Saturday 16th Week in Ordinary Time July 27, 2024

Fr. Rick’s Two-Minute Homily for Saturday 16th Week in Ordinary Time
July 27, 2024, Matthew 13:24-30

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/072724.cfm

Let The Grow Together

Old traditions can stay with us for a lifetime. When I was growing up, we had a lot of company, perhaps because Mom made a great cup of coffee. We always walked people to their cars when they left, continuing the conversation from inside.

I even remember waving to them and waiting until they turned the corner and the car was gone. On the way back into the house, Mom and Dad would bend over and pull the weeds growing with the grass.

God seems to have a different plan for the salvation of the world. Jesus tells the story of a landowner allowing the wheat and weeds to grow together and tells the workers not to pull the weeds. God, in His infinite wisdom and mercy, has tremendous patience. Remember the patience Jesus had with Judas? He waited up to the last minute at the Last Supper and even then offered him mercy.

He never forgot that He had created the world and saw it as good. He always remembered that He made each human being in His image and likeness from conception. Unfortunately, those pesky weeds grow along with wheat in every human life. The greater the sin, the greater the mercy God has for us.

When you think about it, if God were to pull all the weeds in society, there would no longer be a society or any people. The good and bad are both lost. So, He leaves it up to us to repent from our sins and receive His mercy, especially in the holy Sacraments.

Gospel Challenge:
One ounce of goodness in a soul outweighs all the tons of weeds in the world. One candle overpowers the darkness of an entire stadium. So let’s ensure we never snuff out that goodness in ourselves or anyone else. God’s goodness is always worth finding.

Love Your Neighbor!

Fr. Rick Pilger, IC
pastor