Homily for Saturday of the Twentieth Week of Ordinary Time
Mass for Saint Andrew Breakfast
August 26, 2023
Saint Patrick Cathedral
Fort Worth, Texas
Ruth 2:1-3, 8-11; 4:13-17
Psalm 128:1b-2, 3, 4, 5
Matthew 23:1-12
“Let me go and glean ears of grain in the field of anyone who will allow me that favor.” Gleaning is the practice of gathering the leftover pieces of grain that remained on the ground after the wheat was harvested. Gleaning was forbidden for the owners of the field because it was to be left behind for God who in His Providence would give it to the poor who in turn would gather it themselves. This action recognizes the priority of the poor in the eyes of God and everybody’s reliance upon God for their flourishing in life. It also speaks against the deadly sin of greed. It seems that greed dominates so many people and motivates many to ignore the needs of others and to sin in other ways.
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Life on the Chrism Trail 