Memorial of Saints Joachim and Ann

On this feast of the Patron of our Saint Ann’s Province, we remember the parents of Mary. Her faith and loving response to the Lord’s call were shaped by the faith and love of her family. We are challenged to reflect on our responses to life’s challenges.

Please read today’s Gospel from Matthew 13:24-30. It is commonly called the parable of the weeds among the wheat. The weed used in this parable is the darnel seed, similar to wheat, especially in the early stages of growth. Even today, in some regions, darnel is called “false wheat”. In the story, the field workers want to remove the weeds before harvest, and the field owner states that the wheat may also be plucked by mistake while pulling up the weeds, so they wait until harvest time.

This story is about humans, what happens on judgment day, and who is the judge. Your mother (if you’re old enough) said, “Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water.”

As broken as we are since the time of Adam, we want to write some people off before they convert their lives over to the Lord. We get fed up or tired of them. Jesus is the judge and the harvester, not us. We must be patient, loving, and kind with others, showing them that Christ is alive and well and living in each believer through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The challenge for us today is to love and pray people into God’s kingdom. Are you up for it?

Father Eymard stated, “…God is teaching us a good lesson that way: we don’t gain anything by getting angry or speaking too emphatically. Let us try to see our Lord in all these difficult situations, and to prefer gentleness to strength, patience to rudeness.” (Taken from “A Year With Father Eymard” by Father Erasto Fernandez SSS).

Let Us Pray:

Dear heavenly Father, guide us to love others even when we don’t feel like it. Help us slow down the pace and help bring others into your kingdom. In Jesus’ name. Amen