Sunday Sermon: God’s presence in our lives is discreet but real

The liturgy of the sixteenth Sunday in ordinary time is based on the following readings: Wisdom 12:13, 16-19; Psalm86; Romans8:26-27; Matthew13:24-43. The main theme is on God’s presence and work in our human situation in a discreet but real way. In the first reading the Book of Wisdom presents the Lord as the absolute standard and reference point of all that is human such as man’s judgment. At times man does not feel or recognise this power which is behind all that he or she does because God restrains his power out of his mercy; he is all-powerful, merciful and just. And in the way God deals with man, we should all learn a lesson on how we should relate with those we deem weaker or inferior to us. Psalm 86 emphasizes the goodness and forgiving nature of the Lord, concluding that all people; moved by this goodness, will one day worship only the Lord. In the second reading, St. Paul speaks of the Spirit of God present within us in a discreet but real way. The same Spirit shares our hard times and directs us to God in our confusions. In the Gospel, through the parable of the wheat and the darnel, Jesus explains to us two important ideas in images. One is how we are to understand the present times: God lets both good and evil advance in human hearts, since we are free to respond according to our will in this life. Good and evil seem so closely connected that any premature separation would prejudice the harvest. The darnel weed which is a very small plant, representing the evil in the parable, is difficult to distinguish from wheat at its early days of growth. It must be given time to grow so that it can be easily identified and eradicated. In this parable, good and evil are not abstract terms. They refer to the content of each human heart. In a way, the Gospel points to the way God accomplishes his works in our lives which is discreet but real, moving us to understand and to want what God wants for us: the true fulfilment of our lives. If we respond actively to this action, we begin growing as Christians. If we are faithful we will achieve a capacity and fruitfulness far beyond our initial expectations. From a doctrinal point of view, we are reminded in The Book of Wisdom not to presume to judge God according to our ideas and values, but to open our minds in order to comprehend a little who God is and how far he exceeds our measurements. We are warned not to trifle with the all-powerful God. God rebukes temerity. There is a constant temptation in man to reduce God to our human categories of thought and concern. The parable of the wheat and the darnel gives an answer to our common puzzle over the state of the world. The mutual growth of good and evil together as shown in the parable can dislodge certain simplistic notions of ours about earthly success and good always triumphing on this earth. Our human experience especially in the history of our nation, confirms a much more complex understanding of human events, one that the Gospel presents, where the good and bad live side by side within the knowledge of God, and given a certain time to go on, as if God ‘does not care’! As our history may prove, God has his own way of doing things. And the human notion of time differs greatly from the time in eternity as seen by God. It is another vision. From a pastoral point of view, there is a problem of man who at times may think in a mistaken way. This can happen in a variety of ways, from blissful unconsciousness to zealous mistakes. That is why this Sunday’s liturgy points to a double task that awaits us: to dislodge wrong or confused ideas, and to discover the right idea. We presume a lot when we think and speak of God. Though we generally talk of God using a worshipful and sacred tone; we often refer to him as a parent who does not seem to focus on the problems of his children. Our liturgy urges us to make an effort and to clear our minds of vague and misleading images and notions of who God is and what he wants: God cannot certainly fit into our human categories of thought and he defies all we know. Consequently, all we need to do is to open our minds and hearts in order to experience his presence first of all, and then guided by the Holy Spirit allow ourselves to grow in faith as we continue to feel his discreet bur real presence in our every day life. Ends