16th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A - 23/7/2023 - Gospel: Mt 13: 24-30
Light and Darkness
Last week, the sower was a villager, a farmer, who worked on his own. This week the sower is a wealthy landlord. He and his servants work during the day; while at night, his enemy quietly comes to sow weed, darnel, in his field. Noticing of the darnel growing alongside the wheat; the servants query the master about the quality of the seed; and the darnel. Instead of punishing the servants for failing to look after the field at night; the landlord simply replies that it is the work of the enemy. The servants propose the solution, uprooting the darnel. The landlord advises them, that because the wheat and darnel are too well blended; if they uprooted the darnel now; it would cause more harm to the wheat. It is better to wait till the harvest time. At harvest time, it is not the servants gathering the wheat, but the reapers, with clear instructions: the darnel is to be burnt, and the wheat is stored in the barn.
The contrast between day, and night suggests that the landlord is an honest, upright person; who prefers to work in daylight; because his actions are right and just. In contrast, the enemy is dishonest, and who prefers darkness because his action is evil.
Light, openness, and transparency are the ways of the landlord; while darkness, secrecy, and evil intent are the ways of the enemy. We don't know the face of the landlord but can visualize that he is a good and kind person, simply because his servants feel free to talk to him. They openly question him about the quality of the seed and also ask him how the darnel comes about, and also propose the solution to weeding out the darnel. For this reason, I think he is a good landlord who gets on well with his servants.
For a good and honest person, night time is a time for family and resting, relaxation, and recharge energy. S/he is able to do it because her/his mind and heart are clear and bright. At a spiritual level, night time is a time for reflection on how the day has gone, and also a time to give thanks to God for the gifts one has received.
For a dishonest person, night time is a time for carrying out evil activities, stealing, and killing. Dishonest people love to hide their faces, for fear of being exposed to the light. They live in fear. Both their faces and evil acts are being concealed, but not for long because nothing is being covered forever. One day, it will be discovered, and that is also the time of judgement. Darkness in this contact is not just simply the absence of the sun, but rather the darkness of a person's mind and heart. At the spiritual level, darkness is the absence of truth and peace and justice. It is the denial of God's love and mercy. Recognizing of the darnel in our life requires wisdom; otherwise, we can mistake darnel for wheat or evil for goodness. They seem to be good in their appearance, but underneath the sugar coating; there is hidden bitterness.
Jesus tells his disciples at the end of the parable that the landlord is God; the good seed is people. The enemy is evil and the harvest is the end of the world; the reapers are the angels. Light, and goodness are the way of God. Badness, and darkness are the way of evil. The parable tells us that at the present time, both goodness and badness co-exist in the world, but in the end; they don't come to the same end. Each goes to a different end. Goodness is joined to the Eternal Goodness; while badness follows the power of darkness.
The contrast between day, and night suggests that the landlord is an honest, upright person; who prefers to work in daylight; because his actions are right and just. In contrast, the enemy is dishonest, and who prefers darkness because his action is evil.
Light, openness, and transparency are the ways of the landlord; while darkness, secrecy, and evil intent are the ways of the enemy. We don't know the face of the landlord but can visualize that he is a good and kind person, simply because his servants feel free to talk to him. They openly question him about the quality of the seed and also ask him how the darnel comes about, and also propose the solution to weeding out the darnel. For this reason, I think he is a good landlord who gets on well with his servants.
For a good and honest person, night time is a time for family and resting, relaxation, and recharge energy. S/he is able to do it because her/his mind and heart are clear and bright. At a spiritual level, night time is a time for reflection on how the day has gone, and also a time to give thanks to God for the gifts one has received.
For a dishonest person, night time is a time for carrying out evil activities, stealing, and killing. Dishonest people love to hide their faces, for fear of being exposed to the light. They live in fear. Both their faces and evil acts are being concealed, but not for long because nothing is being covered forever. One day, it will be discovered, and that is also the time of judgement. Darkness in this contact is not just simply the absence of the sun, but rather the darkness of a person's mind and heart. At the spiritual level, darkness is the absence of truth and peace and justice. It is the denial of God's love and mercy. Recognizing of the darnel in our life requires wisdom; otherwise, we can mistake darnel for wheat or evil for goodness. They seem to be good in their appearance, but underneath the sugar coating; there is hidden bitterness.
Jesus tells his disciples at the end of the parable that the landlord is God; the good seed is people. The enemy is evil and the harvest is the end of the world; the reapers are the angels. Light, and goodness are the way of God. Badness, and darkness are the way of evil. The parable tells us that at the present time, both goodness and badness co-exist in the world, but in the end; they don't come to the same end. Each goes to a different end. Goodness is joined to the Eternal Goodness; while badness follows the power of darkness.
Written by Fr Vũđình Tường
St Francis Xavier Catholic Parish
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane Australia
St Francis Xavier Catholic Parish
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane Australia
