Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Intention: For all who have been entrusted with the responsibilities of leadership and governance, that they always will work for peace and justice for all people.
Today’s Gospel | Matthew 13:31-35
Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds. “The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.”
He spoke to them another parable. “The Kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened.”
All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. He spoke to them only in parables, to fulfill what had been said through the prophet: I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation of the world.
From the First Meditation for the Time of Retreat | Saint John Baptist de La Salle
God wills not only that all come to the knowledge of truth but also that all be saved. He cannot truly desire this without providing the means for it and, therefore, without giving children the teachers who will assist them in the fulfillment of his plan. This, says Saint Paul, is the field that God cultivates, the building that he is raising, and you are the ones whom he has chosen to help in this work by announcing to these children the Gospel of his Son and the truths that are contained in it.
Prayer
Eternal Father, your son taught his followers the meaning of discipleship – to be awake and faithful to your will, to do all that we do for the love of you and for the building of your Kingdom. Help us today to have open and ready hearts, to abandon ourselves with confidence to your wisdom and care as we proclaim the Gospel with our daily lives. We ask this of you who lives and reigns with your Son and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.