Gospel: July 27, 2026

July 27, 2026 (Monday)

17th Week in Ordinary Time

Psalter: Week 1 (Green)

Dt 32:18-19, 20, 21

You have forgotten God who gave you birth.

1st Reading: Jeremiah 13:1-11

This is what the Lord said to me: “Go! Buy yourself a linen belt and put it around your waist; do not put it in water.” So I bought the belt as the Lord ordered and put it around my waist.

The word of the Lord came to me a second time,“Take the belt you bought, the one you put around your waist, and go to the torrent Perah; hide it there in a hole in the rock.” I went and hid it as the Lord instructed me.

After many days the Lord said to me, “Go to the torrent Perah and get the belt I ordered you to hide there.” I went to the torrent and dug up the belt but it was ruined and good for nothing; and the Lord said to me,“In this way I will destroy the pride and great glory of Judah, this wicked people who refuse to heed what I say, this stubborn people who go after other gods to serve and worship them. And they shall become like this belt which is now good for nothing.

For just as a belt is to be bound around a man’s waist so was the people of Israel and Judah bound to me it is the Lord who speaks to be my people, my glory and my honor; but they would not listen.

Gospel: Matthew 13:31-35

Jesus offered them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is smaller than all other seeds, but once it is fully grown, it is bigger than any garden plant; like a tree, the birds come and rest in its branches.”

He told them another parable, “The kingdom of heaven is like the yeast that a woman took, and hid in three measures of flour, until the whole mass of dough began to rise.”

Jesus taught all these things to the crowds by means of parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. This fulfilled what was spoken by the Prophet: I will speak in parables. I will proclaim things kept secret since the beginning of the world.

Reflection:

To participate in realizing God’s Kingdom.

An advertisement features the slogan, “Great things start with small beginnings.” This slogan emphasizes that, through small steps, we can achieve any goals or dreams we set. This idea is also evident in nature: a planted seed eventually grows into a tree that will bear fruit in its season. In his parables, Jesus also uses this concept, particularly when describing the Kingdom of God. Preaching about the reign of God’s Kingdom is central to Jesus’ teachings and guides all his interactions with people. The Kingdom does not arrive abruptly but unfolds gradually in our daily lives.

As followers, we are called to participate in realizing God’s Kingdom. It is already unfolding, and we need to cooperate to make it a reality in whatever capacities we have been given.

Ultimately, God will bring everything to completion in His own time.