"...collect the weeds and bundle them up to burn, then gather the wheat into My barn"
Lectionary Readings for the 16th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A
http://catholic.pcentral-online.net/lectionary/16th-sunday-a.html
The Word of God is sown into the world and into the minds and hearts of every man and woman. For those whose soul is open to God, the Word makes itself anchored in their being that in time, it grows and bears fruit in their lives. Like seed that is sown on good soul, it produces wheat that can feed people and benefit a lot of those who need to be nourished also.
However, the Word of God is not the only one sown in the world. We know that there is an Evil One who sows what is contrary to the Word of God. This is the seed that produces discord and strife, pride and envy, anger and malice, violence and greed, materialism and consumerism, and all those that are contrary to the values taught by the gospel. This can be likened to someone who is an enemy of the farmer, who while the farmer was asleep, sowed weeds in his field.
Thus is the reality of our world and the life we are immersed in. We receive good from God but the enemy of God, the Evil One, seeks to sow His evil also in us. Thus we see the mystery of good and evil fighting each other in the world today. Should the evil be rooted out? Should they be exterminated? The gospel infers the message that judgment ultimately is the authority of God and that it is not good to root out the evil at this present time because the good may be brought along with it. However, when the time comes for the Lord to judge, He will be the One to collect the weeds and bundle them up to burn, then gather all the wheat into His barn.
What is asked of us today is to be aware of the reality of both good and evil that is present in ourselves and in our contemporary society. We are to make sure that we do our part to support the mission of the Church to "sow good seed" in the field of the world. Let us take on the standard of Christ and belong to His army. He will give us the strength and the power to fight those who sow weeds and bad seed in the world. We pray that we shall be faithful to the Lord and to the Church, in the state of life He has called us, by living the gospel in word and deed.
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Sunday, July 10, 2005
15th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A
"Part of it, finally, landed on good soil and yielded grain..."
Lectionary Readings for 15th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A
http://catholic.pcentral-online.net/lectionary/15th-sunday-a.html
In our gospel passage for today, we hear Jesus telling about the parable of the sower who sowed seed in four different types of ground. The first three grounds had certain characteristics associated with them that they never were able to bear fruit and yield a harvest. However, the fourth ground was of good soil and thus when the sower sowed the seed, it yielded grain of more than a hundredfold.
The gospel calls us to be like the fourth type of ground - the good soil - that when the Word of God falls into our minds and hearts, it will bear fruit in the Spirit and lead to actions of service and generosity. But it is not always like that. Most often than not, we sometimes are like the first three kinds of soil - and are unable to bear and yield a harvest. What are the things that we should do in order that we may be formed by the Lord to be the good soil that He wants us to be? I believe the answer is simple. We must have faith in His word and apply that faith in our actions towards our brothers and sisters. And faith is a gift we can receive through prayer and a very regular sacramental life. If we have faith in ourselves alone or in others alone, it could lead to a pride that may be well dangerous - as pride is a cardinal sin. But if we never forget to pray, be on our knees, and entreat the Lord who is the source of all life and the power to make us, His good soil, to yield a fruitful harvest, then we are certain that we will always be led in the right direction. Immersing ourselves constantly in prayer and in the liturgical celebrations of the Church will form us to be the good soil that we are really being called to be.
Lectionary Readings for 15th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A
http://catholic.pcentral-online.net/lectionary/15th-sunday-a.html
In our gospel passage for today, we hear Jesus telling about the parable of the sower who sowed seed in four different types of ground. The first three grounds had certain characteristics associated with them that they never were able to bear fruit and yield a harvest. However, the fourth ground was of good soil and thus when the sower sowed the seed, it yielded grain of more than a hundredfold.
The gospel calls us to be like the fourth type of ground - the good soil - that when the Word of God falls into our minds and hearts, it will bear fruit in the Spirit and lead to actions of service and generosity. But it is not always like that. Most often than not, we sometimes are like the first three kinds of soil - and are unable to bear and yield a harvest. What are the things that we should do in order that we may be formed by the Lord to be the good soil that He wants us to be? I believe the answer is simple. We must have faith in His word and apply that faith in our actions towards our brothers and sisters. And faith is a gift we can receive through prayer and a very regular sacramental life. If we have faith in ourselves alone or in others alone, it could lead to a pride that may be well dangerous - as pride is a cardinal sin. But if we never forget to pray, be on our knees, and entreat the Lord who is the source of all life and the power to make us, His good soil, to yield a fruitful harvest, then we are certain that we will always be led in the right direction. Immersing ourselves constantly in prayer and in the liturgical celebrations of the Church will form us to be the good soil that we are really being called to be.
Sunday, July 03, 2005
14th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A
Lectionary Readings for the 14th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A
http://catholic.pcentral-online.net/lectionary/14th-sunday-a.html
"...for I am gentle and humble of heart."
Today's gospel reading from the gospel of Matthew is usually associated with the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Jesus, in the many images that we know of Him, is most popularly known through this image of being gentle and humble of heart. He is the Good Shepherd who takes care of each and every one of His sheep. He is the Divine Mercy who will forgive all repentant sinners who come to Him. He is the Teacher and the One who provides the multitude with bread. He is the One who pities the crowd who seemed like sheep who have no shepherd. He is the One who was silent before Pilate's judgment seat and was meek as a lamb before those who condemned Him. Even up to the end of His life, He remained what He is: gentle and humble of heart.
How are we like Jesus in this regard? Is it not, that with all the stresses and pressures of life we are faced with, when someone makes an unkind remark at us, how easy it is for us to explode in anger, or retort in an irritated tone? Jesus' gentleness and humility stemmed from His being steeped in much prayer and obedience to the Father's will. If we too steep ourselves in prayer; if we too take time out from our busy lives and go to a lonely place to quiet down and pray, then for certain, our hearts will be purged of all its violence and hatred and anger and resentment and envy and instead be irridiated by the light of the Holy Spirit, and filled instead with the fire of God's love. Some say it is impossible to follow Jesus as He teaches us to follow Him. But we who pray for the gift of faith, hope and charity, know that with God, nothing is impossible. If we give of ourselves totally to the love of God, then the love of God will surely be poured into our hearts. But we need to obey God's will and what He teaches us through His Son Jesus: which is to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him. Then, and only then, shall we be like Jesus to others too - gentle and humble of heart.
http://catholic.pcentral-online.net/lectionary/14th-sunday-a.html
"...for I am gentle and humble of heart."
Today's gospel reading from the gospel of Matthew is usually associated with the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Jesus, in the many images that we know of Him, is most popularly known through this image of being gentle and humble of heart. He is the Good Shepherd who takes care of each and every one of His sheep. He is the Divine Mercy who will forgive all repentant sinners who come to Him. He is the Teacher and the One who provides the multitude with bread. He is the One who pities the crowd who seemed like sheep who have no shepherd. He is the One who was silent before Pilate's judgment seat and was meek as a lamb before those who condemned Him. Even up to the end of His life, He remained what He is: gentle and humble of heart.
How are we like Jesus in this regard? Is it not, that with all the stresses and pressures of life we are faced with, when someone makes an unkind remark at us, how easy it is for us to explode in anger, or retort in an irritated tone? Jesus' gentleness and humility stemmed from His being steeped in much prayer and obedience to the Father's will. If we too steep ourselves in prayer; if we too take time out from our busy lives and go to a lonely place to quiet down and pray, then for certain, our hearts will be purged of all its violence and hatred and anger and resentment and envy and instead be irridiated by the light of the Holy Spirit, and filled instead with the fire of God's love. Some say it is impossible to follow Jesus as He teaches us to follow Him. But we who pray for the gift of faith, hope and charity, know that with God, nothing is impossible. If we give of ourselves totally to the love of God, then the love of God will surely be poured into our hearts. But we need to obey God's will and what He teaches us through His Son Jesus: which is to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him. Then, and only then, shall we be like Jesus to others too - gentle and humble of heart.
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