Sunday, July 19, 2020 - 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 13, 24-43 - Blessed art Thou, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, Thou hast revealed to the little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom!

Jesus' teaching is about the Kingdom of Heaven. He takes three pictures to compare the Kingdom of Heaven: a man sows good seed in his field; mustard seed sown in the field and leaven in the flour. God is the good man who sowed the seed in his field. God is the source of all good. All that He has created is good and He created them for the good of man. It is the jealousy of the devil that causes evil to exist and often occurs in our lives. So, if we ask ourselves the question: "Why does evil exist," it is this teaching of Jesus that answers it. Good and evil always seem to go hand in hand. In our lives we have to face various situations: sickness, sadness, poverty, despair, bad conscience... and it is we, children of God, who have to endure them. On the other hand, it is not only the evil that reigns in our lives, but also the good fruit of our efforts, the acts of charity that allow us to help each other, the Church as the light of the world. In this way, good and evil happen in our world. The world is like the field where a grain of wheat is sown when the Gospel is proclaimed. This field is none other than the heart of man. We are the light in the Church. But expressions of evil are still visible such as: lack of respect for life, theft, debauchery, dishonesty, disrespect for the rights of others...

But everything has an end, as Jesus said in the parable: "Let them grow together until the harvest; and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers: First remove the chaff, bind it in bundles to burn it; as for the wheat, gather it and put it into my granary". The Church always wants to be the light of the world and strives to establish the Kingdom of God, a kingdom of justice and peace, a kingdom of truth and love. The Kingdom of God grows progressively like wheat. It is the result of our efforts for truth, peace and love; but on the other hand, there is the Evil One who discourages us or turns us away from God's call. Thus, despite all the trials and tribulations of our lives, Jesus is the Sower of the good seed, it is He who adds the leaven to the dough, it is He who plants the mustard seed, it is He whom we follow and serve. Amen!