Days of Drought and Decision

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to contemplate the good and evil that we encounter on our journey and consider how Jesus would teach us to deal with this dichotomy. 

Harvest and Weeds

The Reading from the Prophet Jeremiah laments The Great Drought.

n. [14:17] Jer 9:17.

o. [14:19] Jer 8:15; 2 Chr 36:16.

p. [14:20] Ps 106:6; Dn 9:5, 8.

q. [14:21] Jer 14:7; Lv 26:44; Ps 25:11.

r. [14:22] Jer 5:24; Zec 10:1. (Jeremiah, CHAPTER 14 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 79 admits that their own sins have brought about the catastrophe of destruction of Jerusalem.

* [Psalm 79] A communal lament complaining that the nations have defiled the Temple and murdered the holy people, leaving their corpses unburied (Ps 79:1–4). The occasion is probably the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian army in 587 B.C. The people ask how long the withdrawal of divine favor will last (Ps 79:5), pray for action now (Ps 79:6–7), and admit that their own sins have brought about the catastrophe (Ps 79:8–9). They seek to persuade God to act for reasons of honor: the nations who do not call upon the Name are running amok (Ps 79:6); the divine honor is compromised (Ps 79:1, 10, 12); God’s own servants suffer (Ps 79:2–4, 11). (Psalms. CHAPTER 79 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus presents the Explanation of the Parable of the Weeds.

* [13:36] Dismissing the crowds: the return of Jesus to the house marks a break with the crowds, who represent unbelieving Israel. From now on his attention is directed more and more to his disciples and to their instruction. The rest of the discourse is addressed to them alone.

* [13:37–43] In the explanation of the parable of the weeds emphasis lies on the fearful end of the wicked, whereas the parable itself concentrates on patience with them until judgment time. (Matthew, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB, n.d.)

Edward Morse comments that as the hospital for sinners, even the church is not safe from these effects. Saint Augustine saw the church as containing weeds and wheat, too.

His greatest concern for new converts was not the influence of the pagan world, but the influence of bad Christians! So we can all read this parable and Jesus’ explanation of the final judgment with a little uneasiness. We know that without the grace of God, none of us can produce a harvest worthy of being gathered in by the Master. Moreover, we are all liable to being choked out by weeds. God forbid that we might be weeds rather than good plants; recall that the weeds were sown by the enemy, not by the Master! (Morse, 2026)

Don Schwager quotes “Let us become friends of Jesus,” by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD).

"Now, having discoursed sufficiently to the multitudes in parables, he sends them away and goes to his own house, where his disciples come to him. His disciples did not go with those he sent away. As many as are more genuine hearers of Jesus first follow him, then having inquired about his house, are permitted to see it. Having come, they saw and stayed with him for all that day, and perhaps some of them even longer. In my opinion, such things are implied in the Gospel according to John... And if then, unlike the multitudes whom he sends away, we wish to hear Jesus and go to the house and receive something better than the multitudes did, let us become friends of Jesus, so that as his disciples come, we may also come to him when he goes into the house. And having come, let us inquire about the explanation of the parable, whether of the tares of the field, or of any other. (excerpt from the COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 10.1-3) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler reflects on the Readings for today. Jeremiah normally offers a condemnation of the people of Israel. Today it is a lamentation imploring God to be merciful and take back the punishment.  The author voices the woes of the people and takes the time to say the punishment and pain is too great. There are very good lamentations in the Psalms. God has to take care of his people. In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus gives the explanation of the parable of the weed and wheat. God waits till the harvest to separate good and evil. Friar Jude queries that if the Kingdom is dawning why is there still evil? The Kingdom has not fully come but there will be a time of reckoning at the end of time.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 13:36-43 notes that St. Augustine argued against this kind of thinking by leaders who wanted to exclude people who had renounced their faith under persecution. They believed the Church should consist only of perfectly holy people. Augustine disagreed, saying that the Church will remain a corpus permixtum, a “mixed body,” with good and bad together, until the final judgment. Perhaps recalling his own sinful past, Augustine urged, “They who today are tares, may tomorrow be wheat” (Sermon 23).

Jesus and Augustine are telling us there is always hope! God wants all people to know his salvation. His patience is meant to lead everyone to repentance (Romans 2:4). For now, our Church is a mixture. That’s why our best strategy is to leave the weeding to God. We can also ask the Lord to search our own hearts and help us uproot our sins. And we can pray that all darkness would be turned back and that everyone we know would turn to God and shine like the sun at the end of time.

“Lord Jesus, purify my heart today.” (Meditation on Matthew 13:36-43, n.d.)

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis who explains how Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29–37) to illustrate God’s desire that no one be left alone in their hour of need. Rabbi Jesus is talking to a religious leader—a lawyer—about what it means to be faithful.

Together, they review the Jewish scriptures: The way to live right is to love God with everything you have and love your neighbor as yourself. Looking for a loophole, the lawyer wants to know who qualifies as a neighbor. Jesus answers by telling a story about a man who was robbed, beaten, and left for dead by a marauding gang. A priest and another religious man walked by and, seeing the man on the ground, they did nothing…. But a Samaritan—a mixed-race person considered in ancient times to be an impure enemy of the Jewish people—did not cross the street. Instead, he tended to the wounded man….

In using this story to answer his companion’s question about the definition of neighbor, Rabbi Jesus was getting to what he considered to be the essential laws—love God with all you have and love your neighbor as yourself…. If you want to know what love looks like, Rabbi Jesus is saying, here it is: Love crosses borders and boundaries; it makes new cultural rules; it cares for the stranger. Love turns strangers into friends. [1] (Rohr, n.d.)

We implore the Spirit to illuminate our attitude of self righteousness that blinds us to the plan of God to sustain both the good and evil in faith, love, and hope for a return to the community that seeks fullness in the Bread of Life.

References

Jeremiah, CHAPTER 14 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 28, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jeremiah/14?17 

Matthew, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved July 28, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/13?36

Meditation on Matthew 13:36-43. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved July 28, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/07/28/1634233/ 

Morse, E. (2026, July 28). Daily Reflection July 28, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved July 28, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-july-28-2026 

Psalms. CHAPTER 79 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved July 28, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/79?8 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 28, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/reading-the-good-samaritan/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). The Righteous Will Shine like the Sun in the Father's Kingdom. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 28, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Healed of Spiritual Blindness

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to consider if the lack of “spiritual milk” in our daily actions is blinding us to the beauty of our role in living in community with others.

See Our Community

The Reading from the First Letter of Peter exhorts us to live in God’s House and be Christian Examples.

* [2:1–3] Growth toward salvation is seen here as two steps: first, stripping away all that is contrary to the new life in Christ; second, the nourishment (pure spiritual milk) that the newly baptized have received.

* [2:3] Tasted that the Lord is good: cf. Ps 34:8.

* [2:4–8] Christ is the cornerstone (cf. Is 28:16) that is the foundation of the spiritual edifice of the Christian community (1 Pt 2:5). To unbelievers, Christ is an obstacle and a stumbling block on which they are destined to fall (1 Pt 2:8); cf. Rom 11:11.

* [2:9–10] The prerogatives of ancient Israel mentioned here are now more fully and fittingly applied to the Christian people: “a chosen race” (cf. Is 43:20–21) indicates their divine election (Eph 1:4–6); “a royal priesthood” (cf. Ex 19:6) to serve and worship God in Christ, thus continuing the priestly functions of his life, passion, and resurrection; “a holy nation” (Ex 19:6) reserved for God, a people he claims for his own (cf. Mal 3:17) in virtue of their baptism into his death and resurrection. This transcends all natural and national divisions and unites the people into one community to glorify the one who led them from the darkness of paganism to the light of faith in Christ. From being “no people” deprived of all mercy, they have become the very people of God, the chosen recipients of his mercy (cf. Hos 1:9; 2:23). (1 Peter, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 100 is a hymn inviting the people to enter the Temple courts with thank offerings.

* [Psalm 100] A hymn inviting the people to enter the Temple courts with thank offerings for the God who created them. (Psalms,CHAPTER 100 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus heals the physical and spiritual blindness of Bartimaeus.

* [10:46–52] See notes on Mt 9:27–31 and 20:29–34. (Mark, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB, n.d.)

Nancy Shirley reflects on considering love as knowledge, Augustine theology would imply that truly loving someone or something requires deep knowledge of it.  She thinks that’s why as so many of us age, we delve deeper into the Bible and spiritual readings to more deeply understand our relationship with God and our need to connect. 

Perhaps this reads as more of a classroom presentation than a reflection and thank you for indulging me.  The need for this deeper understanding is what drives my ability to reflect – I need that knowledge to put perspective on my life. I leave you with one last quote from St. Augustine – his most famous quote on beauty:

Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you!

The Institute of Catholic Culture asserts that it reflects a spiritual awakening to divine beauty, describing it as a transcendent force that calls to the soul and offers peace.  I suppose that is what happened to me when I attended mass on Thanksgiving Day, 1997 and found peace for my soul. While I have listened many times to the song O Beauty, Ever Ancient (the link is below) by Father Roc O’Connor, I never really understood its meaning until now. I am a Beloved Child of God!! (Shirley, 2026)

O Beauty, Ever Ancient

The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Peter 2:2-5, 9-12 comments that in today’s first reading, St. Peter describes the “before” and “after” experience that his Gentile readers had after they first “tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Peter 2:3). Once they were in darkness, but now they have stepped into God’s “wonderful light” (2:9). Once they were “no people,” but now they are “God’s people.” Once they “had not received mercy,” but now they have received God’s mercy (2:10).

Today, spend some time thanking and praising the Lord that you are among the countless people who know they belong to him. Thank him that you have received his mercy—and continue to receive it. Then “taste” his goodness when you come to him in prayer, when you read his word in Scripture, and when you receive his grace in the sacraments. You will grow closer to him every day!

“Lord, I am in awe of your goodness and mercy! With all my heart, I thank you!” (Meditation on 1 Peter 2:2-5, 9-12, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that the reading from 1 Peter speaks of seeking pure spiritual milk, We are living stones that build up spiritual life. Peter proclaims a chosen race, now the Gentile Christians who called as a holy nation to live in the world and not of the world, marked as different to show other values and to follow Jesus. In the Gospel of Mark Jesus is in Jericho on the way to Jerusalem. Blind Bartimaeus addresses Him: “Jesus , Son of David, have mercy on me.” We are reminded that there are times of insistent prayer when we pound our fist on gates of heaven. Friar Jude comments that Jesus' proclamation that “Your faith has saved you” indicates the blind man is healed physically and spiritually. Friar Jude observes that by identification of Jesus as “the Son of David”, the blind man could see more clearly than the sighted that Jesus was the Son of David.

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces his friends, Andreas Ebert and Patricia C. Brockman, who summarized how the Spirit was at work during this period of Richard’s ministry.

The young people he taught and led on retreats were overwhelmed with the gospel message. They gathered around this enthusiastic young priest, hungry for Scripture, increasingly eager for the shared life described there. Their weekly prayer gatherings began with fervent charismatic prayer and expanded from a group of teenagers to, at times, more than a thousand persons of many ages and diverse backgrounds. All the signs and wonders of the early church flourished among the prayers. It eventually became clear that enthusiasm was not enough, and among those followers some desired to live in a closer bond and within the discipleship of Christian community. Thus, New Jerusalem came into being, a laboratory-church where many came to commit themselves to the dream of a church that follows and trusts Jesus. [2] (Rohr, n.d.)

We ponder the work of the Spirit in the growth and development of the Church and the increase of love and compassion in our own growth as followers of Christ.

References

Mark, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 28, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/10?46 

Meditation on 1 Peter 2:2-5, 9-12. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved May 28, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/05/28/1579869/ 

1 Peter, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 28, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1peter/2? 

Psalms,CHAPTER 100 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 28, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/100?2 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). The Birth of a New Community. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved May 28, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-birth-of-a-new-community/ 

Shirley, N. (2026, May 28). Daily Reflection May 28, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved May 28, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-may-28-2026 

Revealing our Role

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today exhort us to understand and experience action in love for others that is an “epiphany” of our mission in Christian action.

Feeding the Family

The Reading from the First Letter of John declares God’s Love and Christian Life.

* [4:7–12] Love as we share in it testifies to the nature of God and to his presence in our lives. One who loves shows that one is a child of God and knows God, for God’s very being is love; one without love is without God. The revelation of the nature of God’s love is found in the free gift of his Son to us, so that we may share life with God and be delivered from our sins. The love we have for one another must be of the same sort: authentic, merciful; this unique Christian love is our proof that we know God and can “see” the invisible God. (1 John, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 72 presents the Israelite king as the instrument of divine justice

* [Psalm 72] A royal Psalm in which the Israelite king, as the representative of God, is the instrument of divine justice (Ps 72:1–4, 12–14) and blessing (Ps 72:5–7, 15–17) for the whole world. The king is human, giving only what he has received from God. Hence intercession must be made for him. The extravagant language is typical of oriental royal courts. (Psalms, PSALM 72 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Mark proclaims the Feeding of the Five Thousand.

* [6:35–44] See note on Mt 14:13–21. Compare this section with Mk 8:1–9. The various accounts of the multiplication of loaves and fishes, two each in Mark and in Matthew and one each in Luke and in John, indicate the wide interest of the early church in their eucharistic gatherings; see, e.g., Mk 6:41; 8:6; 14:22; and recall also the sign of bread in Ex 16; Dt 8:3–16; Ps 78:24–25; 105:40; Wis 16:20–21.

* [6:40] The people…in rows by hundreds and by fifties: reminiscent of the groupings of Israelites encamped in the desert (Ex 18:21–25) and of the wilderness tradition of the prophets depicting the transformation of the wasteland into pastures where the true shepherd feeds his flock (Ez 34:25–26) and makes his people beneficiaries of messianic grace.

* [6:41] On the language of this verse as eucharistic (cf. Mk 14:22), see notes on Mt 14:19, 20. Jesus observed the Jewish table ritual of blessing God before partaking of food. (Mark, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)

A Member of Creighton University Community offers a reflection to help comprehend the love of which the apostle and the saint speak and to help understand what St. Augustine, in this same homily, meant by “love, and do what you will.” To love God and our neighbor is to will what is best for them. It is to sacrifice for them.

The following is from St. Augustine’s famous sermon on love where he reflects upon the Apostle John’s words:

“This is how the love of God is shown among us.” The reason why the writer exhorts us, is so that we may come to love God. Could we love him, unless he first loved us? Though we were slow to love, let us not be slow to love in return. He loved us first. We do not even love in the same way as he. He loved the unrighteous, but he took away the unrighteousness. He loved the sick, but he visited them to make them whole. Love, then, is God. “This is how the love of God is shown among us: God sent his only Son into the world, that we may live through him.” As the Lord himself said: “No one can have greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.” [John 25:13] This proved Christ’s love for us, the fact that he died for us. How is the Father’s love for us proved? By the fact that he sent his only Son to die for us. As the apostle Paul says, “He who did not spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how will he not freely give us all things?” [Rom. 8:32] (A Member of Creighton University Community, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “The Lord fills all things with blessing from above,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).

"So that by every means the Lord might be known to be God by nature, he multiplies what is little, and he looks up to heaven as though asking for the blessing from above. Now he does this out of the divine economy, for our sakes. For he himself is the one who fills all things, the true blessing from above and from the Father. But, so that we might learn that when we are in charge of the table and are preparing to break the loaves, we ought to bring them to God with hands upraised and bring down upon them the blessing from above, he became for us the beginning and pattern and way." (excerpt from FRAGMENT 177) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Mark 6:34-44 comments that Jesus wanted to receive what the disciples offered him because they needed to be involved. As they saw what the Lord would do with the “raw materials” they had available, they learned that no matter their need, no matter the situation they faced, they could rely on Jesus to multiply whatever they gave him.

Remember, Jesus wants to receive what you have to offer, even when you feel it’s not much. It doesn’t matter how small your contribution is; when you give him what you have, he will always receive it and bless it and multiply it.

“Jesus, help me to have the confidence to offer you all that I have today!” (Meditation on Mark 6:34-44, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments about the passage from 1 John on Love. God taught us that  Great Love is understood by Jesus as dying for the other person. To love is a choice. In the Gospel of Mark, the people were like sheep without a shepherd. The religious leaders had profited from their sheep. In Mark, there are two multiplications of the loaves, one feeding five thousand with twelve baskets remaining for the Twelve Tribes of Israel and one with seven baskets, the perfect number, for the Gentiles to feed the whole world. Friar Jude notes the green grass is an allusion to Psalm 23 and the promise that the Lord is my Shepherd.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces religious historian Diana Butler Bass who invites readers to take a clear-eyed look at the world around us and how we participate in its healing or harm. Butler Bass connects our ability to see and to act with the Christian celebration of the Epiphany.

The Wise Men awaited a sign in the sky—a star—to guide them on this journey. Revelations break in, signs appear in dreams, light shines forth, and glory hovers all around. Such things are from the realms of miracle, awe, and wonder. They surprise and disrupt the normal course of existence. Epiphanies are not of our making.

But it would be a mistake to believe that we are only passive recipients of epiphanies. We need to be alert for their arrival…. Revelations can be missed if one isn’t attentive or attuned to the possibilities of sacred surprise….

We cannot create epiphanies, but, like the Wise Men, we can respond to them. Epiphanies grab a hold of us; we can’t shake them. Epiphanies beckon. The star invites; it calls to the attentive to do something—to act. [2]

We reflect on the events of our life that changed our understanding of love as we express gratitude for the “epiphanies” that brought us to greater fullness in life.

References

Mark, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 6, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/6?34 

Meditation on Mark 6:34-44. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved January 6, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/01/06/1474341/ 

A Member of Creighton University Community. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved January 6, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-january-6-2026 

1 John, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 6, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1john/4?7 

Psalms, PSALM 72 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 6, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/72?1 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). They All Ate and Were Satisfied. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved January 6, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/