Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading 1: Wis 12:13, 16-19
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16
Reading 2: Rom 8:26-27
Gospel: Mt 13:24-43
Once again, this week we have a shorter form of the gospel that may be proclaimed at Sunday Mass, but I eliminated it above to save some space.
Our first reading is from the Book of Wisdom which is one of those seven Old Testament books not recognized as sacred in the Jewish and Protestant traditions. The Jews had four criteria that must be met before a book was included in the Jewish canon of scripture:
- It must have originally been written in Hebrew
- It had to have been authored in the Holy Land
- It had to have been written before the time of the Prophet Ezra (about 450 B.C.)
- It could not contradict anything in the Torah
The Book of Wisdom fails on three of the criteria as it was probably written in Alexandria, Egypt, in Greek, about the year 125 B.C. The author often speaks in the person of the wise King Solomon to give more authority to his teaching, but Solomon is not the author of the book.
The overall purpose of the Book of Wisdom is the praise of God’s wisdom, justice and mercy. We see in our reading that God’s justice is manifested in rewarding or punishing individual behavior and that God cannot be held accountable for the manner in which he dispenses justice. God does not need to show “you have not unjustly condemned,” because God has “mastery over all things” (12:13).
But we also see in our reading that God is “lenient to all” (12:16), and God will “judge with clemency” (12:18); but God’s anger is particularly roused by those who know God but fail to obey him: “For you show your might when the perfection of your power is disbelieved; and in those who know you, you rebuke temerity” (12:17). So, if we claim to know God, we better pay attention to his teachings because the brunt of God’s anger is directed toward those who claim to know God but defy his authority. God does not condemn unjustly! But the last line of our reading tells us there is always hope, because God “would permit repentance for their sins” (12:19).
Our Responsorial Psalm carries on the theme of God’s leniency and clemency: “Lord, you are good and forgiving.”
Our second reading is a beautiful passage from chapter 8 of The Letter to the Romans that we have all heard many times. St. Paul tells us that those of us who have accepted the teachings of Christ have received the gift of the Holy Spirit, “and God dwells in you” (8:9). And that Spirit comes to our aid in our weakness. According to St. Paul, we do not always know how to pray or what to pray for, but the Spirit knows and intercedes for us “with inexpressible groanings” (8:26). But, if we do not accept the teachings of Christ and are not open to that Holy Spirit, then we do not belong to Christ (8:9) and the Spirit cannot intercede for us. “Because the God who created you without your help, cannot save you without your help.”
In our gospel passage from chapter 13 of Matthew, Jesus, once again, teaches through the use of parables. As mentioned last week, the Kingdom of Heaven is not something that can be described in human language because no one has ever experienced that kingdom (except Jesus) so there is no way to describe what we have never seen. Consequently, Jesus begins each parable with: “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to…” to give his listeners a frame of reference. The parable is a comparison between Christian truths and events of everyday life. The person who has listened attentively to Christ’s teachings and has been inspired by the Holy Spirit will respond to the parable and make the connection between the parable and the teaching. The person who has rejected those teachings will not make the connection.
As was the case with last week’s gospel, Jesus privately explains the meaning of the parable to the disciples so there is no need to delve into that meaning. But the Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat tells us that good and evil both exist in the kingdom and, therefore, in the church. The sexual scandal the church has endured is a perfect example of the evil that exists, not only in the world, but in the church as well. It is not up to us to exclude those we may think are evil. As with the parable of the Weeds and the Wheat: “Let them grow together until the harvest” (13:30). Let God make that decision as there may be conversion and repentance and, as we heard in our first reading, God may “permit repentance for their sins.” The harvest time is the Day of Judgment when God will eliminate the sinful. Until then, the responsibility of the kingdom on earth, the church, is to be patient with sinners and offer repentance and reconciliation.
We are also told that Jesus dismissed the crowds and withdrew into the house with the disciples. A footnote to this passage indicates that Jesus’ withdrawal into the house marks a break with the crowds, who represent unbelieving Israel and, more specifically, the unbelieving Scribes and Pharisees. From now on, Jesus’ attention will be directed toward the apostles and their instruction. Jesus withdrew with the disciples to whom “the knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven have been granted” (Mt 13:11) and it will be their responsibility to preach and teach those mysteries and that responsibility is carried on in the church today. That preaching and teaching will begin as small as a mustard seed, but with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, will expand throughout the world.
So the “Golden Thread” this week that binds our readings together is God’s infinite Wisdom, Justice and Mercy. Those who have ears ought to hear.
