July 20, 2014 » Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Wheat or Weeds

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 106

Reading 1 wis 12:13, 16-19

There is no god besides you who have the care of all,
that you need show you have not unjustly condemned.
For your might is the source of justice;
your mastery over all things makes you lenient to all.
For you show your might when the perfection of your power is disbelieved;
and in those who know you, you rebuke temerity.
But though you are master of might, you judge with clemency,
and with much lenience you govern us;
for power, whenever you will, attends you.
And you taught your people, by these deeds,
that those who are just must be kind;
and you gave your children good ground for hope
that you would permit repentance for their sins.

Responsorial Psalm ps 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16

R/ (5a) Lord, you are good and forgiving.
You, O LORD, are good and forgiving,
abounding in kindness to all who call upon you.
Hearken, O LORD, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my pleading.
R/ Lord, you are good and forgiving.
All the nations you have made shall come
and worship you, O LORD,
and glorify your name.
For you are great, and you do wondrous deeds;
you alone are God.
R/ Lord, you are good and forgiving.
You, O LORD, are a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in kindness and fidelity.
Turn toward me, and have pity on me;
give your strength to your servant.
R/ Lord, you are good and forgiving.

Reading 2 rom 8:26-27

Brothers and sisters:
The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we ought,
but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.
And the one who searches hearts
knows what is the intention of the Spirit,
because he intercedes for the holy ones
according to God’s will.

Gospel  mt 13:24-30

Jesus proposed another parable to the crowds, saying:
“The kingdom of heaven may be likened
to a man who sowed good seed in his field.
While everyone was asleep his enemy came
and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off.
When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well.
The slaves of the householder came to him and said,
‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field?
Where have the weeds come from?’
He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’
His slaves said to him,
‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds
you might uproot the wheat along with them.
Let them grow together until harvest;
then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters,
“First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning;
but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

 My brothers and sisters in Christ, from the beginning of creation our Heavenly Father willed that His adopted sons and daughters should live in peace and harmony free from all discord and strife.  In fact, He granted His children “paradise” on earth.  But because of the trappings and deceptions of the evil one; violence and cruelty, pain and suffering entered the world.  In today’s Gospel our Lord uses the image of a field of wheat in which weeds grow among the good grain. He explains that; “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom.  The weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil.  The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.  Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.”  Clearly we can see from this image that those who choose anger, hate, and violence over happiness, love, and peace will not be among those called the “children of the kingdom”.  Sisters and brothers, many of us have lived and continue to live in neighborhoods where violence is not only an option but many times it is the first option.  However, choosing to live in this way will have a severe consequence and could mean the loss of our heavenly home.  Do you resort to violence as an option to solve conflict? Do you count yourself among those called the “children of the kingdom”?  Those in our community that choose violence are like weeds among the wheat.  Sisters and brothers, violence is not the solution, it is the problem!  Let us pray for an end to violence, and mercy for those trapped in the vicious cycles of poverty, addiction, and abuse.  Blessings. Fr. Steven