16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

July 23, 2017

Readings:

First Reading – Wisdom 12:13, 16-19

Psalm 86

Second Reading – Romans 8:26-27

Gospel reading according to Matthew (13:24-43)

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Homily

Jesus taught the crowds about the Reign-Kingdom of heaven in parable, a story, so that they can easily understood what he wanted to say to them, especially to the ordinary people like us.  He used parable “to fulfill what had been said through the prophet: I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation of the world” (Mt. 13:34-35).  

He said: “The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field” (Mt.13:24).  This man is none other than Jesus himself (the Son of God) who prepared the soil by cultivating it, fertilized it and then sowed the best and good seed.  The soil or field is the world we live in and the good seed is we, the children of the Kingdom.  Everything is ready.  The best and good seed is already planted in the soil.  The good seed is already in each one of us, imbedded in us, and the Reign-kingdom of heaven started to grow.  Jesus said: “While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off” (Mt.13:25).  The enemy of God who is Satan, the devil, also came and sowed weeds (the children of the evil one) in the field and left.  He has no responsibility to the destruction of the wheat, what is important to him is to sow Bad Deeds of his children to do devastation and annihilation to the children of the Kingdom.  Jesus continued saying: “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’.” (Mt. 13:26-28).  The seed grew in us and bore fruit in our life, but at the same time, the weeds planted by the devil, grew as well.  That’s why we have the tendency to do something against the will of God.  We sometimes committed sin even though it is also against our resolve, despite the good seed we have due to the influence of the children of the devil.  God knew who did the planting of weeds along with the seed.  “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’.” (Mt. 13:28-30).  The angels of God which refer to the “slaves of the householder” and “the harvesters” wanted to clear the ground to remove the weeds, but the Master let both the seed and weeds grow together until harvest time, meaning the end-time or the judgment day or else when the harvesters pull up the weeds, it might pull up also the seed and the seed died.  And when the time comes, during harvesting, the Master instructed the harvesters to gather and collect first the weeds, tie and bundle them for burning and then gather the wheat into barn.   Sometimes, God allowed something to happen to us, even doing evil deeds due to other influences to test the quality of seed we have received and how we managed this gift coming from the Lord God to grow and multiply.  But when the fullness of time has come, He will gather us (children of the Kingdom) into His barn (heaven) to keep us and save us from the snare of the enemy, the devil and its weeds (the children of the devil).

We can refer this attitude of God in the first reading, in the Book of Wisdom were God takes care of all and have shown not unjustly condemned (Wis. 12:13).  When the weeds (children of the devil) grow with the good seed (children of the Kingdom), he did not let the weeds pull up or else the seed also might be pulled up and destroyed in the process.  God is the source of justice and lenient to all (Wis. 12:16).  God also shows his might when perfection of his power is disbelieved; God rebukes temerity (boldness, audacity=courage) (Wis. 12:17), God also judges with clemency and with much lenience in governing us (Wis. 12:18).  Our God taught us, his children by these deeds, that those who are just must be kind; and God still gives his sons and daughters good ground for hope and permit repentance for our sins (Wis. 12:19).

Again Jesus taught the crowd another parable.  He wanted to teach them about the Reign-Kingdom of heaven and to understand it clearly by the ordinary people.  Using agricultural setting, he used again the field and the mustard seed so that people may easily relate, although seldom we planted mustard seed.  “He proposed another parable to them. ‘The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field.  It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants.  It becomes a large bush, and the birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches’.” (Mt. 13:31-32).  He likened the Kingdom of heaven to a small mustard seed, the smallest of all the seeds, but when it grows it is as large as a bush tree.  Like the Kingdom, it started to a small insignificant reality but when it is realized, it became significant thing in the life of the people.  Like for example, the Basic Christian Community (Gagmay Kristianong Katilingban-GKK), at the beginning of its existence, only few people in the community believed in GKK, that it cannot work for change in the community life – economically, socially, spiritually and even politically.  But when they tried it and applied it in their lives, something happened; progress and self-determination were felt and experienced.  Everything starts at the smallest and insignificant thing before it becomes big and strong.

Another parable or story was given by Jesus to the crowds about the Kingdom of heaven.  This time, he used something ordinary people, especially women do in their houses.  “He spoke to them another parable, ‘The Kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened” (Mt. 13:33), and cooked.  Women, especially mothers know who to please their husbands and children, through delicious food.  At table, we experience the happiness and the joy eating together brings, especially when everyone is present. Everybody is satisfied by the food prepared and served

In summary, the Kingdom of heaven is where the Son of God who is source of justice, equality, peace and above all love is present and takes care us all seed (children of the Kingdom) from the entanglement of the weeds (children of the devil).  He gives us happiness and perfect joy even in our smallness and nothingness to greatness. The Kingdom of heaven is open to all, without distinction, and like the “birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches,” it remains compassionate and merciful to all.