Offer to God praise as your sacrifice and fulfill your vows to the Most High; Then call upon me in time of distress; I will rescue you, and you shall glorify me. Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 13:24-30, today's readings).

"He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

Jesus speaks to the crowds in a parable about a sower who sows good seed. The seed sprouts and grows, but an enemy of the sower comes at night to sow weeds throughout the wheat. When the slaves of the sower ask if they should pull up the weeds, he tells them to let the wheat and the weeds grow together and at the harvest separate them. They will then gather the wheat into the barn, but the weeds they will tie up and burn. At the harvest, the final judgment, Jesus will come to separate the weeds from the wheat. The Gospel acclamation reminds us to receive the word of God and realize the kingdom of heaven now and eternally for the life of the world to come: "Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls."

Father in heaven, help me today see the the kingdom of heaven already here and yet to be. Like a planted seed, the word has in it challenges to life along with the potential for life brought to fulfillment at the time of harvest. Give me the grace to live the present moment with enthusiasm and in hope of the fulfillment of the word in the eternal kingdom yet to be. In a world where good and evil coexist, help me, Lord, hold onto the hope of the ultimate triumph of your kingdom in its fullness through Jesus Christ, your Son. Saints Joachim and Anne, 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.