Shine Like The Sun On Judgment Day!

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time
20 July 2008

We are God’s people, the sheep of his flock:
come, let us worship him, alleluia.

First reading Wisdom 12:13 - 19
There is no god, other than you, who cares for every thing,
to whom you might have to prove that you never judged unjustly;
Your justice has its source in strength,
your sovereignty over all makes you lenient to all.
You show your strength when your sovereign power is questioned
and you expose the insolence of those who know it;
but, disposing of such strength, you are mild in judgement,
you govern us with great lenience,
for you have only to will, and your power is there.
By acting thus you have taught a lesson to your people
how the virtuous man must be kindly to his fellow men,
and you have given your sons the good hope
that after sin you will grant repentance.

Psalm or canticle: Psalm 85

Second reading Romans 8:26 - 27
The Spirit comes to help us in our weakness. For when we cannot choose words in order to pray properly, the Spirit himself expresses our plea in a way that could never be put into words, and God who knows everything in our hearts knows perfectly well what he means, and that the pleas of the saints expressed by the Spirit are according to the mind of God.

Gospel Matthew 13:24 - 43
Jesus put another parable before them, ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everybody was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off. When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, the darnel appeared as well. The owner’s servants went to him and said, “Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? If so, where does the darnel come from?” “Some enemy has done this” he answered. And the servants said, “Do you want us to go and weed it out?” But he said, “No, because when you weed out the darnel you might pull up the wheat with it. Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers: First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn.”’

He put another parable before them, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the biggest shrub of all and becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come and shelter in its branches.’

He told them another parable, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like the yeast a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour till it was leavened all through.’

In all this Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables; indeed, he would never speak to them except in parables. This was to fulfil the prophecy:
I will speak to you in parables and expound things hidden since the foundation of the world.

Then, leaving the crowds, he went to the house; and his disciples came to him and said, ‘Explain the parable about the darnel in the field to us.’ He said in reply, ‘The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world; the good seed is the subjects of the kingdom; the darnel, the subjects of the evil one; the enemy who sowed them, the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; the reapers are the angels. Well then, just as the darnel is gathered up and burnt in the fire, so it will be at the end of time. The Son of Man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that provoke offences and all who do evil, and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then the virtuous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Listen, anyone who has ears!’

Reflection
By Anabelle Payod-Balla

Getting recognitions is not an easy deal. My kids have to work hard for it, doing assignments and projects, preparing for exams, reporting and graded recitations. They have to follow and obey school’s rules and regulations and have to wake up early in the morning to get ready for school. They also have to skip some of their favorite TV shows and game time with friends just to work on some school requirements. Several small sacrifices in exchange for better understanding of lessons, for better grades, for a better future….At the end of the school year, they stand proud and happy to receive recognitions, to be one of those who are rewarded and honored for excellent performance all throughout the school year. Getting recognitions is not an easy deal but it can be achieved.

All of us are given equal chances to get the most prestigious and of the highest value of recognitions of all: to be among those who are qualified to enter heaven and be rewarded with eternal life. How we work for it will determine our fate during Judgment Day. Those who will make it according to this Sunday’s Gospel will shine like the sun in the kingdom of our Father in heaven while those who will not will be thrown into the blazing furnace.

I am sure none of us would want to be thrown into the blazing furnace. Would you? So stop being a weed that destroys life and has no value to man and to God. Stop pretending to be a good seed as well because God sees everything we do and knows everything that goes on in our hearts and minds. Instead, let us all strive to be a real good seed, let us follow and live God’s words everyday of our life so we can earn the rewards and recognition we want on Judgment Day. It won't be easy, but it can be done.






Father, we want to be with You in heaven at the end of time. Please direct our ways, guide us in everything we do. Give us courage and the strength to live Your Words each day. Amen.

Watch out for the blazing furnace! Make a right turn to God now.