Msgr. Roger J. Landry
National Director, The Pontifical Mission Societies
Daily Reflection for July 29, 2025
Here is the video of today’s reflection:
The Youtube generated transcript for today’s reflection is:
I’m Monsignor Roger Landry, National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Łagiewniki, Poland. Over my shoulder is the new shrine of St. John Paul II, which I’m about to visit, and tomorrow’s video will come from there. Today, July 29th, is the feast of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, one of the great treasuries bequeathed to us by Pope Francis in order to be able to celebrate that house in Bethany that received Jesus with such great welcome. Mary sitting at Jesus’s feet in order to receive the food he wanted to give her and Martha out of love trying to do everything possible even despite her anxiety and her preoccupation about many things for the Lord Jesus. Today in the gospel we’re going to hear Jesus explain the parable of the weeds and the wheat. This is one of his most famous parables given in a chapter of eight parables in Matthew 13. Sometimes we want to see the growth in the wheat of good seed hitting good soil that we can get distracted by the weeds that are growing. And so in the parable the disciples said, “Do you want us to rip out the weeds?” And Jesus said, “No let the weeds continue to grow.” He wanted us to focus on the growth of the wheat. What’s the huge lesson for us? That sometimes we can focus on all that’s bad out there, all the weeds that we forget that the most important thing we need to be doing is letting Christ grow in us and in those with good soil, continuing his kingdom to grow. That’s what missionaries do all across the globe. Sometimes missionary work is tough. There are lots of weeds out there, lots of things that would choke the growth of Christ’s Kingdom, but Christ wants us to believe in the power that is contained in that seed. Whenever it hits good soil, it can produce abundant wheat. So today, through the intercession of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus of Bethany, let’s pray for all missionaries, including the chief missionary, Pope Leo, that we might be like that good wheat in the parable that gives glory to God forever. God bless you.
The Gospel reading on which the reflection was based was:
Mt 13:24-30
Jesus proposed another parable to them. “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came to him and said, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ 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.”’”