Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!

Following the parable of the sower, Jesus continues to address the crowds using a series of images: the good wheat and the weeds, the mustard seed and the yeast in the dough (cf. Mt 13:24–43).

These three short parables recall the coming of the Kingdom of God in history, its action in human lives, and the way it grows, expands and transforms the world from within.Through these images, Jesus warns us against the temptation of thinking that God is a powerful figure who imposes himself by force, who takes over and dominates, or who arrives triumphantly. Instead, God favors smallness, a sign of his discreet love, by which he leaves us free to accept or reject him. His love makes its presence felt even among the weeds, acts in a hidden and invisible way like the smallest of all seeds, and leavens the dough without making a sound.

Brothers and sisters, through these parables, Jesus reveals something important about the manner in which God works in our lives and in history. We sometimes expect God to do something spectacular; we want him to intervene from on high, immediately uprooting the weeds of evil. We imagine a strong and powerful God, and, unfortunately, we also model our way of being Christians and way of being the Church on this image. However, the Kingdom of God spreads even amidst the weeds, requiring us to train our vision so we can discern the good that sprouts despite the darkness of evil, and avoiding rash judgments. It comes like the smallest of seeds and thus calls for patience in accompanying these processes, so that we can recognize it in the little things of daily life and in the simplicity of ordinary existence. It grows invisibly like yeast in flour, and so we are freed from discouragement and invited to have faith even when it seems that God is absent. In fact, he is always with us, and his love is always ready to help us.

God’s way of acting must also become the way in which we live, both as individuals and as the Church, amidst the reality that surrounds us. We are called to adopt a Gospel-centered approach, without hastily opposing others through arrogant judgments, without imposing ourselves through power and force, and without losing trust in God’s work. As the then-Cardinal Ratzinger said, it is a matter of submitting ourselves to the logic of the seed — which is not that of success and greatness, but that of making ourselves small and serving others (cf. Address to Catechists and Religion Teachers, 10 December 2000). In this way, we will become like small seeds of the Gospel that sprout, and leavens of love that transform the dough of the world.

Let us ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, who knew how to welcome the seed of the Word in her smallness, to sustain us on our journey and intercede for us.

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After the Angelus prayer

Dear brothers and sisters,

While I am taking a few days for rest, I once again extend my greetings and gratitude to all of you, residents of Castel Gandolfo, and I joyfully welcome the pilgrims arriving from every part of the world!

We continue to follow with concern the events unfolding in various countries torn apart by war and violence.  Let us not forget those who are suffering and dying because of these conflicts, and let us add our constant prayers to the generous efforts for peace.

I greet Mother Elvira’s Cenacolo Community, gathered in Saluzzo for the Festival of Life; the New Families Movement of the Focolari gathered for the International School; the Mexican students participating in the APRA Summer School; and the group from the Catholic Worldview Fellowship.

I extend my greetings to the young adult Regnum Christi members who are participating in the International Formators Course, and I also greet those taking part in “The Lion Pilgrimage,” accompanied by Bishop Anthony Percy, the Auxiliary Bishop from Sydney, Australia.

I also greet the families and the children assisted by Sisters of Charity of the Assumption of Rome, the young people from the parish of Holy Savior in Jerusalem, the children’s group from the parish of Saint Augustine of Bovolenta and the pilgrims from the Liturgical Academy of Rzeszów.

I wish all of you a peaceful Sunday!