Sunday:       Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Date:         July 21, 2002
Year:         A
The readings: [Wis. 12:13, 16-19; Rom. 8:26-27; Mt. 13:24-43]
The message:  The good seed are the children of the Kingdom.
Prepared by:  CATHOLIC DOORS MINISTRY
Total words:  1000

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My friends in Jesus, today's readings from the Holy Scripture provided us with a very powerful message. The First Reading from the Book of Wisdom spoke of God's righteousness. The Second Reading from the Letter to the Romans spoke of the intercession of the Holy Spirit on behalf of the children of God. The last Reading from Gospel of Matthew announced how, at the end of the age, the children of God will be separated from the children of the evil one.

From the First Reading, we learned 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 of us 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 our human weaknesses. Through the Sacrament of Baptism, He blessed us with the indwelling Holy Spirit to help us overcome our human weaknesses. The Holy Spirit teaches us how to pray. On our behalf, He intercedes to God for all our needs, especially our spiritual needs. God sees our heart. He knows the thoughts of the Holy Spirit who pleads on our behalf in accordance with the Will of God.

Considering all what God has done for us, 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 purchased 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 we receive the Church Sacraments that serve to sanctify us so we may become holy children in the likeness of Jesus.

While many have been blessed by the Catholic Church, the beautiful gift of God, the Pope, the Cardinals, the Bishops, the hundreds of thousands of priests, the religious brothers and sisters, over and above the endless number of faithful, still, there are some who refuse to come home to the Body of Christ. They reject the Sacraments of the Church. By doing so, they are rejecting the grace of God. They are rejecting the power of the Holy Spirit, He who has been sent to lead and teach the believers. They reject the Most Holy Name of Jesus.

During today's reading of the "Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat," Jesus told us what will happen to those who refuse to come home to the Holy Catholic Church. In the Parable, Jesus was the One who sowed the good seed in the field. 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, they 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 His children. How would we have reacted if suddenly, our mother or our father, a brother or a sister, or even some of our children, were suddenly taken away from us 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 turn us against God. Satan would have planted thoughts in our minds that would have resulted in our questioning the righteousness and patience of God with sinners. He would have told us that maybe, our 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, we will have seen the patience and righteousness of a just God. We 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...

"There is not 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. Although you are sovereign in strength, you judge with mildness, and with great forbearance you govern us; for you have power to act whenever you choose.

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, 16-19]

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Second Reading...

"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. 8:26-27]

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Gospel Reading...

"Jesus put before the crowds a parable: 'The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away.

So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?' He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' The slaves said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?' But he replied, 'No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'

Jesus put before them another parable: '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.'

He told them another parable: 'The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.'

Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables; without a parable he told them nothing. This was to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet: 'I will open my mouth to speak in parables; I will proclaim what has been hidden from the foundation of the world.'

Then Jesus 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. 13:24-43]

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