PARISHES of St. MARY'S

Sunday 19th July 2026
16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel Reflection

“Jesus put a parable before the crowds,
‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.
While everybody was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off.
When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, the darnel appeared as well.
The owner’s servants went to him and said,
“Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? If so, where does the darnel come from?”

“Some enemy has done this” he answered.
And the servants said, “Do you want us to go and weed it out?”
But he said, “No, because when you weed out the darnel you might pull up the wheat with it.
Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers:
First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn.“
Matthew 13:24–43

Lord, forgive us that we write off people as if there is nothing to them but
– their selfishness;
– their insincerity;
– their arrogance.
We forget that they are good seed that you sowed in the world.
The evil in them is only weeds that some enemy sowed while others were asleep.
Those sins which colour our judgement about them will be tied up in bundles and burnt,
while you gather them like precious wheat into your barn.

Lord, we thank you for the church today, our own community and the world-wide church. What a big tree it has become, and so many birds of the air come and shelter in its branches.
We remember that it was once a mustard seed, but people of faith took that seed and sowed it: Jesus, the apostles, the first Christians, the founders of our community.

Ref: https://www.catholicireland.net