Sunday:       16 TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Date:         JULY 18, 1999
Year:         A
The readings: [Wis. 12:13, 16-7, 19; Rom. 8:26-7; Mt. 13:31-2, 36-43]
The message:  THE GOOD SEED ARE THE CHILDREN OF THE KINGDOM.
Prepared by:  CATHOLIC DOORS MINISTRY
Total words:  927

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Brothers and sisters, today's readings are very powerful. The First reading speaks to you of God's righteousness. The Second Reading speaks to you of the intercession of the Holy Spirit on behalf of the children of God. The Third and last Reading, the Gospel of Matthew, tells you how the children of God will be separated from the children of the evil one.

In the First Reading, you learn about the love of God. There is no God like the true God. He cares about everyone, shining in righteousness and patience towards all. Righteousness is His strength. He will not judge anyone unjustly.

In His Divine righteousness, God provides all with the opportunity to be saved through Jesus Christ. When some are arrogant, doubting the power of God, He shows them His strength. Through such actions, He teaches His people that the righteous must be kind. He fills His children with good hope because He freely gives to all who repent of their sins.

In His all-knowing power through the Holy Spirit, God knows your human weaknesses. In the Sacrament of Baptism, He blessed you with the indwelling Holy Spirit to help you overcome your human weaknesses. The Holy Spirit teaches you how to pray. On your behalf, He intercedes to God for all your needs, especially your spiritual needs. God sees your heart and He knows the thoughts of the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit pleads with Him on your behalf in accordance with the Will of God.

Considering all what God has done for you, let us now review the Parable of the mustard seed. Through this Parable, Jesus confirms that the Kingdom of Heaven has descended on earth. The mustard seed is the Holy Catholic Church that has been instituted by Jesus while He dwelled on earth in His physical body. What had a small beginning, having just twelve Apostles, has grown to become the largest tree (Church) in the world, having branches that reach out to every nations of the world. On the branches, (the local Churches), the birds (the souls and bodies of the faithful) can find rest in Jesus Christ.

The Holy Catholic Church, the Body of Christ that has been bought by the Blood of Christ, is the gift of God to His children. It is through which, by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, that you receive the Church Sacraments that serve to sanctify you so you may become holy children in the likeness of Jesus.

While many have been blessed by this gift of God, the Pope, the Cardinals, the Bishops, the hundreds of thousands of priests religious vocations, over and above the great number of faithful, still, there are some who refuse to come home to the Holy Catholic Church. They reject the Sacraments of the Church. They reject the grace of God. They reject the power of the Holy Spirit. They reject the Most Holy Name of Jesus.

In the last Parable, Jesus tells you what will happen to those who refuse to come home to the Holy Catholic Church. In the Parable, Jesus is the one who sows the good seed in the field as has previously been said. His good seed, the children of the Kingdom, are found throughout the world.

In the company of the children of God, there are the children of the evil one, those that Satan has sowed to torment the children of God. These are the weeds, the ones who refuse to come home, disturbing the children of God by their attitude of indifference to their salvation. In the end, the angels will sort out God's children from Satan's children.

As sad as it is to say, in many families, there will be division. This will be seen among parents, spouses, children, brothers and sisters, some inheriting the Kingdom of Heaven, others being thrown into the furnace of fire where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Now God could have done everyone a favour by immediately sending His servants, the angels, to remove the weeds. Why did He not do so? He did not do so because that would have uprooted you as His children. How would you have reacted if suddenly, your mother or your father, a brother or a sister, or even some of your children, were suddenly taken away from you because they are not living their faith in Christ as they should have been doing without excuses?

Had God suddenly removed all those who will not inherit the Kingdom of God, Satan would have used that to influence you and to turn you against God. Satan would have planted thoughts in your mind that would have resulted in you questioning the righteousness and patience of God with sinners. He would have told you that maybe, your loved ones would have changed at the last minute.

To prevent this diabolical influence from happening, in His endless patience and righteousness, God allows those who are evil to continue to live their evil ways to their last minute. That will not change anything! In the end, they will still be damned because, through their own free will, they have chosen to be damned. At least that way, in the end, you will have seen the patience and righteousness of a just God. You will come to accept as just that those who are damned have chosen to be damned.

At that time, the righteous who persevered in their living faith through Jesus Christ, will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!

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The readings...

[The readings were taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible (C) 1989 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the United States of America.]

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First Reading...

"For neither is there any god besides you, whose care is for all people, to whom you should prove that you have not judged unjustly. For your strength is the source of righteousness, and your sovereignty over all causes you to spare all. For you show your strength when people doubt the completeness of your power, and you rebuke any insolence among those who know it. Through such works you have taught your people that the righteous must be kind, and you have filled your children with good hope, because you give repentance for sins." [Wis. 12:13, 16- 7, 19]

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Second Reading...

"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." [Rom. 8:26-7]

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Gospel Reading...

"'The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.' Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, 'Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.' He answered, 'The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!" [Mt. 13:31-2, 36-43]

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