Gospel: (Matthew 13: 24-30) 

Jesus proposed another parable: “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.” …His disciples said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field. He replied, “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.…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 …Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  Whoever has ears ought to hear.” 

Reflection: 

To be sure, in our daily living there will be times when we fall short of the gospel and we feel that we are only weeds that should be burned.  But the paschal mystery reminds us that dying always leads to rising, and invites us to look beyond the immediate moment, see the possibilities for repentance in our lives, trust in God’s mercy, and be open to God’s loving kindness.  The weeds will grow.  But God is patient, knowing our love and good deeds, He will mercifully gather us into his kingdom. (Living Liturgy, p.200)

Vincentian Meditation: 

“We ought to have confidence in God that he will look after us since we know for certain that as long as we are grounded in that sort of love and trust we will be always under the protection of God in heaven, we will remain unaffected by evil and never lack what we need even when everything we possess seems headed for disaster.”-St.Vincent de Paul- (McKenna, Praying withVincent, p.47) 

Discussion: (Share your thoughts on the readings after a moment of silence.)           

            Who are some members of your Conference that have lived with such confidence in God, and were grounded in such love and trust, that you know they are among the “righteous who shine like the sun in the kingdom of the Father.”

Closing Prayer:

We thank you, Lord, for loving life into us, and now we pray,

-we turn to you, O Lord.

That we may seek forgiveness for our sins and failings,

-we turn to you, O Lord.

Hope of sinners, give us hearts that are humble and contrite,

-we turn to you, O Lord.

That our lives be grounded in love and trust,

-we place our confidence in your protection, O Lord. Amen