16th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
Wis 12:13, 16-19
Ps 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16
Rm 8:26-27
Mt 13:24-43
Hello, I'm Franciscan Father Greg Friedman with the "Sunday Soundbite" for the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
"Earthy" images and a practical message—that's today's Gospel. Jesus tells several parables, two of them dealing with gardening and one dealing with baking.
A gardener finds weeds in among his crop, and suspects the work of an enemy. The verdict: Wait until harvest to sort things out. The tiny mustard seed grows to become a great, sheltering tree. A woman makes bread, and uses just a little yeast to make the dough rise.
For the gardeners and bakers in the congregation today, proclaiming and understanding this Gospel may be easier than for us without a green thumb, who don't know their way around the kitchen. What would Jesus talk about if he were preaching in person today in your parish or mine?
Somehow, I think he'd look around the church, and imagine the world outside those walls. He'd consider the problems facing the parish, and the struggles of Christians to witness in a largely secular world, which nevertheless hungers for a message of hope. And then, he'd choose imagery that would fit the situation.
Lacking a personal appearance by Christ as guest preacher this Sunday, we must stay with the Gospel. Try to listen carefully, and find there the message of hope: That no matter what obstacles it faces, no matter how small the efforts of Christians seem, the Kingdom of God will flourish.
Scripture:
•And you taught your people, by these deeds, that those who are just must be kind; and you gave your children good ground for hope. (Wisdom 12:19)
•O LORD, are good and forgiving, abounding in kindness to all who call upon you. (Psalm 86:5)
•The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, (Romans 8:27)
•He said in reply, “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom.…” (Matthew 13:37,38)
Reflection:
•How is God known on Earth?
•How do you make God known on Earth?
•Think of a person who reveals God on Earth? Why does this person transmit God to others?
•Think of a Saint that you would like to be like? What is your first step?
Those who sincerely accept the Good News, through the power of this acceptance and of shared faith therefore gather together in Jesus’ name in order to seek together the kingdom, build it up and live it. They make up a community which is in its turn evangelizing. The command to the Twelve to go out and proclaim the Good News is also valid for all Christians, though in a different way.
It is precisely for this reason that Peter calls Christians “a people set apart to sing the praises of God,”[32] those marvelous things that each one was able to hear in his own language.[33] Moreover, the Good News of the kingdom which is coming and which has begun is meant for all people of all times. Those who have received the Good News and who have been gathered by it into the community of salvation can and must communicate and spread it.
Ps 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16
Rm 8:26-27
Mt 13:24-43
Hello, I'm Franciscan Father Greg Friedman with the "Sunday Soundbite" for the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
"Earthy" images and a practical message—that's today's Gospel. Jesus tells several parables, two of them dealing with gardening and one dealing with baking.
A gardener finds weeds in among his crop, and suspects the work of an enemy. The verdict: Wait until harvest to sort things out. The tiny mustard seed grows to become a great, sheltering tree. A woman makes bread, and uses just a little yeast to make the dough rise.
For the gardeners and bakers in the congregation today, proclaiming and understanding this Gospel may be easier than for us without a green thumb, who don't know their way around the kitchen. What would Jesus talk about if he were preaching in person today in your parish or mine?
Somehow, I think he'd look around the church, and imagine the world outside those walls. He'd consider the problems facing the parish, and the struggles of Christians to witness in a largely secular world, which nevertheless hungers for a message of hope. And then, he'd choose imagery that would fit the situation.
Lacking a personal appearance by Christ as guest preacher this Sunday, we must stay with the Gospel. Try to listen carefully, and find there the message of hope: That no matter what obstacles it faces, no matter how small the efforts of Christians seem, the Kingdom of God will flourish.
Scripture:
•And you taught your people, by these deeds, that those who are just must be kind; and you gave your children good ground for hope. (Wisdom 12:19)
•O LORD, are good and forgiving, abounding in kindness to all who call upon you. (Psalm 86:5)
•The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, (Romans 8:27)
•He said in reply, “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom.…” (Matthew 13:37,38)
Reflection:
•How is God known on Earth?
•How do you make God known on Earth?
•Think of a person who reveals God on Earth? Why does this person transmit God to others?
•Think of a Saint that you would like to be like? What is your first step?
Those who sincerely accept the Good News, through the power of this acceptance and of shared faith therefore gather together in Jesus’ name in order to seek together the kingdom, build it up and live it. They make up a community which is in its turn evangelizing. The command to the Twelve to go out and proclaim the Good News is also valid for all Christians, though in a different way.
It is precisely for this reason that Peter calls Christians “a people set apart to sing the praises of God,”[32] those marvelous things that each one was able to hear in his own language.[33] Moreover, the Good News of the kingdom which is coming and which has begun is meant for all people of all times. Those who have received the Good News and who have been gathered by it into the community of salvation can and must communicate and spread it.
posted by See Tho Zhang Jacob at
10:36 PM
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