“It's hard living in a situation where we have to get along in an imperfect world with imperfect people and realize that sometimes we are the imperfect people” Monsignor Raymond East

“God has given us the great solution to the problem. Don't rely on your own powers, don't rely on your own accomplishments but rather Jesus Christ has been given to us and the more we put our faith and trust and confidence in him we will be saved.” Bishop Robert Barron

“All evil is just that, an incomplete, distorted version of the true treasure, the pearl of great price, a mere parody” Fr Euan Marley on Matthew 13:44-52

“While each of us is not not necessarily called to give up everything we have right at this moment, we know that that at the end of our lives we will be, and that we are called to approach life with “open hands,” progressively letting go of what we cling to other than God” Kathleen Kollman Birch

“So does obsession with choice and keeping options open prevent us from selling everything we have and obtaining the pearl? Does the pearl cost us more in today’s world than it did in the past?” Fr Simon Gaine on Matthew 13:44-52

“no matter how you find the Kingdom of God, whether it comes to you as a bolt out of the blue, as a gift, as a grace, or whether you find it after a long and diligent search, you must sell everything you have and buy it” Bishop Robert Barron on Matthew 13:44-52

“Just as no one person can haul a heavy and full net, we, together, need to pay attention, see and sort and do now what is transformative for the gift of life yet evolving” Sr. Janet Hockman, MM on Matthew 13:44-52

“These parables are NOT invitations to “come as you are.” They are not for beginners. They ARE for those who have already tasted of the Kingdom of God’s Way and at least sense its value.” Mary Ortwein on Matthew 13:44-52

“May the power of the Holy Spirit descend upon each one of us and infuse in our hearts the grace of God so that we may learn to align our lives with the plan of God” Fr. Lawrence Obilor

“If we are docile to the teachings of Jesus, the one who is greater than Solomon, he will teach us the wisdom of the Kingdom” John Bergsma

“It is often said that Jesus accepts us as we are. That is true. But our acceptance of his acceptance of us involves change or it is not a genuine acceptance of his acceptance. And this is not something done out of duty but gracefully and joyfully.” Fr John Farrell

“I think the neat thing about this parable is not so much about the treasure that is buried in the field that we know – but rather what else is in the field, that treasure that we don’t know, that we cannot even begin to understand” Joseph LaCombe on Matthew 13:44-52

“when we entrust ourselves completely to God, we love more not less, we enter into the source of all love and we begin to love as God loves, which is so far beyond our often limited conceptions of what it means to love” Fr Toby Lees

“What a different world we would live in if...we could really understand the parables as Jesus told them to simple people, in touch with the land, and its treasures; in touch with finding and keeping real beauty rather than mindlessly accumulating stuff” Kathy McNeely on Mt 13:44-52

“we do not possess Christ – it is he who embraces and possesses us with his love but first we have to let go of all the other things we cling on to so that we can hold to him” Fr Lawrence Lew

“This wisdom isn’t something we can make on our own or even deserve by our hard work. We receive it, simply because by God’s love we have the great fortune to do so.” Fr Peter Hunter

“We cannot always know other people’s motives and weaknesses. We must seek the good. We must treasure the good like a pearl of great value.” Fr Peter Harries

“Jesus invites us to ponder and learn from this parable to find in our hearts the treasure that may be hidden...that will enable us to divest ourselves of attitudes, fears and distractions that prevent us from experiencing God's unconditional love” Catherine Mead on Mt 13:44-52

Anyone still left confused about certain parts of yesterday's Sunday Mass readings? 🙋🏽 Maybe these 40+ reflections from various Christian voices can help fill in the missing explanations: gatherclip.com/reflections/...

God’s message doesn’t change. It’s about love.

For everyone that enjoy Fr. Emmanuel Ochigbo's homilies (that should be all of us) here are 3 of his commentaries on today's Sunday Mass readings: youtu.be/bW0OPrK7T9s youtu.be/sOl4I3ULGbs youtu.be/TLqA60EFzfM

God is patient, merciful and loving in judging us. It is not about God making a one time determination of whether we are good or bad. It's a process of God walking with us, guiding us, leading us to grow into the wheat we are meant to be.

"A sincere apology may seem small. One decision to forgive, return to confession, end a sinful habit, or begin again may seem small but never underestimate what God can do with one honest act of compassion." Fr. Emmanuel Ochigbo on Matthew 13:24-43

"The gospel does not forbid us from confronting evil. It forbids us from confusing accountability with condemnation and justice with self-righteousness." Fr. Emmanuel Ochigbo on Matthew 13:24-43

There's a powerful part in Fr. Cornelius Ejiogu's homily where he ties the Parable of the Wheat and the Weed (Matthew 13:24-43) to supporting the youth in the church. Must watch: youtu.be/Ikjl7vMpYG4?start=1840&end=3299

"If you are not willing to give mercy to someone, your money will do them no good" Fr. Cornelius Ejiogu

Catholic Women Preach is a great resource to break open the Sunday Mass readings, here are 4 excellent reflections for the 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time: Calista Robledo youtu.be/rrJoJMYQc78 Vickey McBride youtu.be/xZwm2JhM49A Erin McDonald, CSJ youtu.be/7vd4j66XMcQ Ruth Fehlker youtu.be/QEg-a-Rtvo0

"Your care-filled yes," a intriguing reflection on today's gospel reading (Matthew 13:24-43) by Angelo Kurbanali, def recommended 👍🏽 youtu.be/cpP-9fPuYnI

Fr. Geoffrey Plant always gives a comprehensive explanation of the Mass readings. Here he breaks down all the parts of Matthew 13:24-43 for the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time: youtu.be/UdVuHqCi86c

Today's gospel readings (Matthew 13:24-43) includes 3 parables from Jesus, and so here's also 3 video explanations from Brant Pitre youtu.be/dyhpn-v2B5o youtu.be/gm2qIsv6Hr8 youtu.be/J0bON6OH6II

One of the best ways to grow our faith is to expand the voices we listen to. If we're just confined to US male preaching, can we be open to Australian Women Preach, to Greer Hudson reflecting on the Parable of the Weeds and the Wheat (Matthew 13: 24-30)? 👇🏽 open.spotify.com/episode/5GC3...

"A homily on the Weeds and the Wheat" by Richard Rohr, all we need to do is click and listen. Simple and profound. cac.org/podcasts/the...

“Often, we stereotype the Old and New Testaments: the Old is…a wrathful God, and in the New we discover the God of mercy…But today, the first readings speak of a kind and gentle God, while it is Jesus who speaks of “weeds” being tied into bundles for burning at harvest time.” Dan Moriarty

A great benefit of reading reflections from missioners is that they offer us new perspectives we are not often used to, expanding our faith and understanding. Here Fr. Gene Toland, MM tells the story of Lorenzo in Chile, connecting it to Matthew 13:24-43. Must read 👍🏽 maryknollogc.org/resources/si...

If you're looking for a theme or connection between the readings for this Sunday's Mass, Mary Ortwein found one: Grace. See how "grace" links Wisdom 12:13, 16-19; Romans 8:26-27 and Matthew 13:24-43 👇🏽 www.acatholic.org/cycle-a-16th...

Another great resource that explains this Sunday's Mass readings is Fr. Lawrence Obilor's post, that gives explanations and life applications for us to grow in understanding of the scriptures 🙌 www.acatholic.org/16th-sunday-...

For true Catholic learners, who wish to study and understand the faith, John Bergsma offers a complete breakdown of this Sunday's Mass readings (Psalm included!), giving a holistic explanation you do not want to miss 👇🏽 thesacredpage.com/2020/07/14/t...

It's unfortunate that Joseph LaCombe isn't writing weekly reflections anymore, but in this post, he creatively connects the Mel Gibson movie, We Were Soldiers, to this Sunday Mass readings for an interesting reflection. 👍🏽 Recommended read: www.acatholic.org/sunday-72317...

"In Quechua, the language of the Incas still spoken in Peru and Bolivia, there is no original word for “thank you.”" 👈🏽 Dan Moriarty expands on his missionary experience to teach us to not be so quick to judge others: maryknollogc.org/resources/16...

In the Parable of the Weeds Among the Wheat, Fr. George Smiga gives an interesting take, what if we are the sower and we must not disregard the "weeds" (people) in our lives from the "wheat" (people). His homilies will always leave us thinking: buildingontheword.org/homilies/cyc...

"God is a good gardener. He waits for us to grow as a person, as a community, and as a world." Ruth Fehlker

"Jesus meets us where we are because where we are, God is already present" Calista Robledo

"Our everyday actions of embodying the light of Christ in the world is how we inch closer and closer to God's reign of love, justice, and everlasting peace." Calista Robledo

"Our instinct is often to uproot, condemn, dismiss, or write those people off. God's instinct is to cultivate." Sr. Maria Ukamaka Okeke, I.H.M

"Perhaps the greatest miracle is not that God forgives sinners. It is that God never stops believing in the saint behind, within the sinner." Sr. Maria Ukamaka Okeke, I.H.M

"The harvest belongs to God. Our calling is to keep showing love, trusting that grace is always growing even where we cannot yet see it." Sr. Maria Ukamaka Okeke, I.H.M

"God's will for you might seem small, but it's not insignificant by any means" Angelo Kurbanali

"And because we believe that God is always working to bring about what is life-giving and good in our world, it is better to wait with patient vigilance until we are sure that we can distinguish the weeds from wheat." Fr. George Smiga on Matthew 13:24-43

"When we refuse to use our authority and power to coerce others, we are not settling for second best. We are showing that we are, in fact, disciples of the Prince of Peace." Fr. George Smiga

"Giving a command or making a demand might seem like a quick and efficient way to get to what we want, but very often dialogue and persuasion are better" Fr. George Smiga