Although they go forth weeping, carrying the seed to be sown, They shall come back rejoicing, carrying their sheaves. Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 20:20-28, today's readings).

"Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."

The mother of James and John comes to Jesus and asks that her two sons be granted authority to sit at his side in his kingdom. Jesus questions them, knowing they are unaware of what this means. "You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?" They said to him, "We can." And then Jesus tells them that it is not his to give but for the ones for whom the Father has prepared. To be at the right hand of Jesus in his kingdom is to serve and give one's life, to die to this life so to rise to new life through Christ. As Saint Paul says in the first reading: "For we who live are constantly being given up to death for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh." So out of love, Jesus asks all of us: "Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?"

God, help me understand that true greatness does not mean success in the way the world defines it. The mother of James and John asked that Jesus command that they sit at his right and left in the kingdom. To command in that way, as Jesus said, is to "lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt." But it would not be this way, Jesus said, among them. Lord, give me the grace every day to serve others and "carry about in the body the dying of Jesus" but especially when in a position of authority to bring Christ's presence to others. Give me the opportunity today to do just that: to die to self to let Christ be manifested in me to others. Saint James, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever; And blessed is your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages. Glory and praise for ever!

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 13:10-17, today's readings).

"But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."

The disciples ask Jesus why he speaks to the crowds in parables. He responds by telling them, "This is why I speak to them in parables, because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand." Jesus goes on to quote Isaiah, to show that the people who hear but do not understand fulfill his prophecy. In his compassion, Jesus fulfills Isaiah's prophecy as the one who heals them as they "see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts." Blessed are our eyes, Lord, when we see you and our ears when we hear you.

God, help me see, hear, and understand your will. As much as I try, I am afraid that I don't see and hear and understand you well enough and often enough to comprehend it. You said to Moses, "I am coming to you in a dense cloud so that the people may always have faith in you also." Give me the grace to trust in the work you do in my life and through me so that I can be a witness to your compassion to others. Saint Charbel, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

They tempted God in their hearts by demanding the food they craved. Yes, they spoke against God, saying, “Can God spread a table in the desert?” The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 13:1-98, today's readings).

"Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

The Gospel acclamation spells out the parable that Jesus shares with the crowd: "The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower; all who come to him will live for ever." Christ, the sower, walks continuously among the soil of our souls, sowing the word of God. He walks among thorns, among our well-worn paths, among the rocky ground of hardened hearts where scorching heat withers roots. But some seed falls on rich soil, and from that the word of God produces more abundant fruit than we can possibly make grow by our own doing. God loved us first and, as he did for the Israelites, rains down bread from heaven "so that you may know that I, the LORD, am your God.”

God, help me appreciate the parable Jesus shares with the crowd from a boat, an ancient Christian symbol for the Church. The last words of the parable give me hope, Lord, that your word will find a spot of rich soil softened by your gift of love. "But some seed fell on rich soil" sounds like an epilogue to a dark story that ends in hope, where lush vegetation begins to spring up and spread in a scorched and lifeless desert. Move my heart, Lord, to hear what my ears ought to hear as my soul trusts in you and the hundredfold fruits of your Spirit. Saint Bridget, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.