Contemplating today's Gospel
Today's Gospel + homily (in 300 words)
Moses stood there with the Lord and proclaimed his name, “Lord”. Thus the Lord passed before him and cried out, «The Lord, the Lord, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity, continuing his kindness for a thousand generations, and forgiving wickedness and crime and sin; yet not declaring the guilty guiltless, but punishing children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation for their fathers' wickedness!». Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship. Then he said, «If I find favor with you, o Lord, do come along in our company. This is indeed a stiff-necked people; yet pardon our wickedness and sins, and receive us as your own». So Moses stayed there with the Lord for forty days and forty nights, without eating any food or drinking any water, and he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.
Merciful and gracious is the Lord, slow to anger and abounding in kindness. He will not always chide, nor does he keep his wrath forever.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us, nor does he requite us according to our crimes. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west, so far has he put our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.
Just as 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 who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
"Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field"
Fr. Iñaki BALLBÉ i Turu (Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain)Today, through the parable of the weeds and the wheat, the Church urges us to ponder over the coexistence of good and evil. Good and evil within our heart; good and evil we may spot on others, good and evil we can see in the world, all around us.
His disciples ask Jesus: “explain to us the parable” (Mt 13:36). And we can resolve to be more careful with our personal prayer, our everyday dealings with God, starting today. We can ask him: Lord, tell me why I do not progress enough in my interior life. Tell me how can I be more faithful to you, how can I look for you in my work, or through circumstances I do not understand or I do not want. How can I be a qualified apostle? A prayer is just this, to ask God for “explanations”. How is my prayer? Is it sincere? Is it constant? Is it trusting?
Jesus Christ invites us to keep our eyes focused on Heaven, our eternal home. The speed of life can drive us crazy quite often, but we seldom stop to think that there will come a day —we do not know whether far-off or near— when we shall have to settle our accounts with God and explain which are the fruits borne by the good seeds He has sown in us. And the Lord tells us that at the end of time there will be a selection. So, we must win Heaven here on earth, in our everyday life, without waiting for situations that perhaps will never occur. We have to live the ordinary heroically… the things that apparently have no transcendence. We must live by thinking of eternity and helping others to think of it, too! Paradoxically, “destined to die, humankind struggles to avoid dying, and yet, destined to live forever, they do not labor to avoid sinning” (St. Julian of Toledo).
We shall reap what we have sown. We have to fight to give today the 100%. So when we are called into God's presence we might be able to go with our hands full: of acts of faith, hope and love, which result in minor things and events that, when lived on an everyday basis, make us better Christians, better saints and more humane.
Thoughts on Today's Gospel
“Destined to die, humankind struggles to avoid dying, and yet, destined to live forever, they do not labor to avoid sinning.” (Saint Julian of Toledo)
“We must be ready to preserve the grace received from the day of our Baptism, continuing to nourish faith in the Lord that prevents evil from taking root.” (Benedict XVI)
“Jesus often speaks of ‘Gehenna’ of ‘the unquenchable fire’ reserved for those who to the end of their lives refuse to believe and be converted, where both soul and body can be lost. Jesus solemnly proclaims that he ‘will send his angels, and they will gather ... all evil doers, and throw them into the furnace of fire,’ (Mt 13:41-42) and that he will pronounce the condemnation: ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire!’ (Mt 25:41)." (Catechism Of The Catholic Church, Nº 1034)
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