16th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Let them grow together until harvest…
Today, we are invited to reflect on the challenging reality that in our lives, good and evil are at times so intricately intertwined that we have difficulty knowing what to do. As Pope Francis expressed in Laudato Si, patience, acceptance of our interconnectedness, and resistance to judgment are key to forming our response not only to the care of our earth but also to the care of ourselves and one another.
Our Creator planted a tiny seed of love into each of our hearts. And then waits with patience for love to take root in our lives — both as individuals and as communities. We are nourished by his Word and by the Eucharist, which call us to ever deeper experiences of his love and to our mission to care for one another. But how often the growth of that love becomes stunted by our inability to accept that we are a mixture of beauty and brokenness.
We concentrate on what we perceive to be the weeds in ourselves and others. We are quick to judge and even quicker to determine who or what needs to be pulled out. People who disagree with us, those whose culture or background differs, the poor, and the list goes on and on. We allow consumerism and indifference to choke off the growth of love in ourselves and our human family.
How different our world would be if we could concentrate on the wheat—the goodness and beauty within and around us. In Wisdom, we read: ” You gave your children good ground for hope. Standing on this good ground of hope will lead us to a good harvest of harmony, care, and respect for the vulnerable.
How will I bring goodness to our world today?
Let Us Pray:
Spirit, come to the aid of our weakness and show us how to pray as we ought. Enable us to see the goodness in our world and build up the beauty of life by sharing our love. Amen.
