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Homily for Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

READ: (Wis 12: 13, 16-19; Rom 8: 26-27; Matt 13: 24-43)

REFLECT:  The Kingdom of God unfolds the kindness of God…

Dear friends we are in the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The kingdom of God is one of the prominent teachings of Jesus in the New Testament Gospels. It is to make known to people about God’s Kingdom and his values Jesus came down to earth. The kingdom of God is also called as Kingdom of Heaven. It is the spiritual realm where God reigns as king and in his kingdom God’s rule and will is done; God lays down norms that become normative for us to live. The Kingdom of God is a vast place, where everyone can be part of it, provided one is open to the door that God shows or try at length to put into practice the kingdom values of love, peace, justice, righteousness, patience, mercy and compassion etc. The kingdom of God has a greater scope for hope. The kingdom of God is universal; its growth is minimal initially but mysterious is its growth and great is its expansion. The liturgy of the word invites us to enter into the kingdom that God has prepared for us. So based on reading of the day, I would like to share with you three points of reflection as how the Kingdom of God unfolds the kindness of God.

1. God’s mercy is a door to enter the Kingdom of God:

In the book of Exodus we hear “God is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,” (Exo 34:6). Because, mercy is the very nature and essence of God. God loves us unconditionally showing mercy and compassion. He neither judges nor condemns but forgives us our sins. That’s something similar we have in the first reading that speaks of God’s care, righteousness and sovereignty, yet we are reminded that although God is powerful in strength yet he judges mildly, kindness exceeds righteousness and repentance for sins give us hope. 

God always prefers and loves mercy, and that’s why Jesus too teaches us saying, “I want mercy and not sacrifice,” (Hos 6:6 and Matt 9:13). Therefore we as his followers are called to be merciful just as God is merciful. Jesus tells us in the Sermon on the Mount the reward that we would obtain for being merciful by saying, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy,” (Matt 5:7). Yes, when we are merciful and compassionate to others, we show the same mercy and compassion that God has shown us. In all surety, we shall obtain God’s mercy and compassion too. 

Very beautifully Pope Francis speaks of God’s mercy. He says, “It is a justice that comes from love, from the depths of compassion and mercy that are the very heart of God, the Father who is moved when we are oppressed by evil and fall under the weight of sins and fragility. God’s justice is about making us his children, righteous and is not intended to level penalties and punishments, but about freeing us from evil, healing us, raising us up again. In this way, the Lord shows that God’s justice is the mercy that saves, the love that shares our human condition, in closeness and solidarity, entering into our darkness to restore light.”

Yes, today, even after much in sin and shame if we experience God’s gentle touch, comforting words, a joyful ambience in life,  it is out of sheer God’s mercy and nothing to take as our credit. Because God does not want to disown us as we are his own. The desire of God is that we are his part and so he wishes that we become part of his Kingdom that he has built or established for all of us. What make us to lose sight of the kingdom of God is our life in worldly values and views, worldly ambition and passions than God’s values and ways. Let us be open to the mercy of God that flows from his bounty and be part of the Kingdom that God has prepared for us. 

2.              The spirit helps us to enter the Kingdom of God:

The role of the spirit of God is definitely present in the Kingdom of God, because it is the spirit of God that gives us life, it is the spirit of God refreshes and renews life. Therefore, when we are filled by the power of the Holy Spirit, we would be completely ready and willing to march towards the kingdom of God in store for us.  St. Paul, having spoken at length the limitations of religious law in the previous chapter of Romans 7: 1-24, which makes the practice of law so stressful at times, now St. Paul speaks of life in the Spirit in Rom 8: 1-39. The Second reading is the passage from Rom 8: 26-27, which confirms the help of God’s spirit in our weakness. God knows we are weak and vulnerable, feeble and fallible, therefore he helps us through his spirit in our weaknesses, and he helps us through his spirit as we ought to pray.

Most of the times we think that we pray a lot by spending quite a lot of time sitting and asking for various needs and desires from God. But St. Paul makes us realize and understand that what matters is the deep desire of the Spirit of God within us than the mere expression of words or heap up of words. It only shows that we try to pretend or want to feel better than others in language or being seated for a long time in the chapel or church. 

Today all of us face this common problem. We ask ourselves at times what to pray and how to pray. We say even that I know not how to pray. Today we are given an assurance of help from the spirit of God and we are called to accept the fact that we are weak and the spirit of God helps in our weakness to make us strong in prayerful union with God. Therefore we need to be open to the promptings and good movements of the spirit of God in us. The more we open to the spirit of God, the better shall be our union with God; the more we allow the spirit of God, the better shall be our growth in spiritual well-being; the more we listen to the spirit of God, the better shall be our direction with God. The fact that we are Christians, we are given hope. Very beautifully St. Paul tells us, “Hope does not put us to shame, for the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit was given to us (Rom 5:5). Yes, we are given the gift of hope in and through the spirit of God, the one who searches for the spirit of God finds it and the one who seeks the help of the spirit of God obtains. So we need to realize the spirit of God in us and renew our lives in God.

In addition to the above, Pope Francis’ words would help us with a fitting move to dwell in the Holy Spirit, the giver of life. Pope Francis asks: “Are we open to the Holy Spirit; do I pray to him to enlighten me, to make me more sensitive to the things of God?  And this is a prayer we need to pray every day: Holy Spirit, may my heart be open to the Word of God, may my heart be open to good, may my heart be open to the beauty of God.” Yes, let us pray as Pope Francis teaches us to pray to the Holy Spirit. We can be sure that the spirit of God would intercede for us to enter the eternal kingdom that God has prepared for each one of us. 

3.              Universality and greatness of God’s kingdom:

We all know that we do not have only one particular parable to explain the kingdom of God. There are many parables that Jesus narrates to expound the kingdom of God to us. It just reveals the vastness and greatness of God’s kingdom. In today’s Gospel reading we are presented with the three different parables to show the significance and greatness of God’s Kingdom. Although Kingdom of God cannot be explained descriptively like stories and novels yet definitely the kingdom of God proposes or provides definitive ways and means to enter the Kingdom of God. 

The kingdom of God has a universal scope. Everyone has a chance and choice but only those who are good and those who do good can be part of God’s kingdom. That’s what the first parable manifests. The parable of the weeds and the wheat emphasizes the universal nature of God’s kingdom, where good and bad co-exist together. It is like the children of the kingdom must coexist with children of the evil one in this world until their justification at the end. The parable of the weeds and the wheat obviously declare that God will permit the righteous and wicked to coexist in this age but he will eventually separate the wicked, judge them, and destroy them. An assurance and hope too is given that the righteous will be gathered together to be rewarded to enjoy God’s presence forever. So the parable rightly focuses not on the present situation but on the judgment of the world at the end time, when the wicked will be destroyed and the righteous will shine out for all to see. 

The second and the third parable concerning the kingdom of God speak of the final and mysterious growth, the greatness of the Kingdom of God. The analogy used for the kingdom parables are mustard seeds and the lump of leaven. At the initial stages both mustard and leaven small in size and quantity but later it grows and expands. Similarly, the kingdom of God begins with simple single step but every single step adds beauty to the final stage of the kingdom of God. At the end time, we would have walked thousands of steps, widening the horizon of Kingdom and expanding it to greater degree.

Sometimes there is a tendency to overlook or consider least in the initial stages of the mustards and leaven. But both mustard seeds and the leaven give rise to growth and expansion largely. Similarly the growth and greatness of the kingdom of God have humble beginnings but noteworthy at the end times, it grows and expands. Yes, the kingdom grows mysteriously and the mysterious growth is the work of God and power of God. We all of us know that Christianity or the Catholic Church had its humble origin with Jesus along with the chosen twelve apostles, but today it has branched out itself near and far, in various parts of the world. Similar shall be the growth and greatness of God’s kingdom. 

Today, while the good co-existing with the evil one becomes evil or the evil while co-existing with the good can also become good. The duration is an opportunity given to us till the end time to repent and renew life or to change and amend lives. If we persevere and pursue right ways and righteousness, we shall enter into the kingdom of God otherwise we shall be punished for the wrong that we do. Most of us busy building our own kingdoms, palaces or castles on earth and fail to build God’s kingdom. It is because we are selfish and are satisfied with earthly kingdoms that give us temporary honor, glory, popularity, pleasures and privileges. But working for the spread of God’s kingdom would enable us and make our living noble in the sight of God.

Today, we are wonderstruck with the growth and greatness of God’s kingdom. Either we do not know how the kingdom of God grows or we take credit as if we have worked hard to build the kingdom of God. If we could analyse and see, we would understand that the mysterious growth and unimaginable greatness of the kingdom is God’s work. It is God who makes the kingdom of God present, permeate and grow largely to incredible heights in our world. We just need to participate and co-operate in the establishment of his kingdom. So let us believe in the kingdom of God, spread his kingdom and make every effort to enter the kingdom prepared for each one of us. 

RESPOND: 

Do we believe in God who cares for us through his mercy to enter into the kingdom of God?

Do we realize and live life in to the spirit of God to belong to the Kingdom of God?

Do we believe in the universality and the mysterious growth of the Kingdom of God and participate or co-operate to spread along?

Let us believe in God’ mercy, live life in the spirit of God and participate in the universality and the mysterious growth of God’s kingdom, which is God’s kindness after all. Amen. 

God bless us all! Live Jesus!

Fr. Ramesh George MSFS

rameshvkmsfs@gmail.com

9500930968