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Gospel Reading for July 26, 2025 – Matthew 13: 24-30
IMPORTANT ROLE
Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds. “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. The slaves of the householder came to him and said, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.”
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We often recognize Sts. Joachim and Anne as grandparents of Jesus, but sometimes fail to acknowledge that they also had an IMPORTANT ROLE in salvation history. They were the ones who brought up Mary. How St. Anne was a mother to Mary, surely contributed a lot to Mary’s being a mother to Jesus. Her loving ways, her strong faith in God, her ability to bear pain and suffering, etc. were surely the contribution of her parents.
If parents were only so aware of the great power/opportunity to shape their children as the potter molds the clay: carefully, gently, firmly, precisely, deliberately, creatively and patiently, so that even if there may be weeds around them, they will remain to be wheat that will be harvested. Oh, what a wonderful world this would be!
Sts. Joachim and Anne, pray for us!
