate relationship with God. When we need to know how to live and act in conformity to God’s will, Jesus is our guide. In today’s gospel he is the wise teacher who invites us to ponder and learn God’s ways; he does this by telling his disciples parables. Today’s gospel reading is comparatively short. The lectionary even gives a shorter option. I would use the whole passage for the proclamation, but focus on one of the parables for the preaching. There are plenty of preaching possibilities in each parable.  Let’s look at the first two and leave the decision up to each preacher which to choose for a focus. Each of today’s parables is introduced in the same way, “The kingdom of heaven is like....” (Matthew prefers “kingdom of heaven” so as to avoid using God’s name; Mark and Luke use, “kingdom of God.”) First a reminder. When a parable begins in this way it is not saying the kingdom is like a treasure, a pearl or a net. Rather, the kingdom is like what happens in each complete story. Jesus’ basic message was that God’s kingdom/reign/dominion had come near. The kingdom is present when God’s sovereignty, actions and presence are felt. It is where and when God’s will is being done and God’s rule accepted and acted upon. Those who live in accordance with God’s will might then hope to enter the kingdom when it finally comes in its fullness. We are of an age and culture that looks for things neatly defined and clearly described. If only Jesus had satisfied our need for exactness and given a precise definition of what the kingdom is and exactly where and when it occurs. If he had, we would have a precise measurement, or standard to apply. We would then be able to say, “This is definitely of the kingdom of God; this definitely not.” Of course, that would put us in control. Then other people and events would depend on us for our stamp of approval where and in whom God was acting. Instead, with parables like today’s, we have the opposite. We hear that God’s reign is multi-colored and multi-layered. We see only part of it; just when it seems to be only here...it pops up over there too—in the most unlikely places and occasions. You just can’t box in God’s movements and inspirations. In his gospel John would say it this way, “The Spirit of God blows where it will....” Let’s look at the “issue” of the buried and found treasure. Listeners to this parable have countered by saying the one who found the treasure is dishonest. They claim he should have reported the find to the “rightful owner.” But Jesus is not teaching about honesty here and it is not uncommon for his parables to contain characters who act in a shady way. Jesus uses worldly stories to open our eyes to the acts of the divine in our midst. He is focusing on a person’s finding a treasure, realizing its value, rejoicing and selling everything to get what is so precious.  We also have to remember the times and circumstances. It wasn’t usual for people to bury valuables during times of conflict, invasion, or insecurity. Who knows? Maybe the one who buried the treasure had died; or the plot may have now been under a foreign power, like the Romans. There are numerous possibilities to explain the treasure’s presence in the field.  We do best to stay with the parable: a person finds a treasure and does what he must to get it. What a risk he is willing to take, for he sells all he has! It’s parallel to what Jesus is asking his disciples to do; to leave everything else and invest their well-being and future in him. Isn’t Jesus a “hidden treasure” for us too? Grace to follow him has been freely given us and we are invited to celebrate this “find” with joy and total dedication.  We preachers will want to avoid moralizing this parable, i.e. making its primary thrust just a moral teaching and then telling people what they  ought to do. Remember, the finder does nothing to earn the treasure, nor does Jesus, in this case, stress the sacrifice required to acquire it. Recognition, joy, “pure luck” and excitement dominate the emotions of the fortunate finder. At today’s Eucharist why not celebrate the sheer gift God has given us in Jesus and the constant renewal of that gift through another gift – the Holy Spirit? The second parable varies slightly from the first; we have a merchant out searching for fine pearls. Yet, the two parables have some common elements: the discovery, joy (which we presume for the merchant since he finds what he has been searching for) and a follow-up action. The first parable has a clear element of surprise to it. How often have we found in a person, or a situation, something so good that we realize, even though we weren’t aware we were searching, we have found a treasure Or, have we ever searched for something meaningful for our lives, found it and it was even better than we had ever hoped?While we put so much into our search, we realize we received so much more than our efforts warranted. When things like this happen, we can hear an echo of Jesus’ introduction to the parables – with a slight modification, “There, that’s what the kingdom of God is like!” The bottom line....it’s about grace. (Cf. Quotable) In the parables we encounter God’s gracious rule. Judging from the two parables we focused on, the treasure and pearl, this rule is not something to fear. Instead, we learn that God’s reign promotes vitality, freedom and a sense of having found what we have always really wanted. We know life and service in the reign Jesus is proclaiming, will require sacrifice. But these parables encourage us to take the plunge, they tell us, “it is worth whatever you must change, or give up.” In both parables the investment is total. Each person has taken a huge gamble by selling “all that he/she has.” What guarantee do they have? What have they done to hedge their investments in case they have made a mistake? They haven’t, instead they have plunged ahead without reserve. Is God and Jesus’ way worth the full gamble of our lives? In the parables, the wise Jesus tells us it is. He should know, he has first hand experience. It’s like a friend of mine, who rushed head long into the ocean and when he came up for air, turned to me and shouted, “Come on in, the water’s fine!” And so I did, because he was already in the water and I trusted him.

Justice Bulletin Board by Barbara Molinari Quinby, MPS, Director Office of Human Life, Dignity, and Justice Ministries Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral, Raleigh, NC

Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart. — 1 Kings 3:9 

The word “understand” is used at least five times in today’s readings. To comprehend the term, “understanding heart,” from the ancient biblical perspective, we should know that Solomon is asking God for a “listening heart.” The heart in the Old Testament refers not to the organ circulating the blood, but to the seat of the intellect and the ability to discern good and evil. Solomon wants to follow God’s direction through the process of discernment. But something else also happens when a person starts listening with their hearts. Our late Pope Francis writes, in The Joy of the Gospel (Word Among Us, 2013), that: When we live out a spirituality of drawing nearer to others and seeking their welfare, our hearts are opened wide to the Lord’s greatest and most beautiful gifts. Whenever we encounter another person in love, we learn something new about God. Whenever our eyes are opened to acknowledge the other, we grow in the light of faith and knowledge of God. If we want to advance in the spiritual life, then, we must constantly be missionaries(272). You see, if we are to grow our relationship with God, we cannot have a spirituality that is merely a vertical me and Thee. No, to grow our relationship with God, we must have a spirituality that is me, Thee, and the other. This is a spirituality that is both vertical and horizontal. As Pope Leo states: We must be ready to put our hands into the dough of the world! It is not enough to talk about flour without getting our hands dirty; we must touch it. . .Our time presents itself as a mill where the pains of poverty, social divisions, the challenges of new technologies, and the sincere desires for peace are still being ground together like new flour that risks being fermented with a bad leaven. . .The Kingdom will grow, not by force or by numbers but through the patience of those who, with faith and love, continue to knead with God. Pope Leo to Missionaries: “We Must Do the Will of the Father” (Vatican News) How do we do this? First, we must make the decision that we want to deepen our relationship with God and ask God for an understanding heart. Then, we must step out to encounter the other—the poor, the disadvantaged, the incarcerated, the immigrant, the sick. . . Join the justice ministries community here at HNOJ Cathedral.

One Good Book for the Preacher by Anne Lamott, PLAN B: FURTHER THOUGHTS ON FAITH. New York:  Riverhead Books 2005.

This book makes great reading, especially for reflective summer moments.  The author, a single parent, reflects on contemporary world and national events.  She also turns her reflections to parenting (a teenager), her mother’s Alzheimers, the death of friends, the change of seasons, and her political activism .  She takes a preacher’s look at her daily life’s joys and questions through the eyes of  faith—aided by the support and prayers of her small church community in northern California. (The story of Lamott’s finding faith is told in her previous books, especially TRAVELING MERCIES.) 

Quotable

Grace means you’re in a different universe from where you had been stuck, when you had absolutely no way to get there on your own. —Anne Lamott in, PLAN B: FURTHER THOUGHTS ON FAITH, (New York: Riverhead Books, 2005), ISBN1-57322-299-2, $24.95 hardcover.

Faith Book

Mini-reflections on the Sunday scripture readings designed for persons on the run. “Faith Book”is also brief enough to be posted in the Sunday parish bulletins people take home.

From today’s Gospel reading: The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again and out of sheer joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls.  When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it. 

Reflection: Why are we gathered at church today? We are here because we want wisdom;  we don’t want to be tempted by fake pearls and fool’s gold. It is just not worth it. We want the real thing in our lives. We sense what it is—WHO it is—and we want more. We have stumbled on a treasure and know that everything else is of much lesser value. We have found a valuable pearl and we are willing to put aside whatever stands in the way of having that pearl.

So we ask ourselves:

• What keeps us from having a closer relationship with Jesus in our daily lives?
• Do we realize our faith is a treasure we have found, rather than a reward we have been given?

From “Living Space”, a service of the Irish Jesuits

Discovering a Treasure

In the first parable Jesus compares entering the Kingdom to a man who finds treasure in a field. We need to remember that in those days, ordinary people did not have banks. Only the rich had access to places where their possessions were secure. If ordinary people did have valuable things, the simplest and safest thing was to hide them under the ground. Of course, because of war or some other unforeseen calamity, they might have to leave a place suddenly and not be able to take their belongings with them. They might not be able to return or they might die before they could do so. Someone else, then, might stumble on their treasure and, according to Jewish law, the finder could regard it as his own. In this parable, the man comes across the treasure but the field where it is hidden does not belong to him. He sells everything he has in order to get ownership of the field and hence of its buried treasure. The idea obviously is that when one really discovers Jesus and his vision of life everything else becomes secondary. In the service of the Kingdom there are no half measures and in that service there is a special kind of liberating joy. This was Paul’s experience: “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8) and again “For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 2:21). To have a personal relationship with Christ and to have made his view of life one’s own is the most beautiful, the most precious thing in the world. It is not enough, of course, just to say this; one must personally experience it as a fact – as many have done and many, unfortunately, have never really tried to do.

In Search of Treasure

The second parable is similar. A businessman is looking for fine pearls. When he finds the one he wants, he sells everything else he has in order to acquire it. A slight, if significant, difference has been pointed out between the two stories. For, in the first, the man was not actually looking for the treasure. Perhaps he found it while digging the ground or ploughing the field, that is, in the course of his ordinary working day. Jesus – and the real meaning of Jesus — may come to me unexpectedly through some daily experience. Many people have described their conversion to Christ as happening in such an unexpected way. There is a need, as the Gospel constantly urges, for us to be ready whenever and however Jesus comes into our lives. In the second parable, however, the man is on the lookout for the “pearl of great price”. He knows it must exist and he uses all his energies to find it. Although we are baptised Christians, we still need to pursue constantly the true and full meaning of the Gospel which can escape us for many years. We always need to understand more, to love more, to serve more.

Example of Solomon

It is in this context that we can take a look at the First Reading from the First Book of Kings. The young King Solomon is told by God, “Ask what you would like me to give you.” It is a question that Jesus sometimes asks in the Gospel and he is asking it of me in today’s Mass. How am I going to answer? What do I most want to have or to be right now? We can make a good guess at what a lot of people, including ourselves, would be likely to ask. For many it would be likely to have some connection with money or material security. What did Solomon ask for? “Give your servant a heart to understand how to discern between God and evil, for who could govern this people of yours that is so great?” In other words, he asked for wisdom and discernment. Wisdom is much more than knowing a lot of things or having prestigious university degrees. Being endowed with wisdom is much more than being just a morally very good person. Wisdom gives an in-sight into what is truly important in life, an awareness of the meaning and purpose of living, of what really matters. It is an understanding of where our real wellbeing and happiness lies.  That is indeed a pearl of great price, price-less in every sense of the word.

Wisdom as Seeing

Solomon did not ask for wealth, or power, although these things came to him. He did not ask just to have things, or to have obstacles in his life removed. He asked to be able to see. A constant theme running through the Gospel is the healing of blind people and of the incurable blindness of those who thought they could see. The true disciple is the one who begs Jesus, “Lord, that I may see.” The one who sees is the one who has wisdom. The one who has wisdom knows how to cope with the situations of life whether they bring ease or difficulty, pain or joy. This is what Solomon asked for and this is what God gave him. “Since you have asked for this and not asked for long life for yourself or riches or the lives of your enemies, but have asked for a discerning judgement for yourself, here and now I do what you ask. I give you a heart wise as none before you has had and none will have after you.” And, of course, the ‘wisdom of Solomon’ is a by-word down to our day. This is the treasure hidden in a field for which a man sells everything to have. This is the fine pearl for which a merchant sells everything he owns in order to get it. The ability to see is what opens the door to the Kingdom of God, that world of interlocking relationships between God, human beings and our world which brings to all security, happiness and peace. For here there is truth, here there is love and caring, here there is freedom and peace. For much of the time, we are chasing false treasures, mainly money, status and pleasure. For much of the time we are locked into the past – full of nostalgia or regrets, or focused on the future – not yet achieved longings and desires, or depressing fears and anxieties. Meanwhile the enriching present passes us by and the treasure is never discovered and the really valuable pearl is never found.

A Mixed Bag

This brings us to the third parable today. While the first and second parables speak of the total commitment and dedication which are the ideal of every follower of Christ, this third parable helps to put our two feet firmly back on the ground. While the ideals are valid and still beckon us, they must not lead us into any form of elitism. This parable reminds us that the Church and even the Kingdom in the process of its evolution is full of all kinds of people. Our Church is a Church of both saints and sinners. And we might say it is primarily for sinners. “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17). The role of the Church is to accept into its bosom “the poor, the crippled, the blind, the lame” (Luke 14:21) and lead them to the treasure and the pearl of great price. The lesson of this parable is similar to that of the weeds growing up with the wheat, namely, that the kingdom is a mixed body of saints and sinners (good and rotten fish). There will be always be a temptation on the part of some who feel they are more “faithful” to separate themselves from the “bad eggs”, from the weeds, but Jesus is here telling us that that is the work of God in his own good time. In the meantime, it is for us to learn to be tolerant, compassionate and understanding of those who seem to fall far below the requirements of the Gospel and the Kingdom. And, as we said in discussing the parable of the weeds, there are very few of us who are not, in the one person, a mixture of the good and the rotten. If there are some who clearly do fall by the wayside we can sincerely say, with Saint Augustine, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.” Judgment is for later. Right now, it is for us to use the time given to us to go in search of the treasure and the pearl of great price, of the gift to be able to identify, with Jesus, the really true, the good and the beautiful, and to help others too in the same search.

ENCOUNTER CHRIST REFLECTIONS AND MEDITATIONS

Preparation for the Session

Adapted from Sacred Space: The Prayer Book 2025

Presence of God: Jesus, As I come to you today, fill my heart, my whole being, with the wonder of your sacred presence.  Help me to become more aware of your presence in my life, and more receptive to that presence. I desire to love you as you love me. May nothing ever separate me from you. (1-2 minutes of silence)

Freedom: Jesus, Grant me the grace to have freedom of spirit. Keep me from being bound by desires and actions that are not good for me or others.  Cleanse my heart and soul that I may live joyously in your love. (1-2 minutes of silence)

Consciousness: Where am I with God? With others in my life? What am I grateful for? Is there something I am sorry for, words or actions that have hurt others, and which I now regret? I take a moment to ask forgiveness of God and of those whom I have hurt. God, I give you thanks for your constant love and care for me. Keep me always aware of your presence in my life. (2-3 minutes of silence)

Opening Prayer

Jesus, do you look at me and see a hidden treasure? How can I learn to recognize that my heart  truly lives in you? Help me to prioritize my wants, desires and actions so that I seek to attain only what you want for me.

Companions for the Journey

The discussion on the first two parables in this section are adapted from a sermon called “Salvation is free but it is not cheap” by Hugh David: In these parables Jesus was using illustrations from everyday life that everyone could understand because He spoke about landowners, farmers, gardeners, bakers, people who found treasure, jewelers, fishermen, shepherds, students and so much more. It was almost like He was looking at the crowd in front of Him and showing everyone how each and every one of them needed to be saved. So, let’s begin with the parable of the treasure which tells us that “the kingdom of heaven is like someone finding buried treasure in a field.” And the very idea of finding buried treasure reminds me of the quote, that says,: “Lord, give me the strength to change the things I can, the grace to accept the things I cannot, and a great big bag of money.” After all, everyone likes the idea of finding buried treasure. And the people who Jesus was talking to had probably known or heard about someone who had found some. You see, there were no banks or credit unions back then and the land of Israel had been a battle field for a long time and everyone wanted somewhere safe to keep their money, gold, jewelry, non-perishable food, clothing and even some extra pieces of furniture. They wanted to make sure that if the enemy soldiers came; they didn’t take everything they had. So, somewhere in the back of their property or even under their house they dug a hole and they buried everything they considered valuable. And then there were several deportations to Babylon and Assyria and many of those who had been deported were hoping they’d have and enjoy the things they buried when they came back but many of them died in captivity and then others came along and found their treasures by accident.  We don’t know if he was just walking through or maybe he was doing some farm work but it says he found it and then he hid it where he found it. Now, we might think, why didn’t he just keep it? But the rabbinical law said, “If a man finds scattered fruit or money, it belongs to the finder.” But, the law also stated that anything that was found by a worker on someone else’s land belonged to the owner of the land but since it was obvious that the treasure didn’t belong to the present owner; because if it did, then he would have dug it up before he sold the property.  So, the only way the finder of the treasure could claim it; was to buy the land. And the scripture says; he sold everything he had and bought the field.  You see, everything in life that he had accumulated was insignificant compared to the value of this treasure. So, he doesn’t give it a second thought but gave everything he had to get more than he could ever wish for. Jesus said that the man who finds this treasure "for joy over it goes and sells all that he has." Listen, he doesn’t do this reluctantly but he does it with joy. He doesn’t regret it or complain about the sacrifice he has to make. As a matter of fact, he doesn’t even consider it to be a sacrifice. He gives everything he’s got because he knows he’s going to get so much more in return. And then in the second parable we have a situation that’s similar but it’s also different. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” This man was a business man who happened to trade in pearls and he would buy things wholesale and then sell them to a retailer and make a profit. Pearls were seen back then the way we view diamonds today and it was common for men in this business to look for high-quality pearls for themselves. There was a good reason pearls were so expensive because finding them involved incredible danger. The best quality pearls come from oysters that live at an average depth of 40 feet. So, a pearl isn’t something you just stumble across as you’re walking along the beach. In Biblical times pearls were obtained at great cost in human life and there were many who died while pearl hunting. A pearl diver would tie a large rock to his body and jump over the side of a boat and allow the weight of the rock to carry him down the forty feet to the oyster beds. He risked danger from sharks, moray eels and other creatures in order to scour the mud below for oysters and only one oyster in a thousand contains a pearl. And while he’s holding his breath he hopes he won’t drown. So, you can understand why pearls were so valuable. By the first century pearls had become such a status symbol that people would save them like we do cash. The pearl is an especially appropriate figure for the kingdom because it’s the only gem that cannot be improved by man. All other jewels must be cut and polished by skilled craftsmen before they have any retail value but the pearl is perfect when it is found and it cannot be improved by cutting or polishing. So, the scripture says, one day this man was making his rounds probably visiting the various pearl divers or those they worked for; when he discovered a pearl that he knew was very valuable. And then he went and sold everything he owned and bought it. This guy knew value when he saw it. He had spent his life looking for pearls; buying, selling, trading and probably even had his personal savings tied up in pearls but when he saw what he considered to be the ultimate pearl he cashed in everything he had to make the ultimate investment. So, we have two men from two different backgrounds who sell everything they own to get everything they’ve always wanted. And there are lessons from both of these accounts. Both of them sacrificed everything they had in order to have something that was absolutely above anything they could possibly wish for. The first man finds his treasure by accident while the second finds his after searching his whole life. The scripture gives us examples of both. In John 4 we have a woman who meets Jesus at a well. She didn’t go there looking for salvation but went there for water like she did every other day but when she met Jesus, the scripture says, she left her water pot and went to tell everyone she knew about Jesus. And then in John chapter 9 we have a blind beggar who was sitting by the side of the road just hoping that someone who was going by would give him a handout and then when he heard Jesus was going by he called out and was both healed and saved. He got more than he ever dreamed of asking for. The woman at the well and the blind beggar weren’t looking for anything when they found everything worth finding. And then the second parable shows us a man whose business was searching for the very thing he found. He was in the market for pearls and he was looking everywhere he could but couldn’t find the right one but one day he made the ultimate find. And this is like someone who tries everything they can to fulfill a void in their life and they do their best in education, sports, business and power of every kind but have no success and then one day they hear the gospel and give their lives to Jesus and they recognize that this is what they’ve been searching for their entire life. They find in Him the answer to the deepest longings of their heart and everything else becomes secondary. In the first parable we have someone who isn’t even looking for treasure when he stumbles upon it and in the second we have someone who has spent his entire life searching for the perfect pearl that he ultimately finds. And some of us were just doing our own thing and going our own way when God stopped us in our tracks. We weren’t looking for Him but He was looking for us; while others have had a spiritual longing and have spent their lives pursuing God and then one day they discovered their personal faith in Christ and found exactly what they were looking for. Listen, it says this treasure was “hidden” and maybe many people walked by it every day, but they didn’t know it was there. And the kingdom of God is like that, the message has been preached on television, on radio, in churches and almost everyone has an IPhone or a computer that has the Bible; but they’re oblivious to it.  So, both found of these men found what they wanted and realizing the value of what they had found, they gave up everything they had in order to have it. Listen, no matter if we find Him when we aren’t even looking or as the result of a lifelong search both of these illustrate how we can all take different paths to the same Savior. Both of these parables teach us that the kingdom is made personal by a transaction or a trade because both teach us man has to give everything he has to receive something of infinite value. And when we surrender all we have and all we are we receive Jesus The kingdom of heaven isn’t about us giving up something great but it’s a great deal. We’re trading death for life. We’re giving temporary trinkets for eternal riches. We’re trading bondage for freedom. We’re trading. We’re trading shame for joy. We’re trading rejection for acceptance. We’re trading rejection for acceptance. We’re trading our fear and emptiness for a love that never disappoints.

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today's reading and discussion? Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions which follow.

Reflection Questions:

What would I consider a pearl of great price—something for which I am ready to give up everything I have to acquire it?   
Is it fame?  
Fortune? 
Love of another? God?  
(If it IS God, what do I actually mean by that?)

What things in my life do I consider special and valuable?  
How much have I invested in them?  
In the long run, how valuable are they?  
What would I give away/sell in my life to obtain what I consider so special?  
Is there sacrifice involved?  

Has there ever been a goal in my life that required tremendous effort on my part?  
Did I attain it?  
Was it worth it?  
Did I have to make compromises along the way? 
Did I see this goal as a long-term process of an all-or-nothing commitment?
Did I give up part way through the process?  
Why? Do I have regrets?

How hard is it to develop the discipline of deferred gratification in our current culture?

Because of the risk and possible discomfort involved, do we sometimes resign ourselves to a life of mediocrity, in our work life, in our prayer life, in our relationships with others and with God?

Do we sometimes believe we “can have it all”?—that is, we need not give up something we want to experience or get something else?

Is there anything in my life that I have “overinvested” in? (academic or business success, money, physical beauty, power, a certain relationship?)
Did it fulfill me?

Where your treasure is, there also is yourheart.  Some religious advisors have told us that to figure out where are treasure lies, we need to look at our checkbook and our datebook….Looking at where you spend your time and money, where does that tell you about what you value?

In the third parable of the nets, we see that as people of God, we are a very mixed bag.  God spreads the nets out to catch each and every one of us.  We are all worth God’s time.   Have I been more discriminating than God, rejecting people I don’t think belong in my net before I even start to cast it?

Do I think it is my job to judge people, to separate the good from the unworthy?  
Why do I have a problem letting God do this?

In the first reading, Solomon was told he could have whatever he asked for, and he asked God for Wisdom.   What is the value of such a “treasure”?

Closing Prayer

Don’t forget to provide some prayer time at the beginning and at the end of the session (or both), allowing time to offer prayers for anyone you wish to pray for.

Lord, help me to see in myself the hidden treasure that you see in me. Help me to see the hidden treasures that are others in my life. Give me the wisdom to see where my actions are leading me, and help me to discern your way.

For the Week Ahead

Weekly Memorization: (Taken from the gospel for today's session)

The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field. 
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea.

Meditations:

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions: Everyone knows that the bad guys should get their comeuppance and we are a little irritated that we don’t get to decide who gets left out of the Kingdom, and we don’t get to decide when that actually happens. Jesus tells us to wait and let God sort it all out. Sorting out the bad from the good is not our job. But what if we don’t like the outcome? Anne Lamott, in a book called Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy, says that she is the Elder Brother in Luke’s parable, the goody two-shoes who is angry that God’s mercy extends to those who clearly do not deserve it. She goes on: Another fun-house mirror for me is the story of Jonah, which all Sunday-school kids love because of the whale. Yet the real meat of the story is what happens after Jonah is burped onto dry land, and despite his best efforts, ends up in Nineveh, where God told him to go all along. Nineveh is any big city, hypercompetitive, full of corruption, cruelty, bankers and Tea Party types. It would later be the capital of Assyria, where Iraq is now, and the Ninevites were like Klingons, violent warriors who were Israel’s enemy. Jonah, like all Israelites, felt about them the way Ronald Regan felt about the Russians, that they were the Evil Empire. And Jonah was furious that God was making him go there instead of someplace nice. With minimum effort, Jonah spreads the word for exactly one day, since he is positive that God hates the Ninevites. Or ought to. They’re doomed. If they don’t become people of God, people of peace and mercy, they’ll be destroyed. So on the spot they repent. It’s like the Klingons turning into Alan Alda. And God spares them. And Jonah is furious and sulky because God has refused to destroy the awful evil people that he hates, a destruction that would be a big victory for Israel. He thinks God makes him look bad. Maybe he thinks God is too soft on evildoers. I love this so much. So we each need to ask ourselves if we are a little overly focused on who is included or excluded from God’s kingdom of mercy and forgiveness. Am I a teeny bit judgmental about others? Is it not enough for me to be included; will I only feel justified if others are excluded? Do I want to see those evil, mean, miserable excuses for human beings get their comeuppance? How do I think God feels about letting go of one of his children? Will I go into the feast if there are unworthy people also attending? I pray for largeness of heart and generosity of spirit to love as Jesus loves…

A Meditation in the Augustinian Style/Relationship: (Adapted from Rev Bill Bausch in The Word in and Out of Season) “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field for which a person sells all he has and buys that field.” Suppose you see that field through the eyes of Jesus. Initially, He sees what everyone sees: dirt, weeds, brown soil. But he knows that beneath the grime and the dirt there lies a treasure: you. And so he goes and sells all that he has, that is, his divinity,—“but being in the form of God, he emptied himself and took the form of a slave” is the way St. Paul puts it—and purchases this treasure at the price of his blood. We must never forget the foundation of our own worth. We are made in the image and likeness of God. We are deeply loved by Jesus who sees in us, everywhere and at all times, a treasure which he ardently desires and for which he has given everything, even his life, to possess. I sit and contemplate with joy how beloved I am, how special I am, and what gifts I possess that make me invaluable to the Kingdom. Am I using them for myself or for Jesus? Do I ever share with Jesus my appreciation of the gift, not only of his death, but of his life—his walking with us, sharing our humanity experiencing our experiences? Who knows you better than Jesus? Who loves you more than Jesus?  Share your joy with him.

A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Discernment: The novelist Rick Moody writes that the parabolic tradition is a rich motherlode of wisdom in the gospels, especially since Jesus used parables so often to teach about the Kingdom.   However, when we look at the parables, we make several mistakes: We in the modern world, using our literary brains, analyze the parables with our heads instead of experiencing them with our hearts. When we hear with our hearts, we catch the emotions of joy and longing that are so much a part of the full human experience. We tend to view parables like analogies, just looking for easy comparisons, which allow only for a pretty simplistic interpretation and shuts off  the various possibilities and challenges that a more expansive reading of these stories could provide. We assume that there is only one true meaning of any given parable which comports with an institutional message of some sort.  This is so much less creative and so much more limiting that the parabolic tradition provides, and as a result, we are missing out on a lot of wisdom. So I invite you to go back and re-experience these parables, or pick a favorite of your own (like the Prodigal son, or the rich Farmer, or the unjust steward, for example) without trying to figure out the salvation message, or trying to fit the story into your own theological pre-conceptions, or trying to fit the story into your own--dare I say it—prejudices.  Listen to it with new ears, new enjoyment.  In the spirit of Lectio Divina, let certain images stay with you, comfort you, or challenge you where you are in your emotional life right now. Enjoy the adventure!

Poetic Reflection

St. John of the Cross, a mystic, saw in the deep darkness and emptiness what he had been searching for all along: God.

St. John of the Cross  “En Una Noche Escura”  translated by Arthur Symonds
Upon an obscure night
Fevered with love in love's anxiety
(O hapless-happy plight!),
I went, none seeing me
Forth from my house where all things be. 
By night, secure from sight,
And by the secret stair, disguisedly,
(O hapless-happy plight!)
By night, and privily,
Forth from my house where all things quiet be. 
Blest night of wandering,
In secret, where by none might I be spied
Nor I see anything;
Without a light or guide,
Save that which in my heart burnt in my side. 
That light did lead me on,
More surely than the shining of noontide,
Where well I knew that one
Did for my coming bide;
Where He abode, might none but He abide. 
O night that didst lead thus,
O night more lovely than the dawn o light,
O night that broughtest us,
Lover to lover's sight,
Lover with loved in marriage of delight! 
Upon my flowery breast
Wholly for Him, and save Himself for none,
There did I give sweet rest
To my beloved one;
The fanning of the cedars breathed thereon. 
When the first moving air
Blew from the tower and waved His looks aside,
His hand, with gentle care,
Did wound me in the side,
And in my body all my senses died. 
All things I then forgot,
My cheek on Him who for my coming came;
All ceased, and I was not,
Leaving my cares and shame
Among the lilies, and forgetting them.

This poem from Rev. Ed Ingebretzen about his search for the pearl of great price, and his hopes that his relationship with God will help him get there. What is the pearl he is looking for? What are you looking for?

Digging
I (fragments)
I am digging in a field
for pearls.
Perhaps I’m in the wrong field
perhaps here I’ll find only
damp potatoes, tough
ivy roots, arrowheads
and old 1830 masonry jars
smelling of snails and clay

III

Dear God see me dig
With this energy I thee
Seek; to find, to have,
To hold, to keep.

The kingdom is a well-thrown pearl
loose under my feet;
my feet plow with desire
my fingers massage the supple earth.
This marriage keeps me in love.

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

July 19, 2026

What are the weeds in our lives? God gives us the chance to slowly grow and bear fruitful lives.

GOSPEL

Matthew 13:24-43

Jesus proposed another parable to the crowds, saying: "The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. 
When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came to him and said,
'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?' He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' His slaves said to him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' He replied, 'No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters,
"First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn." He proposed another parable to them. "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the 'birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.'" He spoke to them another parable. "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened." All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. He spoke to them only in parables, to fulfill what had been said through the prophet: I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation of the world. Then, dismissing the crowds, he went into the house. His disciples approached him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field." He said in reply, "He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear."

REFLECTIONS ON THE GOSPEL

From Living Space, a service of the Irish Jesuits

Parables of the Kingdom (cont’d)

The next parable, which is only found in Matthew, is also about the planting of seed but the concern is quite different and again it reflects the experience of the early Church. A man has sown good seed in his field but, unknown to him, an enemy has come and planted weeds among the wheat. As the plants come up the farmer sees the weeds growing all through his wheat. His slaves want to pull them out but the farmer tells them to wait until the harvest time. The wheat and the weeds are similar in appearance in the early stages and it will be much easier to differentiate them as they mature. In the meantime, let both grow side by side. This is a picture of the Kingdom and also of the Church which is trying to be part of it. For the early Church more distressing in many ways than persecution from outside must have been betrayal and shortcomings on the inside. There would have been a strong temptation immediately to get rid of such people. But wiser heads prevailed. Wait. Let God be the judge and, in any case, people can change. The sinner of today may be the saint of tomorrow. This has been a problem all through the history of the Church and today is no exception. There is always a strong temptation among those who feel themselves more committed to living out the Gospel to adopt an elitist approach to the faith. This can take two forms: either members who are seen as falling short of the Church’s requirements in faith and behaviour are got rid of, or, which may be more common, those who see themselves more committed form a relatively closed group, a church within a church. There has been a certain amount of tension over such situations with the appearance of a number of Catholic movements in recent times. Today’s parable reminds us of something very important, namely, that the Church is and always will be a Church of sinners and for sinners. Our Church is, as Paul puts it, a vessel of clay, leaking and easily broken. At the same time, we have been called to help bring about the Kingdom in our world and we have constantly to try to do that. But we need to distinguish between the vessel and its contents, the weeds and the wheat, to distinguish between the Christian vision and the Church which tries to communicate it. Some have been disturbed by so-called ‘scandals’ and some have left the Church because of them. This, I feel, is not to understand today’s parable. These scandals far from undermining the Christian vision only affirm it. That vision remains a shining ideal. But the Church, which is not to be identified with the vision, is the flawed and fragile bearer of that vision. It has always been so and always will be. The Church is called to proclaim the Kingdom but it has to struggle to realise that Kingdom in itself also. Today’s parable is a call for tolerance, patience, compassion and understanding while not compromising on the vision that comes to us from Jesus.

Reflection

• The Gospel today presents Jesus’ explanation, at the petition of the disciples, of the parable of the wheat grain and the darnel. Some experts think that this explanation, which Jesus gives to His disciples, is not Jesus’ but the community’s. This is possible and probable, because a parable, by its nature, requires the involvement and the participation of people in the discovery of its significance. Just as the plant is already contained within the seed, in the same way, certainly, the explanation of the community is in the parable. And it is precisely this objective that Jesus wanted and wants to attain with the parable. The meaning which we are discovering today in the parable which Jesus told two thousand years ago was already enclosed, or contained, in the story that Jesus told, just as the flower is already contained in its seed.

• Matthew 13:36: The request of the disciples to Jesus: the explanation of the parable of the wheat grain and the darnel. The disciples, in the house, speak and ask for an explanation of the parable of the wheat grain and the darnel. (Mt 13:24-30). It has been said many times that Jesus, in the house, continued to teach His disciples (Mk 7:17; 9:28,33; 10:10). At that time, there was no television, and people spent  the long winter evenings together,  speaking about the facts and events of life. On these occasions Jesus completed the teaching and the formation of His disciples.

• Matthew 13:38-39: The meaning of each one of the elements of the parable. Jesus responds taking again each one of these elements of the parable and giving them significance: the field is the world; the good seed are the members of the Kingdom; the darnel is the members of the adversary (the evil one); the enemy is the devil; the harvest is the end of time; the reapers are the angels. And now reread the parable (Mt 13:24-30) giving to each one of these six elements: field, good seed, darnel, enemy, harvest and reapers, the right significance. In this way the story assumes a completely new sense and it is possible to attain the objective that Jesus had in mind when He told the parable of the darnel and the good seed. Some think that this parable should be understood as an allegory and not as a parable properly so-called.

• Matthew 13:40-43: The application of the parable or of the allegory. With the information given by Jesus, you will better understand its application: Just as the darnel is gathered up and burnt in the fire, so it will be at the end of time. The Son of Man will send His angels and they will gather from His kingdom all causes of failing and all who do evil, and throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father.”

The destiny of the darnel is the furnace. The destiny of the grain is to shine like the sun in the Kingdom of the Father. Behind these two images there is the experience of the people. After they have listened to Jesus and have accepted Him in their life, everything has changed for them. This means that in Jesus what they expected has taken place: the fulfillment of the promises. Now life is divided into before and after having accepted Jesus in their lives. The new life has begun with the splendor of the sun. If they continued to live as before, they would be like the darnel in the furnace: life without meaning, which is good for nothing.

• Parable and Allegory. There is the parable. There is the allegory. There is the mixture of both which is the more common form. Generally, everything in the parable is a call. In the Gospel of today, we have the example of an allegory. An allegory is a story which a person tells, but when she is telling it, she does not think about the elements of the story, but about the theme which has to be clarified. In reading an allegory it is not necessary to look at the story as a whole, because in an allegory the story is not constructed around a central point which later serves as a comparison. Rather, each element has its own independent function, starting from the sense which it receives. It is a matter of discovering what each element of the two stories tries to tell us about the Kingdom, as the explanation which Jesus gave of the parable: field, good seed, darnel, enemy, harvest, reapers. Generally the parables are also allegories, and a mixture of both.

Personal questions

• In the field everything is mixed up: darnel and grain. In the field of my life, what  prevails: darnel or grain?
• Notice that this parable includes “all who cause others to sin” as well as “all evildoers”. We often just focus on our own sins. Do I focus on what effect I have on others and whether I cause others to sin by what I say or do? Will I think about that, now and during my self-examinations? Have you tried to talk with other people to discover the meaning of some parable?

ENCOUNTER CHRIST REFLECTIONS AND MEDITATIONS

Preparation for the Session

Presence of God: Jesus, As I come to you today, fill my heart, my whole being, with the wonder of your sacred presence.  Help me to become more aware of your presence in my life, and more receptive to that presence. I desire to love you as you love me.  May nothing ever separate me from you. (1-2 minutes of silence)

Freedom: Jesus, Grant me the grace to have freedom of spirit. Keep me from being bound by desires and actions that are not good for me or others.  Cleanse my heart and soul that I may live joyously in your love. (1-2 minutes of silence)

Consciousness: Where am I with God?  With others in my life? What am I grateful for?  Is there something I am sorry for, words or actions that have hurt others, and which I now regret?  I take a moment to ask forgiveness of God and of those whom I have hurt.  God, I give you thanks for your constant love and care for me. Keep me always aware of your presence in my life. (2-3 minutes of silence)

Opening Prayer

God, you are merciful to me and others. You give us time and space to grow in your love.   Help me to be receptive to your grace and give me the courage to change what needs to be changed and the wisdom to allow myself and others to flourish at your pace, not ours.

Companions for the Journey

From "First Impressions", a service of the Southern Dominican Province, by Jude Siciliano, O.P.

Today we have the parable of the weeds and the wheat—and we need it. We tune in sports events and ask, "Who's winning?" We also tune in the world around us through tv, newspapers, radio and now internet coverage and are tempted to ask the same question, "Who's winning...Good or Evil?"... "The decent people of the world or the violators of innocence?" The twentieth century was the most brutal in the history of the world. Aren't things supposed to be improving as we advance as a people? It gets discouraging; the evidence mounts against optimism. We tend to want give up on the world and wonder where God is in it all. Which is why we need to look at the parables and, in particular, today's parable about weeds and wheat. The early church, the recipients of Matthew's gospel, had to face the mystery of wickedness too. Why is there evil in the world, in the church and in our own hearts? That's a very big question and this parable doesn't give an easy answer. It doesn't explain it at all! But neither does it ignore the problem of evil in our midst. The owner of the field says it quite plainly, "I see an enemy's hand in this." This is not a naive or other-worldly parable. It faces the facts: wickedness is very real, it can't be ignored. It is not an illusion and, like the weeds in the midst of healthy plants, evil drains human life of its vitality and dedication. We see the weeds, not just in the world out there, but "up close and personal." The parable spoke to an early church that had its divisions, arguments and wickedness—why else would they have saved the parable? Our own congregations also have "issues."  Sometimes they feel like they will split us in two—and sometimes they do. Our faith communities have been rocked by clergy scandal; divided along ethnic and racial lines; between original members and newcomers; between traditionalists and those who want to update.  While we are at it, we look into our hearts and examine our own conduct. Weeds are part of the landscape of our personal spiritual field as well. Such vistas of evil, so obvious to us, make us want to get about the business of ripping out the weeds.  They are the work of the enemy, we say and we want to purge evil from our country, church and our own hearts. Of course we have standards to guide us and there are times we must act decisively against the evil we perceive. Yet, the parable cautions us and it advises us about the dangers of rushing to judgment. We could destroy what is good in our attempts to rid the world of the bad. Jesus knew from his own experience that you can't always tell from initial signs how things are going to turn out. In the beginning Judas showed promise, early initiative and administrative skills—he was in charge of the purse. He seemed like excellent disciple material, a "keeper." If you were Jesus, wouldn't  you have thought about eliminating Peter, Thomas or Martha? They didn't show initial signs of discernment and understanding of what following Jesus would entail. They were slow to catch on to Jesus' message. But Jesus was patient, he let the good work itself out in their lives. He gave them a chance to grow and bear fruit. Have you ever had a friend whom you disliked upon first meeting, yet, over time, he or she turned out to be your best friend? The parable says, "You never know." The parable is a story of grace for us. As we look into our own lives and recall the mistakes we have made and the wrongs we have done, aren't we glad we have had some time to change and work things out? Aren't we thankful we had the space to let the wheat grow and bear the rich harvest it has? Suppose we had been judged on the spot. Suppose God moved in quickly to judge and rip up? If we look at our present lives, we can still see what looks like weeds. Rather than being overcome by discouragement, we hear this parable of hope. Time is being given us, to let the good seed planted in us bear its fruit. We can trust the Owner knows what to do, and we can have trust in the outcome. This is a parable of confidence. God is in charge and will help us work things out. We don't give up the struggle to do what is right, even when we feel dismayed at how much still needs to be done. Parables, like pieces of ribbon, don't look powerful—a piece of cloth—a story. But they have power to touch us deeply. One symbolizes our unity through an exterior sign. The other gathers our faith and asks us to put trust in it—especially to trust the One who is telling us the parable right now. We wear the parable on our hearts; the way people wear ribbons—as a reminder. When the world confounds us and evidence seems to mount against our hopes, we look inside ourselves and see today's parable. We play it back so we can hear it again. It reassures us. We repeat it in our assemblies to stir us to action: to return to the struggle; to ignore the odds; to stop counting wins and losses—mostly, not to count our losses! In our struggle against evil, we keep at it, till Someone in charge sends word that it is time for the harvest; till Someone, who knows better than we how to do the sorting, gets around to it. The parable links us together here at our assembly. It stirs us hope in us. We are not dismayed by what still needs doing. There is no doubt in the story: the Owner is in charge. The Owner planted good seed and it is growing towards fruition and there will be a sorting-out—but later, under Someone else's supervision. Meanwhile, we still have time to let what is good grow in our lives. What time is it? The parable says, "There's still time, hang in there!" Thank God!

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today's reading and discussion? Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions which follow.

Reflection Questions:

In Matthew, a parable is both a riddle and a revelation.   Sometimes, we think the message is obvious until some twist or inconsistency causes us to look more deeply, sometimes without answers. Are these three parables riddles or revelations for you? 

Is it hard to understand why God does not simply remove the “weeds” on our lives?
Are we surprised or even irritated by God’s passivity?
Do I truly believe that God will have the last word?

Are there both weeds and wheat in my own life?  In my own personality?   
Which is prevalent?

What are the “weeds”, or limitations and evils found in my culture? 
In my relationships?
In my religion? 
In my personal make up?

Have I ever been, through word or example, the “weeds” in someone else’s struggle to grow in God’s grace?

Have I become more robust in my faith as I struggle to be strong enough to overcome the weeds in my life?
What is the role of personal humility in this struggle?

An undeniable message of this parable is to refrain from judging myself or others. We cannot give up too soon. Do I really believe that God is not finished with me yet?  
Do I believe that God has given up on someone or some persons in my life, or on certain situations?   
Am I willing to wait for God to complete the solution before rushing to do it myself by excluding or destroying another?

Jesus does not condone what is not of God, yet he seems to acknowledge that different motivations and spirits are at work.  How may I let this spirit of Jesus shape my life? (from “Sacred Space”)

What is my position in this all-too-familiar struggle between good and evil?   
Am I a spectator, an armchair critic, a consumer, or a warrior?  
Do I consider myself a co-worker with God trying to bring about truth, peace and justice?  
If I am a co-worker, what authority to I have to dismiss or punish others?

Has there been a person in my  life whom I saw change from "weeds" to "wheat"?  
Did I stick with him or her through that growth?  
If so, what kept me hanging in there?  
If not, what would I have done differently?  

I try to look at my own "inner landscape" as a field that was sown with God's word at my Baptism.  Where has God's word taken root in my life?  
Do I see any "weeds" (attitudes or behaviors which run counter to the kingdom) choking out that word?  
What are I going to do about it?

Have there ever been projects in my life, personal, academic or professional, which started out small and then flourished beyond my expectations?  
How did that happen?  
What elements were in play: timing, God's help, hard work or luck?  

I recall a time in my life when someone saw my raw potential and gave me the time to develop it.  
Has this happened in the spiritual realm as well?

Closing Prayer

Don’t forget to provide some prayer time at the beginning and at the end of the session (or both), allowing time to offer prayers for anyone you wish to pray for.  

Dear Lord, give me the humility to see the weeds in my life; give me the courage to grow my good qualities so that they mitigate the less savory ones.  Give me the compassion to understand the struggles others are going through and keep me from judging others too harshly.  Above all, keep me from destroying in myself others what I perceive as weeds and let God do the weeding.

For the Week Ahead

Meditations

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions (Adapted from “Sacred Space”, a service of the Irish Jesuits): Sometimes we think that perfection is acquired by becoming aware of our faults and working to root these out.  However, when we become more familiar with Jesus’ attitude to the limited and sinful side of ourselves, we learn to accept our limited and sinful self just as Jesus did with Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10).   If we don’t accept this side of ourselves, we tend to become fixated with it and fail to appreciate the fullness of life Jesus has already given us.  Am I frustrated and baffled by the presence of evil in my midst, or in myself? Do I believe that Good will have the last word?   Do I believe that God’s grace is at work in the world and in me?   Can I cultivate patience and tolerance toward myself, and toward others? I sit with Jesus and let Him teach me to let the weeds grow with the wheat in my life. I ask for help to appreciate all that is good and beautiful about my life.

A Meditation in the Franciscan Style/Action: People often confuse the phrase "kingdom of heaven" with heaven itself.  Instead, it refers to Jesus' dream of a better, more perfect world in which God's ideals replace human selfishness. We pray for this whenever we say the Lord's Prayer (Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven). We need to remember, however, that the kingdom will not come to be without the efforts of people to change themselves (personal conversion) and without their efforts to change unjust and murderous power structures as well. Pray the Lord's prayer every day this week, stopping for a few moments to reflect on what you are doing personally to bring about God's kingdom on earth. Then pick one or two attitudinal things you can work to change yourself, and at least one action you can take on behalf of those suffering from poverty, systemic prejudice, a flawed justice system. Do it.

A Meditation in the Augustinian Style/Relationship: Sometimes when we think of God, we have an unconscious fear that God’s mission is primarily to separate the wheat from the chaff. Often religions have emphasized heaven and hell, reward and punishment, to scare us into doing the right thing.   This kind of God is a “gotcha” God, waiting to pounce on our mistakes and consigning us to the eternal fire.  Some of these notions of God are echoed in well-known literary references, such as Dante’s Inferno, which teach us to fear eternal punishment and to trod the straight and narrow. Several fictional characters who have made their way into popular culture reinforce this image: The Queen of Hearts, a character from the 1865 book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, is a foul-tempered monarch whom Carroll himself describes as "a blind fury", and who is quick to give death sentences at the slightest offense. One of her most famous lines is the oft-repeated "Off with his/her head!" / "Off with their heads!" Another fictional character to be feared is none other than Santa Claus: You better watch out you better not cry, you better not pout; I'm telling you why: Santa Claus is coming to town! He's making a list; He's checking it twice; He's gonna find out who's naughty or nice:  Santa Claus is coming to town He sees you when you're sleeping; He knows when you're awake; He knows if you've been bad or good; So be good for goodness sake! Too often, in our spiritual life, we forget that we cannot love what we fear.  Obedience out of fear is coercion, and obedience out of love is, well, love!  This parable from Matthew (13:24-30) makes it clear that God has planted us here on earth and is waiting and hoping that we will grow into the kind of person that would want to be with God.  Do I need to readjust my notions of God as the “big narc in the sky”, and look seriously at my motivations for doing God’s will?  Do really desire a loving relationship with God and are my thoughts and actions shaped by this love?  How can prayer help create and intensify my loving relationship with God?

Poetic Reflection:

Too often, we identify with the chaff (weeds)in this gospel, not worthy of God’s love and grace.  Mary Oliver shows us that even the most ordinary person,  a person with a prayer life that others may frown upon, is also a person who just might be included in God’s kingdom.

Praying

It doesn't have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones, just 
pay attention, then patch
a few words together and don't try
to make them elaborate, this isn't
a contest but the doorway
into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak

—from Thirst