Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Gospel: Matthew 13: 54-58

Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue.
They were astonished and said,
“Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?
Is he not the carpenter’s son?
Is not his mother named Mary
and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?
Are not his sisters all with us?
Where did this man get all this?”
And they took offense at him.
But Jesus said to them,
“A prophet is not without honor except in his native place
and in his own house.”

And he did not work many mighty deeds there
because of their lack of faith.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Mother Teresa used to run a school for street children in downtown Calcutta. Written on the wall outside the school’s entrance was a set of teachings everyone was encouraged to follow, including the following: 

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People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

The good you do today will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.

In the end, what you do is between you and God. It’s never between you and them anyway.

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In the Gospel, Jesus returns to his hometown, but he’s not welcomed like many would expect.

He’s bombarded with skepticism and doubt, instead. “Where did this man get such wisdom? … Is he not the carpenter’s son?” 

Rather than trying to fit in, Jesus chooses to be himself, to preach the truth, and then move on to the next town.

Some will come to believe in him because of his words, while others will not. But he’s not out to please the locals anyway; he only wants to do his Father’s will.

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The same is true for us. 

Sometimes the good we do is either unrecognized or taken for granted. 

But we must do good deeds anyway, because it’s our heavenly Father – not the world around us – whom we’re trying to please. 

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Image credits: (1) God rooted (2) Praying through the Scriptures, WordPress (3) Mother Teresa

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Gospel: Matthew 13:44-46

Jesus said to his disciples:
“The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,
which a person finds and hides again,
and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
searching for fine pearls.
When he finds a pearl of great price,
he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field.”

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Fields are ordinary places; people walk across them all the time without ever wondering what might be buried beneath their feet.

Who knows, they could be standing on buried treasure! But they’ll only find out if they take the time to dig.

Similarly, human beings can walk through the fields of life without ever seeing the deeper dimensions of reality.

For example, how often are we satisfied with surface-level interactions, taking for granted people around us? 

If we took the time to dig a little deeper, then we might discover a treasure: Christ living within them.

As someone once said, “Whenever the Christ in me discovers the Christ in you, we’re standing on holy ground.”

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May we see the fields around us as holy ground.

Buried deep within us is the presence of the Divine.

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Image credits: (1) Did Pirates Really Bury Their Treasure?, History.com (2) R. Joseph Owles, WordPress (3) Preston Yancey, Out of the House of Bread

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Matthew 13: 36-43

Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house.
His disciples approached him and said,
“Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”
He said in reply, “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man,
the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom.
The weeds are the children of the Evil One,
and the enemy who sows them is the Devil.
The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire,
so will it be at the end of the age.
The Son of Man will send his angels,
and they will collect out of his Kingdom
all who cause others to sin and all evildoers.
They will throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
Then the righteous will shine like the sun
in the Kingdom of their Father.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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The Sistine Chapel is one of the most iconic works of art ever created. Strewn across the wall where the altar stands is a depiction of the final judgment.

Angels and demons fight for the souls of the just, while the evil ones are pulled down into the netherworld. It’s a jarring but beautiful piece, drawing its inspiration from today’s Gospel.

“Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire,” Jesus says, “so it will be at the end of the age.”

Michelangelo reminds us that everyone must stand before the judgment seat of God. But why does God wait until the end of our lives to judge us?

Or, using the imagery from today’s Gospel, why must the weeds co-exist with the wheat?

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When they first sprout, weeds and wheat look quite similar. 

Any seasoned farmer knows that it’s best to wait until the weeds and wheat become fully mature before separating them; otherwise, one may be mistaken for the other.

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In a similar way, Jesus waits until the end of our lives to judge what we’ve become, either a weed or wheat.

It’s his prayer that everyone turns out to be wheat. 

Shouldn’t we pray for the same?

Doing so means three things:

First, that we are patient with ourselves; faith is a life-long journey. Secondly, that we’re patient with others. And, third, that we withhold our judgment of others, never seeing another person as incapable of change.

Rather, like Jesus, we do everything we can to reveal the goodness of God.

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Perhaps this is where Michelangelo’s famous fresco may part from God’s divine plan. Instead of throwing weeds into the fire, hopefully everyone becomes wheat, making it safely home.

God’s grace certainly allows for it.

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Image credits: (1) Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo (2) Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo (3) Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo