Shikrot Mpwi - Sunday Synopsis with Fr. Justine J. Dyikuk

16^th Sunday of the Year – July 19, 2020

Readings: Wisdom 12:-13,16-19; Responsorial Psalm Ps 85:5-6,9-10,15-16; 

Rom 8:26-27 & Gospel Matthew 13:24-43.

Theme: The God of Second Chance!

Sunday Synopsis

Today’s first reading assures that God is lenient with sinners. The second reading insists that God comes to help us in our weakness. In the gospel, after presenting the parables of the Darnel in the Field, Mustard Seed and Yeast, Jesus presents a seven-point explanation of the Parable of the Wheat and Weeds namely that: The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world; the wheat are the subjects of the Kingdom; the darnel stands for subjects of the evil one; the sower of the weeds is the evil one; the harvest is at the end of time and the reapers are the angles. We are reminded that just as God is patient with the sinner, we are challenged not to take his patience for granted but reform while bearing with the qualms of others.

Introduction

Beloved in Christ, the Christian religion is replete with the scandal of God’s patience with sinners. While some Christians are unsympathetic to sinners, others are. Our reflection entitled “The God of Second Chance” shall scan through the readings with particular reference to the gospel where Jesus presents the parables of the Darnel in the Field, Mustard Seed and Yeast. While some scripture scholars are of the opinion that the setting of the parable is the world, others hold that it is the Church. However, our reflection may overlap while seeking for a middle ground. To achieve this, we shall review the readings in the light of pastoral lessons.

Background and Summary of the Readings

The first reading (Wisdom 12:-13,16-19) assures that God is lenient with sinners. It relates that God disposes his strength through mild judgment while governing with leniency. Most importantly, the reading stresses that God displays his benevolence to sinners to teach us a lesson on “how the virtuous man must be kindly to his fellow men” and also give his children “good hope that after sin you will grant repentance.”  

In like manner, the second reading (Rom 8:26-27) insists that God comes to help us in our weakness. We are, therefore, called to be sympathetic to sinners rather being judgmental. Those who are strong must bear with the qualms of the weak while praying for their repentance.

The gospel (Matthew 13:24-43) presents us with three different but related parables. The first being the parable of the Wheat and Weeds otherwise known as the parable of the Darnel in the Field, the parable of the Mustard Seed and the parable of the Yeast. Jesus gives a seven-point explanation of the Parable of the Wheat and Weeds in the light of God’s patience with sinners.

Darnel in the Field: Jesus’ Explanation

1. The Sower of the Seed: The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man.

2. The Field: The field is the world.

3. The Good Seed/Wheat: The seed are the subjects of the Kingdom.

4. The Darnel/Weeds: The darnel stands for subjects of the evil one.

5. The Sower of the Weeds: The sower of the weeds is the evil one.

6. The Harvest: The harvest is at the end of time.

7. The Reapers: The reapers are the angles. 

Pastoral Lessons

1. Beware of Divine Retribution: By sparing only Noah and his family from the great flood (Gen. 6:9-8:22), dispersion of the builders of the Tower of Babel (Gen. 11:1-9) and destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18:20-21), our liturgy draws our attention to divine retribution or retributive which is the supernatural punishment of a person(s) by God as a consequence of their sins.   

2. Divine Retribution Could Delay: Today’s liturgy teaches us that divine retribution could be delayed or rather treasured up until harvest time (the end of the world) as the gospel indicates (Matthew 13:24-43).

3. God Gives Us a Second Chance: We are reminded about the nature of God namely that he is not a God of Now-Now who punishes the offender instantly as in the days of old as some religions of the world teach but that he is a God of the second chance.

4. God Spares the Sinner to Reform: That God suspended the disaster he had threatened upon Ahab when he repented after killing Naboth (1 Kgs. 21:1-21,27-29); forgave King David when he begged for forgiveness after coveting Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife and murdered her husband (2 Sam. 12:1-13) and gave second chance to the people of Nineveh after they proclaimed a fast, wore sackclothes and rolled in ashes (Jonah 3 & 4), demonstrates that there is no sin which God cannot forgive provided the sinner is ready to reform.

 

5. Be Careful with the Unsympathetic: Like the unsympathetic servants of the Master who wanted the weeds separated from the wheat, some Christians belong to the unsympathetic school of thought which comprises of self-righteous people who are impatient with sinners and are angry with God for not punishing them with fire and brimstone. They cannot understand for instance why God would forgive homosexuals and lesbians, armed robbers and commercial kidnappers, corrupt politicians and ritualists et al. They behave like Prophet Jonah who was angry with God for not punishing the people of Nineveh and fled to erase the possibility of the people repenting as a result of his preaching to them (Jonah 4:1-2) - Beware of these type of people.

6. Emulate the Sympathetic: We are called to behave like Christians who are often lenient towards sinners and plead for divine mercy upon them. They understand the message of the second reading that God helps us in our weaknesses. We are called to be sympathetic to sinners rather than being judgmental. Those who are strong must bear with the qualms of the weak while praying for their repentance.

7. Be Impactful like the Mustard Seed, Yeast: Unless our Christian calling is contagious, it is contaminated – As such, like the Mustard Seed that shelters the birds of the air and Yeast which enlarges the dough, we are urged to impact the lives of others in a way that they become subjects of the kingdom on account of our Christian witnessing.    

Summary Lines

1. The first reading (Wisdom 12:-13,16-19) assures that God is lenient with sinners.

2. The second reading (Rom 8:26-27) insists that God comes to help us in our weakness.

3. Jesus gives a seven-point explanation of the Parable of the Wheat and Weeds in the light of God’s patience with sinners.

4. The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man. 

5. The reapers are the angles.

Conclusion

In conclusion, our take home lesson is that our Lord is a God of the second chance. Our liturgy teaches that God disposes his strength through mild judgment while governing with leniency. Accordingly, he forgives the sinner but does not condone sin. As such, those who are strong must be sympathetic with the weak. That is why the scripture says: “We may be unfaithful but God is always faithful” (2 Tim. 2:13). Morton Kelsey put it more beautifully when he said: “The Church is not a museum for saints but a hospital for sinners.” Our liturgy urges us not to be scandalized because sinners occupy the same pew with saints in our churches. We must not take God’s patience for granted by either avoiding or abusing the sacrament of confession. As we wait harvest time, let us make every effort to be part of the good seed that would be collected. Have a great week ahead!