Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
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Today's Readings
Read today's readings at USCCB →The Reading
The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. - Romans 8:26
Reflection
You are in a mixed field. The wheat and the weeds grow together, and their roots run deep into the same ground. The servants want to pull the weeds now. The master says no - you will damage the wheat. Wait for the harvest.
This takes a particular kind of endurance. Not passive - the wheat still has to grow, still has to bear fruit, still has to hold its ground. But it does not have to do the separating. That belongs to the harvest and the harvesters.
And when you do not know how to pray about the mixed field - when the groaning is all you have - the Spirit takes it from there.
The Challenge
Name the mixed field in your life right now - the situation where the wheat and weeds are tangled and you cannot separate them without damage. Resist the urge to pull. Then do one specific act of being wheat in that exact field this week - bearing fruit in the specific form your situation requires. And carry [name] - Lord, let him grow as wheat and trust the harvest to you.
One Prayer
Lord, I am in a mixed field. Let me grow as wheat and leave the sorting to you. When I cannot pray, let the Spirit pray for me. Precious Blood of Jesus, save us. Amen.
You are not alone. Submit your intentions and they'll be carried to Holy Hour this Sunday.
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