Daily Catholic Mass Readings for July 23, 2023
First Reading: Wisdom 12.13, 16-19
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Psalm 86
1Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.2Preserve my life, for I am godly; save your servant, who trusts in you--you are my God.3Be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all the day.4Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.5For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.6Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace.7In the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you answer me.8There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours.9All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name.10For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.11Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.12I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.13For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.14O God, insolent men have risen up against me; a band of ruthless men seek my life, and they do not set you before them.15But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.16Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant, and save the son of your maidservant.17Show me a sign of your favor, that those who hate me may see and be put to shame because you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.
Second Reading: Romans 8.26-27
26Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.27And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
Gospel: Matthew 13.24-33
24He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field,25but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.26So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also.27And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?'28He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' So the servants said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?'29But he said, 'No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them.30Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"31He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.32It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."33He told them another parable. "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened."
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the nature of God’s justice, the mystery of growth, and the quiet yet transformative power of faith. In the first reading from the Book of Wisdom, we hear that God, as the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator, is also infinitely lenient and merciful. This passage emphasizes that God’s justice is not about harsh punishment but about offering opportunities for repentance and growth. It reminds us that God’s power is not wielded with arrogance but with patience and care for all creation.
The Gospel parables from Matthew expand on this theme. The parable of the weeds among the wheat teaches us about God’s patience and trust in the process of growth. Just as the farmer waits for the harvest to separate the wheat from the weeds, God allows good and evil to coexist in this world, trusting that good will ultimately prevail. The parables of the mustard seed and the leaven remind us that even the smallest acts of faith and love can have a profound impact. They encourage us to trust in the slow, often invisible, work of God’s grace in our lives and in the world.
These readings call us to live with patience, trust, and hope. In a world where evil and suffering can seem overwhelming, we are reminded not to lose faith. Like the farmer who waits for the harvest, we are called to trust in God’s plan and to nurture the good that has been sown in our hearts. The Holy Spirit, as St. Paul writes in the second reading, helps us in our weakness, interceding for us when we do not know how to pray. Let us, therefore, embrace the quiet, persistent work of God’s grace in our lives, knowing that even the smallest seeds of faith can grow into something extraordinary.