SIXTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
19 JULY 2026
Last
Sunday, Jesus told a parable about the power of God’s Word. He used the image of a sower sowing seed
generously and abundantly. Unlike most
farmers who would be careful about where they would sow such expensive seed,
this sower sows seed everywhere. He sows
the seed on rocky ground, on soil with little depth for growth, and in the
midst of thorn bushes that would choke off the growth. In this parable, Jesus encourages us to
provide rich soil by opening our hearts to the word sown in us. He promises an abundant harvest for those
whose hearts are broken open, like soil broken open by plowing to welcome the
seed that is sown.
Today, he
continues his agricultural setting with another parable. As promised, the seeds sown have produced
fruit. The wheat is growing. But, the enemy has sown weeds in the midst of
the kingdom. Even if we have been open
to the word of God sown into our hearts, we know the painful reality of evil in
our world. We see evil more clearly in
other people and everywhere in our world.
With this image of weeds sown in our midst, we are tempted to divide the
world in terms of good and bad. In this
world view, there are good people who do many good things and bad people who do
bad things.
However,
life is not that simple. Lots of “good
people” can be arrogant and prideful.
“Bad people” can surprise us and do something good. That is why Jesus tells us to allow God to
make the judgment in the end. In the
meantime, we must live with the good and the bad. Unlike plants, people can
change. That is why the sower wasted so
much good seed. The Lord gives people a
chance to repent. Instead of judging
people and avoiding them, he wants us to separate what they do from who they
are – human beings made in the image and likeness of God. We must do whatever is possible to allow them
to turn toward the Lord and seek his mercy.
Most importantly, we need to be honest about the weeds that are part of
each one of us. All of us have weeds
that impair the growth of good fruit in our lives. If we have the courage to see those weeds in
ourselves rather than focusing on the weeds of others, we can receive the
Lord’s mercy, especially in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and turn more
completely to the Lord.
It takes a
lot of patience to refrain from judging others and leaving judgment to the
Lord. But patient waiting helps us to
face the time of harvest – not only the harvest that will end our own personal
lives, but also the harvest of God’s judgment at the end of time. Notice that God’s judgment ultimately ends in
fire – burning those who have stubbornly turned away from the love of God, but allowing
the just to be so transparent that the ultimate fire of God’s love brilliantly
shines through them as saints. In Catholic
theology, we have another image for God’s love.
When we speak of Purgatory, we remember the Latin roots of the
word: the fire of God’s love burning
away what separates us from God and all the saints, even after our death.
Jesus knows
that patient waiting is not easy. For
that reason, he gives us two more images from daily life. The first is the mustard seed. Just as the proclamation of the Kingdom of
Heaven began with only twelve apostles, so do the “mustard seeds” of our acts
of kindness shine the light of the Kingdom in our world. The Kingdom depends on God, and not on us. But our willingness to forgive and move past
hurts and rejections sheds light in a world darkened by revenge and
hatred. The second example is
yeast. When a woman mixes a little bit
of yeast with three measures of flour, she can feed over a hundred people. Living our Baptismal Promises opens the flour
of our lives to the yeast of the Holy Spirit, giving hope in the midst of
despair and life in the midst of death.
Waiting for God’s judgment may be difficult. But our mustard seed actions and loving yeast
help us to wait in joyful hope for the coming of the Lord.
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