＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

Wisdomof Solomon 12:13, 16-19

For there is no other god besides you,

One who cares for everyone, who could ask you to justify your judg­ments; Your strength is the source of your justice and because you are the Lord of all, you can be merciful to everyone.

To those who doubt your sovereign power you show your strength and you confound the insolence of those who ignore it. But you, the Lord of strength, judge with prudence and govern us with great patience, because you are able to do anything at the time you want.

 In this way you have taught your people that a righteous person must love his human fellows; you have also given your people cause for hope by prompting them to repent of their sin.

 

Ps 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16 (5a)

Lord, you are good and forgiving.

 

＊＊＊ 2nd Reading ＊＊＊

Romans 8:26-27

 We are weak, but the Spirit comes to help us. How to ask? And what shall we ask for? We do not know, but the spirit intercedes for us without words, as if with groans. And He who sees inner secrets knows the desires of the Spirit, for he asks for the holy ones what is pleasing to God.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

Matthew 13:24-43

Jesus told the people another parable, “The kigdom of heaven can be compared to a man, who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep, his enemy came, and sowed weeds among he wheat, and went away. When the plants sprouted and produced grain, the weeds also appeared.

Then, the servants of the owner came, and said to him, ‘Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? Where did the weeds come from?’ He answered them, ‘This is the work of an enemy.’

They asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull up the weeds?’ He told them, ‘No, when you pull up the weeds, you might uproot the wheat with them. Let them grow together, until harvest; and, at harvest time, I will say to the workers:Pull up the weeds first, tie them in bundles and burn them; then gather the wheat into my barn.”

Jesus offered them another parable:”The kingdomof heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is smaller than all other seeds, but once it is fully grown, it is bigger than any garden plant; like a tree, the birds come and rest in its branches.”

He told them another parable, “The kingdom of heaven is like the yeast that a woman took, and hid in three measures of flour, until the whole mass of dough began to rise.”

Jesus taught al lthese things t othe crowds by means of parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. This fulfilled what was spoken by the Prophet: I will speak in parables. I will proclaim things kept secret since the beginning of the world.

Then he sent the crowds away and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”

Jesus answered them, “The one who sows the good sed is the Son of Man. The field is the world; the good seed are the people of the kingdom; the weeds are those who follow the evil one. The enemy who sows the weeds is the devil; the harvest is the end time, and the workerd are the angels.

Just as the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so will be at the end of time. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom all that is scandalous and all who do evil.

And that is scandalous and all who do evil. And these will be thrown into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the just will shine, like the sun, in the kingdom of their Father. If you have ears, then hear.

 

Gospel Reflection：

Read:

God asserts that His love and His goodness will always prevail over the threats of evil and destruction. A righteous disciple knows how to discern God’s ways amid overwhelming lures in the world.

Reflect:

Movies and television love to highlight the realities of hell and evil in people and societies. We agree that such realities are around us people are killed, children are abandoned, countries are at war, and many more circumstances making us think we are already in hell.

In fact, it already shocks us when we hear of a taxi driver handing in lots of money left by a passenger or a policeman being honest. Still there are more acts of good deed that do not become headlines. There is more heaven and goodness in people and this world.

Pray:

Pray for those who have influence over people’s perception-political leaders, media people, educators, religious workers-that they promote and work for the good in people and communities.

Act:

Go to an institution like an orphanage, home for the disabled or the aged, or engage in prison ministries to see how charity is never a lost cause.