Thy Kingdom Come!

U. S. A. | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

July 20, 2014, Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Matthew 13: 24-43

He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ´Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?´ He answered, ´An enemy has done this.´ The slaves said to him, ´Then do you want us to go and gather them?´ But he replied, ´No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.´" He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches." He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened." Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables; without a parable he told them nothing. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet: "I will open my mouth to speak in parables; I will proclaim what has been hidden from the foundation of the world." Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!"

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, I come before you wanting to grow in my knowledge of you and in my love for you. I want to show my love by truly loving others as you have loved me. My falls are many; yet I trust in your grace, and I always want to get back up. I trust that your mercy will change my heart, so that over time I will stand more than fall. I stand before you, ready to listen to your words and ready to unite myself more perfectly to your most holy will.

Petition: Lord Jesus, open my heart to your word.

1. Uproot the Weeds: Jesus pours his grace upon each one of us; even a drop is enough to transform our lives. Why, then, are there so many weeds in our gardens? That little ugly guy we call the devil cannot plant weeds without our permission. How are we going to identify the weeds? How are we going to uproot them? First, we need to ask these questions: Do we want to find those nasty weeds? Do we want to do the work necessary to uproot them? Jesus wants to know.

2. Our Hearts Were Made for God: After Jesus talks with us about the weeds, he moves the discussion to a new plane. He wants us to try to penetrate the mystery of his Kingdom, which he wants to plant in our hearts. Our lives need to be constructive more than anything else, meaning we need to be focused more on what Christ is sowing in our hearts than on the weeds we’re striving to uproot (though that is important). A garden is for growing plants, not weeds. Jesus wants us to appreciate that since he is God, he is infinite, and that even though we are finite, we are blessed with immortal souls that are equipped to grasp, desire, identify with and surrender to God and his will. His word is a living, saving word that refashions us in his likeness. Am I hungry for his word and receptive to Him, who is the Word of God?

3. The Birds of the Air Make Nests in its Branches: Christ intends the seed he has planted in our hearts to grow into a tall, healthy tree, where birds of the air find shelter. He wants us to be sowers of his heavenly seed. He wants us to be the means for his word to spread to others. Christ sent his apostles into a hostile world — a world that believed in many gods, a world that had just crucified Christ. Still, the apostles sowed the Gospel message far and wide, and it took root in the hearts of many. The Kingdom of God grew. Now it is our turn. Jesus calls us to be apostles, to sow his Gospel far and wide. We form part of an unbreakable chain of faith. Let’s live our lives as true and fearless apostles. Lord Jesus, how can I be your ever faithful and courageous apostle?

Conversation with Christ: Jesus, pluck out the weeds in my heart and plant your mission within me. Fill me with your thirst for the salvation of souls, and move me to quench your thirst with my every breath.

Resolution: Today I will talk with someone about how we need to build and extend the Kingdom of God.

True Philanthropy

Dr. Mark Giszczak

July 20, 2014
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
First Reading: Wisdom 12:13, 16-19
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/072014.cfm

If God were cruel, we would be in a tough spot. Sometimes people lose faith in God because they think he is and that’s not a pleasant notion. This Sunday’s reading from the Book of Wisdom 12:13, 16-19 reflects on God’s actions in history and shows us that even when he is most fiercely just, he is still the God of mercy.

Context

Wisdom 12 briefly retells the story of God’s judgment on the Canaanites. It reflects on their idolatrous and “detestable practices” (12:4), which included child sacrifice. God decided to judge Canaan and eliminate its religion from the Promised Land, but instead of inflicting punishment right away, God waits. He gives even the most disastrously corrupt culture “a chance to repent” (12:10).

Does Might Make Right?

One line in Wisdom 12:16 could give us the wrong impression, that might makes right. The line reads: “For your might is the source of justice” (Wis 12:16 NAB). It would be easy to think that simply because God has all the power then whatever he wants is “just,” that he’s basically a big bully. But that’s not what Wisdom is trying to convey. Rather, his power, his strength is the origin, the beginning, the source of all justice, all righteousness, all goodness. God’s power and his goodness accord so well with one another, that they are held together in who he is. We can even say that “God is justice,” and “God is strength.” His will is always in accord with justice.

Justice and Mercy

One would not expect a reflection on the destruction of the Canaanites to highlight God’s mercy, but that’s exactly what Wisdom does. Justice is the strong note when it comes to judgment, but this text shows to us that the emphasis in God’s relation with human beings is always on mercy. Wisdom describes him as “lenient” and judging with “clemency.” God waits some four hundred years before bringing judgment on the Canaanites (Gen 15:16), allowing time for repentance. By his actions, God teaches us how he wants us to act toward others.

God’s Kind of Teaching

The best kind of teachers always lead by example. And in the case of God’s mercy and justice toward the Canaanites, he is no different. The very power of God actually makes him merciful since he does not need to shore up his self-confidence with random acts of showing off, but only to set in order the minds of men who don’t believe in his power (12:17). God teaches us about his mercy by what he does: “And you taught your people, by these deeds” (12:19). Surprisingly, the lesson of his deeds is a paradox: “that those who are just must be kind.” We often think of justice and mercy as opposites, but God’s actions show that they really do go together.

Man-kind

“Kindness” sounds like a wimpy virtue, like “niceness” or “goody-two-shoe-ness.” The Greek word which underlies “kind” in our translation is philanthropos. That’s an easy one if you remember Philadelphia or anthropology, or better yet, philanthropy. Philanthropos is “love of man” or “love of mankind.” God’s deeds of justice and mercy reveal that if we are to be just, we must love mankind. So mercy, love, and kindness, shape the actions of the righteous, not just rule-following.

It is too easy for us to put up barriers to others, to adopt strict rules, to operate an economy of exclusion and shut out those whose sinfulness is all too visible. But Jesus reminds that we are not the judges (Matt 7:1). He’s the only judge and his example of clemency, lenience, and mercy, show us that we are to similarly keep the door open, reach out, love others, forgive them their faults (and be cognizant of our own). Personal righteousness or justice is about loving others like God does. While philanthropy includes giving money, the true philanthropist not only gives money, but actually loves people.