THE PARABLE OF THE WEEDS.
Gospel:
"Jesus proposed another parable to the crowds, saying:
"The kingdom of heaven may be likened
to a man who sowed good seed in his field.
While everyone was asleep his enemy came
and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off.
When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well.
The slaves of the householder came to him and said,
'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field?
Where have the weeds come from?'
He answered, 'An enemy has done this.'
His slaves said to him,
'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'
He replied, 'No, if you pull up the weeds
you might uproot the wheat along with them.
Let them grow together until harvest;
then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters,
"First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning;
but gather the wheat into my barn."
He proposed another parable to them.
"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed
that a person took and sowed in a field.
It is the smallest of all the seeds,
yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants.
It becomes a large bush,
and the 'birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches."
He spoke to them another parable.
"The kingdom of heaven is like yeast
that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour
until the whole batch was leavened."
All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables.
He spoke to them only in parables,
to fulfill what had been said through the prophet:
I will open my mouth in parables,
I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation
of the world.
Then, dismissing the crowds, he went into the house.
His disciples approached him and said,
"Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field."
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.
The weeds are the children of the evil one,
and the enemy who sows them is the devil.
The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
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." (Matthew 13: 24 - 43).
Sunday in the 16th week in Ordinary Time.
The Lord Jesus proposes the parable of the weeds growing with the wheat. The Son of Man sows the good seed. The enemy sneaks in under the cover of darkness and sowed the weeds.
The night before He died, Jesus prayed that His disciples would remain one as the Father and Himself remains one.
This was not to be because in every age, there arise people who judge the Church as compromised by apostasy.
This parable and the Genealogy of Jesus Christ shout that God is not a fool. He knows what He is doing.
No apostasy can stop His design for the world He created and loves dearly.
"The slaves of the householder came to him and said, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?’
He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.” (Matthew 13: 27 - 30).
Summary: It is the plan of God that the weeds will live side by side with the wheat till the end of the world.
“Gather my loyal ones to me, those who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.” (Psalm 50: 5).
July is the Month dedicated to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ.
"Standing beneath the Cross, the Virgin Mary collected the Precious Blood in her Immaculate Heart. She remains the Mother of Providence, distributing this price of redemption to her children."
— St. Albert the Great.
Turn your spiritual gaze toward the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Divine Providence. There exists an unbreakable, teleological bond between her Immaculate Heart and the Precious Blood of her Son. She lived her entire life in a state of absolute, uninterrupted adoration, perfectly understanding the supreme purpose of Christ’s redemptive mission. To love the Person of Jesus deeply, you must allow Mary to teach you how to value His Blood. Let her take you by the hand today and guide you safely into the sanctuary of Christ’s wounded side, hiding you from the frantic distractions and vanities of the world.
Prayer:
O Virgin Mary, Mother of Providence, lead me into the innermost depths of the Precious Blood of Jesus.
"O precious Blood of Jesus, infinite price paid for the redemption of sinful mankind. O Divine Blood, drink and laver of our souls, standing between us and the Father pleading mercy, Have mercy on us."
Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ purify and heal us.
For Prayers and Prayer intentions click the link below:
