Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary time –Year ATRANSFORMING THE EARTH AS A HEAVENLY PLACEWisdom of Solomon12:13, 16-19
Romans 8:26-27
Mathew 13:24-43
Dear friends in Christ Jesus, how are you all? All of you pray every day? Why do we pray? We pray for different intentions. When the intentions are fulfilled, do people continue to pray? Sometimes yes but not always. People recognize the change when they pray either in their lives or in the life of others. For some praying gives some kinds of satisfaction in their lives. The Christians join together and pray for a particular intention, will it happen or not? Surely it will happen. Prayer is the daily bread of Jesus and for us Christians too. It is the prayer of ‘our Father in heaven’ we pray “your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. That means we pray that this earth also must be like a place of heaven. Every day we pray to make this earth as heaven then what kind of efforts we make to change the earth as heaven? Hence with today’s gospel reading Jesus invites us to transform the earth as place of heaven.
What is the Kingdom of Heaven?
Jesus tells us that kingdom of heaven is “doing the will of the Father in Heaven” Mt 5:20. And St. Paul says that “Kingdom of heaven is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”. Therefore God’s kingdom will be realized where there is righteousness, peace and joy. So if we establish these values surely the earth will be like heaven.
Our God is God of righteous
In the book of Sirach 18:2 we read that “the Lord alone is righteous” which means God alone is righteous and rest of the whole creation are not just and righteous. But God wants us to be righteous because we are created in the image and likeness of God. Our God is righteous and we also must be righteous. Therefore from the time of creation God insists us to become righteous. But we as a fragile human nature every time fall in to temptations and fail to live a life of righteousness. In the first reading we read that our God is sovereign God and he is righteous. He rules all things righteously.
What is the righteousness of God?
In the book of Leviticus 19:15 we read that “you shall not render unjust judgement, you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, with justice you shall judge your neighbor” . Hence taking care of the poor and giving right judgments are the righteousness of God. In the book of Genesis 18 we see a beautiful conversation between God and Abraham. Lord we know that you are God of justice and you judge people with righteousness “will you sweep away the righteous people with the wicked people?” Suppose there are 50 righteous in the city and for the sake this people will you not forgive their fault and save the city; and God answers him saying if I find 50 righteous people I will forgive the whole city for their sake. and Abraham too continued saying Lord if there are 45, 40,30, at last only10 righteous people are found in that city for the sake this people will you not forgive their fault and save the city; God also assured Abraham saying for the sake of 10 people I will not destroy it. Hence the justice of God is not an eye for an eye or tooth for a tooth but his justice rests upon love kindness etc.
God’s love and kindness was explicitly shown in today’s Gospel. The gardener showed the good wheat in his garden but the weeds too start sprouting along with the wheat. Now the Gardener without removing the weeds he allows both to grow together. Why the gardener allows both grow together? Because while removing the weeds there will be a possibility to remove wheat also. In the same way God also allows the good people and evil people to live together. And God does not punish evil people immediately because when God punishes evil people with righteous people there will be a possibility to punish the righteous people too. Therefore he allows both to live together.
Secondly God allows both the good and evil people to live on this earth because by seeing the good deeds of the righteous people there is a possibility for the evil people to change from their lives. For example the Pharisees and scribes brought the women who caught in adultery to Jesus to give verdict for here sins. Expect that woman everyone thought that they are righteous and so they brought a stone in order to throw at her. But Jesus said “let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her” when the crowd heard the words they went away one by one, because they too felt that they are sinners. Yes dear friends God allows the evil person to grow with righteous persons so that sinners may change their ways and return to the Lord. Today what about you and me? Are we righteous people or sinners? Are we weeds or wheat?
Our God is God of Peace
When God created the world there was peace. And when He came into the world he brought the message of peace to the world. Lk 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace among those whom he favours”. Jesus during his life time he insisted His disciples to live in peace and give peace to the people of the world. Mt10:13 “As you enter the house, greet it.If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it but if it is not worthy let your peace return to you”. Also after the resurrection Jesus greeted his disciples with Peace “peace be with you”. Today the same Jesus invites us to live in peace and to make this earth as a peaceful place. Who are all called as children of God? All those people who live in peace and make others to live in peace are called children of God. “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called as children of God” Mt 5:9. Dear friends today the whole world longs for peace because we all live in a world of noise. Admits this noisy world Jesus wants us to live in peace by looking at the wheat and mustard seed and leaven. today everyone looks for publicity but when the wheat and the mustard seed is shown on this earth it does not make any publicity or noise for its sprouting but peacefully grows and allows the birds to come make nests on it. Today how many of us are having peaceful life? Or how many people brought peace in the broken families? Do we seek publicity? Or peaceful acts?
Our God is God of Joy
Dear friends how many of you are happy and joyful?... After the mass I will give each one of you 1000 rupees do you want it? (See how people are happy and smiling) see when I asked first time are you all happy; I received no response; not even a smiling; but the second time I said I give you 1000rs everyone was happy and joyful. Dear friends, we all feel that our happiness is rests upon money. Today for most of the people believe that their happiness and joy rests upon money, position, power, wealth etc. But God says this happiness is momentary but the real happiness rests upon God alone.
For example the three wise men came to meet baby Jesus. These wise men are considered as kings. They had plenty of possession, they had kingly power and wealth etc but when they saw baby Jesus on the manger they overwhelmed with joy. Hence they clearly tell to the world that the real happiness does not rest in the worldly things. In the same manner the mustard seed is the smallest seed of all the seeds. But when it is shown on the earth it grows into a big tree and it welcomes the birds of the air to make nest on this tree. Thus it gives joy to the thousands of birds. Today how many of us live a happy life on this earth? or how many of us bring joy into the lives of others? In the book of psalms 68:3 we read that the righteous will be joyful and they will exult before God and they remain jubilant with and joy. Today let us inculcate the kingdom values of righteousness, peace and joy into our lives. Thus we can make our earth as a heavenly place. Amen.
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