Treasures of Healing and Humility

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time and World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, challenge us to look into our heritage for the gifts of patience, humility, and charity that are the treasures that have brought healing and hope.

The Reading from the First Book (1 Kings, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.) of Kings presents the Early Promise of Solomon’s Reign.

* [3:1–15] The third major unit of the Solomon story depicts the bright beginning of his reign. It includes the narrator’s remarks about Solomon’s marriage and his building projects, and a divine appearance to Solomon. Compare 11:1–13, where the same themes recur, but in negative fashion. The story of the divine appearance is told also in 2 Chr 1:1–13. (1 Kings, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 119 praises God for giving such splendid laws and instruction for people to live by.

* [Psalm 119] This Psalm, the longest by far in the Psalter, praises God for giving such splendid laws and instruction for people to live by. The author glorifies and thanks God for the Torah, prays for protection from sinners enraged by others’ fidelity to the law, laments the cost of obedience, delights in the law’s consolations, begs for wisdom to understand the precepts, and asks for the rewards of keeping them. Several expected elements do not appear in the Psalm: Mount Sinai with its story of God’s revelation and gift to Israel of instruction and commandments, the Temple and other institutions related to revelation and laws (frequent in other Psalms). The Psalm is fascinated with God’s word directing and guiding human life. (Psalms, PSALM 119 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans proclaims God’s Indomitable Love in Christ.

* [8:28–30] These verses outline the Christian vocation as it was designed by God: to be conformed to the image of his Son, who is to be the firstborn among many brothers (Rom 8:29). God’s redemptive action on behalf of the believers has been in process before the beginning of the world. Those whom God chooses are those he foreknew (Rom 8:29) or elected. Those who are called (Rom 8:30) are predestined or predetermined. These expressions do not mean that God is arbitrary. Rather, Paul uses them to emphasize the thought and care that God has taken for the Christian’s salvation.

* [8:28] We know that all things work for good for those who love God: a few ancient authorities have God as the subject of the verb, and some translators render: “We know that God makes everything work for good for those who love God….”

* [8:29] Image: while man and woman were originally created in God’s image (Gn 1:26–27), it is through baptism into Christ, the image of God (2 Cor 4:4; Col 1:15), that we are renewed according to the image of the Creator (Col 3:10). (Romans, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus teaches more Parables and praises Treasures New and Old.

* [13:44–50] The first two of the last three parables of the discourse have the same point. The person who finds a buried treasure and the merchant who finds a pearl of great price sell all that they have to acquire these finds; similarly, the one who understands the supreme value of the kingdom gives up whatever he must to obtain it. The joy with which this is done is made explicit in the first parable, but it may be presumed in the second also. The concluding parable of the fishnet resembles the explanation of the parable of the weeds with its stress upon the final exclusion of evil persons from the kingdom.

* [13:44] In the unsettled conditions of Palestine in Jesus’ time, it was not unusual to guard valuables by burying them in the ground.

* [13:51] Matthew typically speaks of the understanding of the disciples.

* [13:52] Since Matthew tends to identify the disciples and the Twelve (see note on Mt 10:1), this saying about the Christian scribe cannot be taken as applicable to all who accept the message of Jesus. While the Twelve are in many ways representative of all who believe in him, they are also distinguished from them in certain respects. The church of Matthew has leaders among whom are a group designated as “scribes” (Mt 23:34). Like the scribes of Israel, they are teachers. It is the Twelve and these their later counterparts to whom this verse applies. The scribe…instructed in the kingdom of heaven knows both the teaching of Jesus (the new) and the law and prophets (the old) and provides in his own teaching both the new and the old as interpreted and fulfilled by the new. On the translation head of a household (for the same Greek word translated householder in Mt 13:27), see note on Mt 24:45–51. (Matthew, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB, n.d.)

Candice Tucci, OSF,  asks What is this pearl of great price or the treasure in the field?

I was walking up the hill to what is known as Merton’s Heart. It is a clearing on the hillside in the shape of a heart where Thomas Merton would go. Perhaps he went to pray, write, reflect or just enjoy the beauty of the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains. While climbing to “the heart”, I found an eagle feather. My heart leapt as this sacred feather was a gift, a treasure in a field, that united me with the love and presence of God. For Native Americans, the eagle, waŋblíin (in the Lakota language) is a sacred messenger of Wakáŋ Táŋka (the Great Spirit) symbolizing the virtues of courage, strength, wisdom, and gifted with spiritual power.  It was 44 years ago I found this treasure in a field. I still have it. A gift given to me from our Creator. It is a symbol and always a reminder to me of my union with God, Jesus, the Spirit, who dwells within me.  Jesus has been my partner in life and ministry. We have walked the sacred path, the road of, in and to the Kingdom of God together. We continue to walk, as Black Elk, Sioux spiritual elder wrote, in a sacred manner.
 

Have you found the treasure that is yours forever? The Holy, Sacred Divine Kingdom?  Go deep into your heart. There the love of our Creator, in Christ and the Spirit, Wisdom, is waiting to be found. We seek the treasure and God finds us. We are God’s people, citizens of the kingdom of God. May we be attentive to this kingdom at hand and within us. It is for everyone and for us to nurture it.  It is for both the old and the new. May we be a civilization of love. May we know Wisdom. May we be heaven on earth!
Welcome to the kingdom! What a treasure!
Thank you, God!
A song for praying: I Found a Treasure - Dan Schutte (Tucci, 2026)
 

The Surpassing Treasure of God's Kingdom

Don Schwager quotes “The surpassing gift of love,” by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD).

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is said to be like a merchant who is seeking fine pearls. He finds one really precious pearl, and, having found it, he sells everything he has in order to buy it. In the same way, he who has a clear knowledge of the sweetness of heavenly life gladly leaves behind all the things he loved on earth. Compared with that pearl, everything else fades in value. He forsakes those things that he has and scatters those things that he has gathered. His heart yearns for heavenly things, and nothing on earth pleases him. The allure of earthly things has now dissipated, for only the brilliance of that precious pearl dazzles his mind. Solomon justly says of such love, 'Love is strong as death' (Song of Solomon 8:6 ), because just as death destroys the body, so ardent desire for eternal life cuts off the love for material things. For love makes insensitive to extraneous earthly desires the person whom it has swept off his feet." (excerpt from FORTY GOSPEL HOMILIES 11.2.1)(Schwager, n.d.)

Meditations may be freely reprinted for non-commercial use - please cite:  copyright © 2026 Servants of the Word, source:  dailyscripture.net, author Don Schwager.

Friar Jude Winkler reflects on the Readings for today.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 13:44-52 comments that we need to see Jesus’ teachings and his acts of healing and mercy in the light of God’s centuries-long covenant relationship with the people of Israel.

Christianity didn’t come from nowhere. It is a living outgrowth of everything that came before in God’s relationship with mankind, especially with Israel. If you want to see the richness of God’s plan, pay attention to the Old Testament! Matthew’s Gospel is a great resource. Keep your eyes open for the times when Jesus fulfills something that has been promised. Spend time praying with those passages. And become like a “scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven” by putting together the old and the new (Matthew 13:52).

“Jesus, I want to know the richness of all that you’ve done for me and for all people!” (Meditation on Matthew 13:44-52, n.d.)

In Love with Scripture

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, recalls how he first fell in love with Scripture and devoted himself to its study. Reading the Bible, we can recognize how true it is that only those who know their need for the Beloved know how to receive the gift of the Beloved without misusing such love. 

A mutually admitted emptiness is the ultimate safety net for all love, and in the Scriptures, even God is presented as somehow “needing” us, and even “jealous” for our love (Exodus 20:5; 34:14). Basically, love works only inside humility. My father, Saint Francis, fell in love with the “humility” of God, as exemplified through Jesus, a word that most of us would not even think could apply to God.

Fullness or complete self-satisfaction in a person cannot permit love because there are no openings, no give-and-take, and no deep hunger. It is like trying to attach two inflated balloons to one another. Human vulnerability gives the soul an immense head start on its travels—maybe the only start for any true spiritual journey. Thus, the Risen Christ starts us off by revealing the human wounds of God, God’s solidarity with human suffering. God begins with self-disclosure from the divine side, which ideally leads to self-disclosure from our side. (Rohr, n.d.)

We seek the inspiration of the Spirit to ponder the healing of love and care we receive from Grandparents and the Elderly who share wisdom and understanding that shows how God turns all things to good through Love.

References

Matthew, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 26, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/13?44 

Meditation on Matthew 13:44-52. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved July 26, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/07/26/1631380/ 

1 Kings, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 26, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1kings/3? 

Psalms, PSALM 119 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 26, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/119? 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). In Love with Scripture. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 26, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/ 

Romans, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 26, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/8? 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). The Surpassing Treasure of God's Kingdom. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 26, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Tucci, C. (2026, July 26). Daily Reflection July 26, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved July 26, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-july-26-2026 

Humble Service as Earthen Vessels (Beta)

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, Feast of Saint James, Apostle, reminds us that the journey of the followers of Christ brings fullness of life, at times, ironically through our trials and tribulations.

The Reading from the Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians presents a catalogue of his apostolic trials and afflictions.

* [4:7] This treasure: the glory that he preaches and into which they are being transformed. In earthen vessels: the instruments God uses are human and fragile; some imagine small terracotta lamps in which light is carried.

* [4:8–9] A catalogue of his apostolic trials and afflictions. Yet in these the negative never completely prevails; there is always some experience of rescue, of salvation.

* [4:10–11] Both the negative and the positive sides of the experience are grounded christologically. The logic is similar to that of 2 Cor 1:3–11. His sufferings are connected with Christ’s, and his deliverance is a sign that he is to share in Jesus’ resurrection.

* [4:12–15] His experience does not terminate in himself, but in others (12, 15; cf. 2 Cor 1:4–5). Ultimately, everything is ordered even beyond the community, toward God (2 Cor 4:15; cf. 2 Cor 1:11).

Psalm 126 is a lament probably sung shortly after Israel’s return from exile.

* [Psalm 126] A lament probably sung shortly after Israel’s return from exile. The people rejoice that they are in Zion (Ps 126:1–3) but mere presence in the holy city is not enough; they must pray for the prosperity and the fertility of the land (Ps 126:4). The last verses are probably an oracle of promise: the painful work of sowing will be crowned with life (Ps 126:5–6).

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus responds to the Request of James and John.

* [20:20–28] Cf. Mk 10:35–45. The request of the sons of Zebedee, made through their mother, for the highest places of honor in the kingdom, and the indignation of the other ten disciples at this request, show that neither the two brothers nor the others have understood that what makes for greatness in the kingdom is not lordly power but humble service. Jesus gives the example, and his ministry of service will reach its highest point when he gives his life for the deliverance of the human race from sin.

* [20:20–21] The reason for Matthew’s making the mother the petitioner (cf. Mk 10:35) is not clear. Possibly he intends an allusion to Bathsheba’s seeking the kingdom for Solomon; see 1 Kgs 1:11–21. Your kingdom: see note on Mt 16:28.

* [20:22] You do not know what you are asking: the Greek verbs are plural and, with the rest of the verse, indicate that the answer is addressed not to the woman but to her sons. Drink the cup: see note on Mk 10:38–40. Matthew omits the Marcan “or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized” (Mk 10:38).

* [20:28] Ransom: this noun, which occurs in the New Testament only here and in the Marcan parallel (Mk 10:45), does not necessarily express the idea of liberation by payment of some price. The cognate verb is used frequently in the LXX of God’s liberating Israel from Egypt or from Babylonia after the Exile; see Ex 6:6; 15:13; Ps 77:16 (76 LXX); Is 43:1; 44:22. The liberation brought by Jesus’ death will be for many; cf. Is 53:12. Many does not mean that some are excluded, but is a Semitism designating the collectivity who benefit from the service of the one, and is equivalent to “all.” While there are few verbal contacts between this saying and the fourth Servant Song (Is 52:13–53:12), the ideas of that passage are reflected here.

Edward Morse comments that pride can muddle this truth of our uniqueness, especially when we tell others we are more special than they are!  This can be a source of laughter. We are, after all, walking jokes. Choosing laughter over anger would be better for our constitution. And perhaps that laughter would draw us closer to God, who is also probably laughing.

The other disciples found this prideful display off-putting. It offended their own need for recognition!  Our Lord’s response -- essentially that we’ll see how great you are when you are presented with suffering and model servanthood -- diffused their clamoring for a time. They would learn that they would not always pass the test, but that God’s loving mercy was still there for them, probably with the knowing smile of a wise teacher. 

Lord, help us to view ourselves rightly and in a way that is ordered toward your great love and mercy toward us, which you pour out to us in our earthen vessels.  And help us to laugh with you when our earthen vessels sometimes leak out pride.

Guarding the Good Seed of God's Word in Our Heart

Don Schwager quotes “The Lord sows good seeds in our heart,” by Chromatius (died 406 AD)

"The Lord clearly points out that he is the sower of good seeds. He does not cease to sow in this world as in a field. God's word is like good seed in the hearts of people, so that each of us according to the seeds sown in us by God may bear spiritual and heavenly fruit." (excerpt from TRACTATE ON MATTHEW 51.1)

[Note: Chromatius was an early Christian scholar and bishop of Aquileia, Italy. He was a close friend of John Chrysostom and Jerome. He died in 406 AD. Jerome described him as a "most learned and most holy man."]

Meditations may be freely reprinted for non-commercial use - please cite:  copyright © 2026 Servants of the Word, source:  dailyscripture.net, author Don Schwager.

Friar Jude Winkler reflects on the Readings for today.

The Word Among Us Meditation: Matthew 20:20-28 comments that instead of becoming indignant himself, Jesus turns the mother’s request into a teaching opportunity. To be truly great in God’s kingdom, he says, they need to become like servants. Then he reminds them of his own example: he came not to be served, but “to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).

In the same way, Jesus is patient with us. We might struggle to see how our little acts of love and service are the path to greatness. We might wonder how they can make a difference. But we can also trust that, just as he did with St. James, Jesus can make us great by showing us each day how he wants us to love and serve his people.

So how is Jesus calling you to greatness today?

“Jesus, give me the grace to lay down my life for your people.”

Twentieth-Century Contemplative Exemplars: Weekly Summary

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Anglican priest Tish Harrison Warren who urges readers to find support in the people and communities of faith who surround them.

Those who make me want to believe may not make it any less arduous to do so. They do not offer me a faith that costs little or assure me that God affirms whatever it is I already think. But they urge me to persist and to go deep, to seek a life of truth and beauty, to not give up.

They are around me each Sunday in the pews. I show up, maybe feeling angry, impatient, sorry for myself, distracted, or faithless. Yet they are there, still singing and speaking truth over me, praying for me, asking how I’m doing. We stand together and say the creed, and their voices carry my own. After the scripture is read, they say, “Thanks be to God,” and their gratitude stands in for my reluctance. They offer me bread and wine and tell me that this is the presence of God, even if it seems God is nowhere to be found. Their faithfulness makes me want to be faithful. And maybe next week, I’ll do the same for them.

We are grateful for the Spirit to enlighten our understanding of the joy and support that comes from attending to the Will of God and accept the path that will honour our identity as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Open to Receive Growth

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, the Feast of Saint Sharbel Makhlūf, Priest, challenge us to ponder the soil that we seek to prepare through our relationship with the Sower, that will produce a yield of love, hope, and faith in our environment.

Seeds of Faith, Hope and Love

The Reading from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah proclaims a remnant of Israel will reunite with Judah.

* [3:14–18] A remnant of Israel (v. 14) will reunite with Judah (v. 18). The former Israelite community, represented by the ark of the covenant, will be replaced by a universal alliance, symbolized by Jerusalem, the Lord’s throne, to which all nations will be gathered (v. 17). (Jeremiah, CHAPTER 31 | USCCB, n.d.) (Jeremiah, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)

The response from Jeremiah Chapter 31 is a presentation of the people’s return from captivity

h. [31:11] Is 44:23; 48:20.

i. [31:12] Is 58:11.(Jeremiah, CHAPTER 31 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus Explains the Parable of the Sower.

* [13:18–23] See Mk 4:14–20; Lk 8:11–15. In this explanation of the parable the emphasis is on the various types of soil on which the seed falls, i.e., on the dispositions with which the preaching of Jesus is received. The second and third types particularly are explained in such a way as to support the view held by many scholars that the explanation derives not from Jesus but from early Christian reflection upon apostasy from the faith that was the consequence of persecution and worldliness, respectively. Others, however, hold that the explanation may come basically from Jesus even though it was developed in the light of later Christian experience. The four types of persons envisaged are (1) those who never accept the word of the kingdom (Mt 13:19); (2) those who believe for a while but fall away because of persecution (Mt 13:20–21); (3) those who believe, but in whom the word is choked by worldly anxiety and the seduction of riches (Mt 13:22); (4) those who respond to the word and produce fruit abundantly (Mt 13:23). (Matthew, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB, n.d.)

Rev. George Meze, SJ, comments that St. Ignatius teaches that the purpose of life is “to praise, revere, and serve God.” 

I have often wondered what it truly means to praise God and to be at His service…

Is not the purpose of our lives to become what God desires us to be? To love as Jesus loved; to forgive as He forgives; to take up our crosses and overcome them as He conquered suffering on Calvary; to have hope and to share that hope with others, just as He did with the blind, the sick, and those in despair.

 

God has given us life as a seed meant to grow in Him. He is the good soil, continually inviting us to remain rooted in His love. Perhaps it is in striving to love as Jesus loved that we plant ourselves in him, the good soil. (Meze, 2026)

Don Schwager quotes “God's word is like good seed sown in the heart,” by Jerome (347-420 AD)

"'And the one sown upon good ground is he who hears the word, understands it and bears fruit.' Even as on bad ground there were three diverse situations (by the path, upon rocky ground and among thorns), so too on good ground the diversity is of three types: fruit of one hundredfold, sixtyfold and thirtyfold. Both in one and the other there is a change that takes place in the will, not in the nature itself. In both the unbelievers and believers it is the heart that receives the seed. 'The wicked one comes,' he says, 'and snatches away what has been sown in his heart.' In the second and third cases, he says, 'That is he who hears the word.' In the explanation of the good ground, he is the one who hears the word. First we must listen, then understand; after understanding, we must bear the fruits of good teaching and yield fruit either one hundredfold, sixtyfold or thirtyfold." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 2.13.23) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler reflects that Jeremiah speaks about how God will bring one from here, two from there, as a remnant that will form a faithful people and will not search out the Ark of the Covenant that was worshipped as a superstitious totem. The day will come when all of Jerusalem is a sacred people. Jesus presents the sower and the path, as a parable that explains the Great Commandment. Those who don’t love God with the mind are like the path when they don’t try to fully understand. The rocky ground are those who do not love with their soul and in times of persecution, fall away. A martyrdom of pin pricks may fall on those who don’t love with the strength which is their physical possessions. Friar Jude notes those who are prepared and self examined will produce greatly when the seed is planted.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 13:18-23 comments that  Jesus tells his disciples that the seed is his word that he sows into the heart of each person. The different types of soil represent some typical responses that people can have to his word. So his parable can inspire us to examine how prepared we are to receive and understand what Jesus says to us, and to ask how we can improve the quality of our “soil.”

Even when you feel like rocky soil, you can trust Jesus, the Sower who won’t stop sowing. Even when you worry about the loved ones you’re praying for, know that Jesus never gets tired of scattering seed. He will not give up—he will keep spreading the seed until it finds its proper soil.

“Thank you, Jesus, for your relentless love that never stops reaching out to me!” (Meditation on Matthew 13:18-23, n.d.)

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, presents publisher and author Robert Ellsberg who introduces Sister Thea Bowman (1937–1990). As a Franciscan Sister, she managed to integrate the resources of her Catholic faith with her identity as an African American woman.

When you come into my community, my town, my world, will you see God’s glory revealed? When you go to my brothers and sisters, in beautiful Hawaii, will you see his glory? When you experience, when you share the hungers of Ethiopia, the blood flow of Guatemala and Nicaragua, will you see his glory revealed?…

If you believe that you, like Jesus, are called by the spirit to share the spirit in the world to call forth the giftedness of God’s people, say Amen. If you believe that God is able to work in all the brothers and the sisters, in the ones you customarily write off because they don’t read right, they don’t write right, they drink too much, they smoke the wrong thing, they don’t walk right, they don’t talk right, their sexual preferences are not in agreement with the ones you claim. If you believe that God is able to transform the water of my reality into purest wine, if you believe there’s nothing God can’t do, let me hear you say Amen. [2] (Rohr, n.d.)

We invoke the Spirit to guide our preparation of the good soil for our reception to learn, persevere, and use our strength to work with Jesus to bring in a harvest of fullness of life.

References

Jeremiah, CHAPTER 31 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 24, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jeremiah/31 

Jeremiah, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 24, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jeremiah/3?14 

Matthew, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 24, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/13? 

Meditation on Matthew 13:18-23. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved June 24, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/07/23/1629640/ 

Meze, G. (2026, July 24). Daily Reflection July 24, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved July 24, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-july-24-2026 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Thea Bowman: Champion of Black Catholic Identity. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 24, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/thea-bowman-champion-of-black-catholic-identity/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Whoever Hears the Word and Understands It. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 24, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/