Wis. 12:13,16 – 19/Ps. 85:5 – 6, 9 – 16a/Rom. 8:26 – 27/ Matt. 13:24 – 43

Dear beloved in Christ, the first reading from the Book of Wisdom speaks about the greatness, power, strength and justice of God, which God has revealed to His people, in order to lead and guide all of them to Himself. We can all testify that God is the supreme Governor and Judge of all men, not the Jews only. God is just and lenient because he is master of his might – He is the true universal God and cares for all men, Gentiles as well as Jews. God would not have created and preserved what He did not love and since all things are His and He loves them, He pardons and is patient. So, the kind of judgment we receive depends not on the scales of godless justice, but instead on the mercy and love of God for those who strive to live life in response to His love. He teaches us his children to temper justice with mercy and to hope for mercy from Him.

In the second reading, St. Paul explains how the Spirit is helping us in our weakness to pray as we ought, for it is the Spirit who makes intercession for us and intercedes for us before God from whom nothing is hidden. The Holy Spirit is with us and will help us on the road to eternal life. That is to be patient with those who make our spiritual progress more difficult for us—they are actually helping us to be better Christians if we bear with patience the injuries, they inflict on us. 

We must try to imitate the patience God shows in his dealings with sinners. While we must not approve of their evil deeds, or their sins, we must still look on them as our brothers and do all in our power to put them back on the right road to heaven. We can do this by good example, and by fervent prayer for their conversion. This is not easy for human nature, but we can be certain that God will give us the necessary grace and strength to subdue our natural weakness and aversion, if we try to act with charity and true brotherly interest toward our erring fellowmen.

In the gospel reading, Jesus warns us who profess our faith in Him that we will live in opposition to those evil – doers who will try to impede our spiritual journey to heaven. So, he encourages us to persevere in spite of the opposition, for we will surely triumph on the day judgement. Jesus’ words of encouragement are as necessary for us today as they were for those original disciples. We can get discouraged by how things are with our country – naked acts of corruption, bad leadership, share wickedness, etc.

The seed has been sown by the Lord and its growth is assured, a power for good has been released, the power of the Spirit, and its impact for good is not in doubt. There is some good we can all do, no matter how small, that everyone else can do, and that can make a difference for the better in the lives of others. The fact that we are a mixture of the good and the not-so-good does not prevent the Lord from working through us in the service of others. A weed-free garden may be highly desirable, but the gospel today suggests that we may have to learn to live with weeds.

We need to be patient with imperfection in ourselves and in others. Each of us is a mixture of wheat and weed; we are each tainted by sin and yet touched by grace. Our calling is to grow in grace before God and others, as Jesus did. We look to Him to help us to keep on turning from sin and growing in grace. Yes, we often show ourselves to be weak but as Saint Paul says ‘the Spirit helps us in our weakness’. We are each called to focus on the amazing things God can do with our availability, willingness and submissiveness.

These two small parables(Mustard seed and yeast) assure us that humble beginnings can have an extraordinary outcome when the work in question is God’s work. God’s plan in our lives can very humble beginnings, nevertheless its transforming force cannot be imagine.

Mass Intention: Praying for good health of mind and body for friends and relatives. I pray and implore the intercession of St. Christopher for all drivers and motorists and all those who travel in the course of the week.