DAILY GOSPEL COMMENTARY:
PARABLE OF THE WEEDS
(Mt 13:36–43).
(Mt 13:36–43).
Gospel of Tuesday, 17th week in Ordinary Time
Mt 13:36–43
Jesus dismissed the crowds and 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.”
Gospel Commentary from the Navarre Bible, Commentary to the Gospel of St. Matthew (with permission).
36-43: EXPLANATION OF THE PARABLE OF THE WEEDS
- While making its way on earth, the Church is composed of good and bad people, just men and sinners: they are mixed in with one another until the harvest time, the end of the world, when the Son of man, in his capacity as Judge of the living and the dead, will divide the good from the bad at the Last Judgment — the former going to eternal glory, the inheritance of the saints; the latter, to the eternal fire of hell.
- Although the just and the sinners are now side by side, the Church has the right and the duty to exclude those who cause scandal, especially those who attack its doctrine and unity;
- this it can do through ecclesiastical excommunication and other canonical penalties.
- However, excommunication has a medicinal and pastoral function — to correct those who are obstinate in error, and to protect others from them.
Dear brethren in Christ, Jesus warns us that, after the owner had scattered the seed, “while men were sleeping, his enemy” intervened and sowed weeds among the wheat. This does not only apply to the exterior world, but also to our own soul. We must not be surprised that we are all inclined to evil as a result of original sin. Hence, we must be vigilant to reject all its manifestations so that this inclination to evil would not take root in us and become vices -weeds- which could make us tares instead of being wheat. St Augustine commenting on the parable noted “many are at first tares but then become good grain”, and he added: “if these, when they are wicked, are not endured with patience they would not attain their praiseworthy transformation” (Quaest. septend. in Ev. sec. Matth., 12, 4: PL 35, 1371). A Blessed day ahead! Fr. Rolly Arjonillo
VIDEO COMMENTARY ON TODAY’S GOSPEL
TOPIC: DO YOU SEE THE GOOD AND EVIL AROUND YOU AND IN YOU?
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus explains the parable of the wheat and the weeds. Jesus is the sower, the field is the world, the good seed represents those who follow Him, the weeds, those who are sinful and unrepentant, the enemy who sowed the seeds is the devil, the harvest is the end of the world and the harvesters are the angels.At the end of time, God will make a final judgment on us. But in the meantime, we must contend with the good and evil around us and within us.
TOPIC: Do you see God as a vengeful God or a compassionate Father?
In the book of Jeremiah, drought is experienced by a people who were unfaithful to God. They gather in Jerusalem to acknowledge their sins and ask the Lord to show compassion and end the drought.
In today’s gospel, Jesus leaves an unbelieving crowd and gathers his apostles to explain to them the meaning of the parable of the wheat and the weeds. He tells them that he is the sower of the word of God, those who listen and obey are the children of the Kingdom, and those who do not are the children of the devil.
God allows good and evil to co-exist until the harvest on Judgment Day. Those who remain righteous will go to heaven and those who sin and cause others to sin will go to hell.
We, oftentimes, are fearful of a God that is powerful and vengeful. We see Him in the old testament venting anger on people who disobey their covenant with Him. But in the book of Jeremiah, God shows His tender side as He “weeps” in seeing His people sick with hunger and killed by the sword. Hungry and desolate, they plead for His compassion.
We oftentimes judge God wrongly – we see him as cold and uncaring, indifferent to our sufferings.
[VIDEO – The unexpected meeting of a wolf with a dog has shocked the whole world)
Our obedience to follow God’s commandments is prompted by our fear of going to hell if we do not.
The avoidance of sin should not be out fear but out of love for God. We need to realize that He is a compassionate Father who weeps when we go astray.
He desires for us to come back to Him and be restored. He will be more than happy for us to seek His help when we get lost. But we should not expect Him to respond in the manner we want Him to. He will help us in the best possible manner that will fulfill His will for us.
Our faithfulness is what He desires. Our trust is what we give to Him. That trust is our impetus to follow Him more.
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