17th Sunday Ordinary Time – A – July 30, 2023
Today and the last two Sundays make up a Matthean story arc that begins and ends with parables about separating wheat from weeds and desirable fish from everything else caught from the sea. In between, we hear parables about mustard seeds, yeast, buried treasure, and pearls. Serving as prologue and epilogue are parables of the sower and the soil and the scribe and the storeroom.
Homilists and music directors would do well to approach these three Sundays collectively as a kind of miniseries within the long Summer Ordinary Time stretch to help their assemblies see the connections. One that emerges is the need for disciples in their daily life to pray for and practice discernment, the discipline of being attentive to and acting upon the supernatural inspiration of the Holy Spirit in their works.
Discernment is not about judging another’s worth but of recognizing what in one’s life leads to or away from God. Share on XDiscernment begins with listening and being open to receiving God’s word. It results in being able to draw from both our rich tradition and the new ways the Spirit is acting today. Discernment is not about judging another’s worth but of recognizing what in one’s life leads to or away from God.
Like buried treasure or tiny seed, that hidden path is not always readily seen but it is always present because of God’s love for us. And once we find it, we are to follow it with our whole lives.
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