Hello everyone! Heyo! Welcome back to Scattering Flowers with Elise and Miles, a podcast where you read the daily Gospels and the Saint of the Day.
Let’s get started! Today is Monday, July 28th, and the Gospel reading is Matthew 13, 31 through 35, and the Scripture to reflect on is Matthew 13, 33.
He told them another parable, the kingdom of heaven is like a leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures, of meal till it was all leavened.
My mom and I love to bake together.
We like to make cookies, pies, cakes, but we really like to make bread.
We even make some for our neighbors and friends when we want to give them something nice.
Do you know much about yeast?
Do you know what happens when you take a tiny amount of yeast and mix it with water and flour, salt, and a bit of sugar?
The yeast spreads and makes dough that gives you a big, soft, fluffy, delicious loaves of bread.
The flour and water and sugar and salt just can’t do it alone.
The yeast has an effect on everything, just from a tiny teaspoon.
Jesus said the kingdom of heaven is like yeast.
He wants us to change the world around us and make it better.
Today’s saints of the day are Saints Joachim and Anne.
They lived in the first century.
They are the patron saints of grandparents.
Saint Joachim and Anne have been honored since from the early centuries of the church as parents of Mary’s and the grandparents of Jesus.
Devotion to the saints spread first in the east and then in the west.
A church dedicated to Saint Anne was built in Jerusalem in the 12th century.
What we know of Joachim and Anne comes from the word of James.
Although these writings are not a sort of like the Bible, they do tell us the early Christian thought about Mary’s parents.
According to tradition, Joachim and Anne suffered greatly because they were childless.
Finally, in their old age, the angel of the Lord appeared to Anne and told her she would have a child.
Overwhelmed and praised God and promised to have a child back to God as the angel had said.
Mary was born and when she was three, her parents presented her to the temple.
It is said that little Mary danced before the Lord’s altar and all of Israel loved her.
The ministry of Jesus started very small, 12 men as his disciples, but it has spread throughout the world all the way down to us, like a small amount of yeast turns into a loaf of bread.
The disciples of Jesus have turned us and others into believers.
Yeast grows and changes the dough, but when we accept Jesus, his grace grows in our hearts and changes us from the inside.
Joachim and Anne can help us see the beauty in marriage and the gift of children.
The example of these two saints help us realize how special our family relationships can be and make our home special places to spend time in and feel love.
Let’s pray.
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, dear God, help me to continue to read scriptures so I can grow my faith and share it with others.
And help families around the world to follow the example of Saint Joachim and Anne and how families should center their lives around love.
Saint Joachim and Anne, pray for us.
Amen.
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen.
Thank you so much for listening.
We’ll be back tomorrow scattering more flowers.