Daily Gospel Reflection
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July 26, 2022
Jesus dismissed the crowds and 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.”
Today the church celebrates the Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Like them, my husband and I have known the heartache of infertility. Like them, we have been blessed with a beautiful baby girl, Emma Joy, born this May.
The years of our sorrow and pain are nothing compared to the joy and gratitude we feel now. In that time of waiting and being blessed with Emma, we have grown a much deeper recognition that we are not in control and that everything we have is an unmerited gift from God. Today’s first reading proclaims, “Is it not you alone, O Lord, our God, to whom we look? You alone have done all these things” (Jer 14:22).
In caring for Emma, we see better why Jesus, in today’s gospel and throughout his ministry, calls us children and God our Father. Emma is dependent upon our care. The world around her is bewildering, and sometimes we have to do things for her good that she doesn’t like, but she trusts us completely to provide for her.
When we become like children, we recognize how little we understand or control and how utterly dependent we are upon God. But what peace and joy there is when we place all our trust in our heavenly Father, who loves and delights in us amid all the uncertainty and sorrow. God creates each of us as “good seed,” provides for our every need to grow in holiness, and gives us the grace to bear fruit for the kingdom.
Prayer
Eternal Father, you look up on all of creation with great love. In your wisdom and patience you allow the weeds to grow up alongside the wheat. When we encounter wickedness in the world, may we stay firm in our faith and trust in your providential love. Through the grace of your Son Jesus Christ, may we remain in your love, and so bear much fruit.
Saint of the Day
Sts. Anne and Joachim were the parents of Mary and are patron saints of grandparents.
We do not know much about Joachim and Anne—even their names have been handed on to us by tradition. The stories that have come down to us tell that they were likely well-off, and had been childless for most of their marriage. An angel appeared to them both to announce a birth in their old age, and Anne promised to dedicate the child to the service of God. Mary was their only child, and they presented her at the Temple when she was 3 years old, prefiguring the presentation of Jesus.
Though we know little about these people, the Church holds the parents of Mary in great esteem because they were the ones who taught her the faithfulness that she demonstrated in accepting God’s invitation to bear Jesus to the world.
Anne and Joachim are depicted in the Basilica in several places, including many wall murals that depict the life of Mary. They are shown here in this stained glass window from the Basilica, and their relics rest in the reliquary chapel there—including a piece from their house where they raised Mary.
Visit the church built over their home in Jerusalem, and join ND pilgrims in singing the alma mater there, through FaithND's virtual Holy Land pilgrimage.
Sts. Anne and Joachim, patron saints of grandparents—pray for us!