Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
Gospel: Mt 13: 36-43
Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house. His disciples approached him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” He said in reply, “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. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his Kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
GOD OF ANOTHER CHANCE: We see God establishing a way of speaking to his people from the tent of Moses. Further, Moses returns to the mountain and gets another copy of the commandments but this time he writes them himself. That God gave them another chance. We also see that he is a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and forgiveness. In the Gospel we see that the farmer is God and the enemy is the devil. We see that the separation will take place on the Day of Judgment. Although the enemy is planting evil amongst us and in our hearts, God is merciful to rescue us if we love him and confess our sins. We need to remain awake in prayers so that the devil does not plant evil in our lives.
PRAYER: Thank you Lord for giving us another chance when we fail.
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MAKING SENSE OF THE SUFFERINGS: In the gospel, Jesus explains the parable of the weeds and wheat indicating that the children of the Kingdom will face suffering in the hands of the evil ones. Despite this, the community of the faithful can be consoled that at the end of times there will be a reward, as the evil doers get what they deserve for the evil committed. These are words of hope for those who suffer injustice and persecution on account of their faith. Those who try to live honestly, will face challenges from a world so full of radically secular and non-Christian values. Beware! These weeds are even in the Church. We need constant vigilance not to be swept away by the glamorous offers of the world.
DAILY GOSPEL 