Daily Catholic Mass Readings for July 23, 2023
First Reading: Wisdom 12.13, 16-19
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Psalm 86
1Hear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.2Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you.3Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long.4Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.5You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.6Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy.7In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me.8Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours.9All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name.10For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.11Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.12I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.13For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave.14The arrogant are attacking me, O God; a band of ruthless men seeks my life- men without regard for you.15But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.16Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant your strength to your servant and save the son of your maidservant.17Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.
Second Reading: Romans 8.26-27
26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
Gospel: Matthew 13.24-33
24Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.25But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.26When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.27"The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?'28"'An enemy did this,' he replied. "The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'29"'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them.30Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'"31He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.32Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches."33He told them still another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough."
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.