LENIENCY, PATIENCE AND FORBEARANCE - 16th Sunday In Ordinary Time-Cycle A

Homily for the 16^th Sunday In Ordinary Time-Cycle A

Based on Mt 13:24-43 (Gospel), Ws 12:13, 16-19 (First Reading) and Rm 8:26-27 (Second Reading)

From the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”

LENIENCY, PATIENCE AND FORBEARANCE

“Let them both grow till the harvest” (Mt 13:30)

The Gospel for this  16^th Sunday In Ordinary Time (Cycle A) is taken from Mt 13:24-43. The first title is “Parable of the darnel”.

Verses 24 to 30 say: He put another parable before them, ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everybody was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off. When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, the darnel appeared as well. The owner’s servants went to him and said, “Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? If so, where does the darnel come from?” “Some enemy has done this” he answered. And the servants said, “Do you want us to go and weed it out?” But he said, “No, because when you weed out the darnel you might pull up the wheat  with it. Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers: First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn.”’

Parallel texts of verse 30 are:

1.       Jn 15:6 - Anyone who does not remain in me is like a branch that has been thrown away-he withers; these branches are collected and thrown into the fire, and they are burnt.

2.       Mt 3:12 - His winnowing fan is in his hand; he will clear his threshing-floor and gather his wheat into the barn; but the chaff he will burn in a afire that will never go out.’^I Footnote ⁱ says “The fire of Gehenna which for ever goes on consuming what has defied purification (Is 66:24; Jdt 16:17; Si 7:17; Zp 1:18; Ps 21:9, etc.).”

The second title is: “Parable of the mustard seed.” Parallel texts  for this title are:

1.       Mk 4:30-32  - Immediately aware that power had gone out from him,^b Jesus turned round in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched my clothes?’ (v. 30). His disciples said to him, ‘You see how the crowd is pressing round you and yet you say, “Who touched me?” (v. 31). But he continued to look round to see who had done it (v. 32). Footnote ^b says “The power is regarded as a physical emanation that heals, cf. Lk. 6:19, by contact: cf. Mk. 1:41; 3:10; 6:56; 8:22.”

2.       Lk 13:18-19  - He went on to say, ‘What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it with (v. 18)? It is like a mustard seed which a man took and threw into his garden: it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air sheltered in its branches.’ (v. 19).

Verses 31 and 32 say: He put another parable to them, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the biggest shrub of all and becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come and shelter in its branches.’

Parallel texts of verse 32 are:

1.       Si 11:3  - Small winged creature is the bee but her produce is the sweetest of the sweet.

2.       Ezk 17:23  - I will plant it on the high mountain of Israel. It will sprout branches and bear fruit, and become a noble cedar. Every kind of bird will live beneath it, every winged creature rest in the shade of its branches.

3.       Dn 4:9,18  - Its foliage was beautiful, its fruit abundant, in it was food for all. For the wild animals it provided shade, the birds of heaven nested in its branches, all living creatures found food in it (9).  That tree with beautiful foliage and abundant fruit, with food for all in it, providing shade for the wild animals, with the birds of heaven nesting in its branches (v. 18).

The third title is “Parable of the yeast”.

Parallel text  is Lk 13:20-21 that says: Another thing he said, ‘What shall I compare the kingdom of God with (v. 20)? It is like the yeast a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour till it was leavened all through.

Verse 33 says: He told them another parable, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like the yeast a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour til it was leavened all through’.^g Footnote ^g says “The kingdom, like the mustard seed and the leaven, is unpretentious in its beginnings but destined for enormous growth”.

The fourth title is “The people are taught only in parables”.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Mk 4:33-34 - Using many parables like these, he spoke the word to them, so far as they were capable of understanding it (v. 33). He would not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything to his disciples when they were alone.

2.       Jn 16:25 - I have been telling you all this in metaphors, the hour is coming when I shall no longer speak to you in metaphors; but tell you about the Father in plain words.^l Footnote ^l  says “The resurrection and the coming of the Spirit inaugurate the period of more perfect instruction which is to end in the vision of God ‘as he is’, 1 Jn 3:2.”

Verses 26, 37 and 38 say: Then. Leaving the crowd, he went to the house; and his disciples came to him and said, ‘Explain the parable about the darnel in the field to us’.  He said in reply, ‘The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world; the good seed is the subjects of the kingdom; the darnel, the subjects of the evil one;^I Footnote  ⁱ  says “Lit. ‘the children of the kingdom’ and ‘ the children of the evil one’, (semitisms).”

1 Jn 3:10

 Parallel text of verse 38 is  1 Jn 3:10  that says: In this way we distinguish the children of God from the children of the devil: anybody not living a holy life and not loving his brother is no child of God’s.

Verse 39 says: The enemy who sowed them, the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; the reapers are the angels.

Parallel text of verse is that says:

1.       Jl 4:13 - Put the sickle in: the harvest is ripe; come and tread: the winepress is full, the vats are overflowing, so great is their wickedness!’

2.       Rv 14:15-16 - Now in my vision I saw a white cloud and, sitting on it, one like a son of man with a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand (v. 14). Then another angel came out of the sanctuary, and shouted aloud to the one sitting on the cloud, ‘Put your sickle and reap; harvest time has come and the harvest of the earth is ripe’. (v. 15) Then the one sitting on the cloud set his sickle to work on the earth and the earth’s harvest was reaped (v. 16).

Verses 40 and 41 say: Well then, just as the darnel is gathered up and burnt in the fire, so it will be at the end of time. the Son of Man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that provoke offences and all who do evil,

Parallel text of verse 41 is Zp 1:3 that says: I mean to sweep away men and beasts, the birds of the air and the fish of the sea, I mean to send the wicked staggering,^a and wipe man off the face of the earth – it is Yahweh who speaks. Footnote   ^a  says  “‘I mean to send…staggering’ corr.; ‘the stumbling-blocks’ Hebr.”

Verse 42 says: And throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.

Parallel text of verse is that says:

1.       Mt 3:12 - His winnowing fan is in his hand; he will clear his threshing-floor and gather his wheat into the barn; but the chaff he will burn in a afire that will never go out.’^I Footnote  ⁱ  says “The fire of Gehenna which forever goes on consuming what has defied purification (Is 66:24; Jdt 16:17; Si 7:17; Zp 1:18; Ps 21:9, etc.).”

2.       Rv 21:8 - But the legacy for cowards, for those who break their word, or worship obscenities, for murderers and fornicators, and for fortune-tellers, idolaters or any sort of liars, is the second death in the burning lake of sulphur.’

3.       Mt 8:12 - but the subjects of the kingdom^d will be turned out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.’^e  Footnote ^c  says “Basing their idea on Is 25:6, the Jews often described the joyous messianic era as a banquet (cf. 22:2-14; 26:19p; Lk 14:15; Rev 3:20; 19:9).”; Footnote ^d says “Lit ‘the sons of the kingdom’, that is to say the Jews, natural heirs of the promises. Their place will be taken by the pagans, who prove more worthy.”; and Footnote ^e says “Scriptural image for the dismay and frustration of the wicked as seeing the virtuous rewarded, cf Ps 35:16; 37:12; 112:10; Jb 16:9. In Mt it is used as a description of damnation”.

Verse 43 says: Then the virtuous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.^j Listen, anyone who has ears! Footnote  ^j says “To the kingdom of the Son (the messianic kingdom) of v. 41 there succeeds the kingdom of the Father to whom the Son commits the elect whom he has saved. Cf Mt 25:34; 1 Co 15:24.”

Parallel text of verse is that says:

1.       Jg 5:31 - So perish all your enemies, Yahweh! And let those who love you^x be like the sun when he rises in all his strength!’ And the land enjoyed rest for forty years.  Footnote ^x says “‘who love you’ Greek and Lat. ‘who love him’ Hebr.”

2.       Ws 3:7 - When the time comes for his visitation^d they will shine out; as sparks run through the stubble, so will they.^e Footnote ^d - Lit. ‘in the day of their visitation’, cf. Ex 3:16+.”;  and Footnote ^e  says “Symbolizing the triumph of Israel over all enemies, who perish like stubble in the fire, Is. 1:3 (LXX), Jr. 5:14; Zc 12:6; Ml 3:19.”

3.       Dn 12:3 - The learned^c will shine as brightly as the vault of heaven, and those who those who have instructed many in virtue,^d as bright as stars for all eternity.

The First Reading is taken from  Ws 12:13, 16-19.

Verse 13 says: For there is no god, other than you, who cares for everything,^e to whom you might have to prove that you never judged unjustly; Footnote  ^e  says “Or ‘all men’.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Dt 32:39 - See now that I, I am He, and beside me there is no other God. It is I who deals death and life; when I have struck it is I who heal (and none can deliver from my hand).

2.       Jb 34:13 - It is not as if someone else had given him the earth in trust,^d or confided the whole universe to his care. Footnote  ^d  says “The argument seems to be this: God is not a viceregent of the universe ; he does not administer the laws of someone else: they are the creation of his own omnipotence. Neither self-interest, therefore, not force, can make him violate justice. Cf. Ws 11:20-26; 12:11-18.”

Verses 16 and 17 say: Your justice has its source in strength,^f your sovereignty over all makes you lenient to all. You show your power when your sovereign power is questioned and you expose the insolence of those who know it;^g Footnote  ^f says “Power is used by the wicked to defeat justice, 2:11, by God to temper it; he is ‘patient because eternal’.”; and Footnote ^g  says ‘who know it’ (defying it, however, like Pharaoh); var. ‘who do not know it’.

Parallel text of verse 16 is Ws 2:11 that says: Let our strength be the yardstick of virtue, since weakness argues its own futility.

Verse 18 says: But, disposing of such strength, you are mild in judgment, you govern us with great leniency,^h for you have only to will, and your power is there. Footnote  ^h says “Not only Jews, but everyone”.

Parallel text of verse is that says:

1.       Ps 115:3 - Ours is the God whose will is sovereign in the heavens and on earth,^a Footnote ^a- ‘and on earth’ Greek; omitted by Hebr

2.       Ps 135:6 - In the heavens, on the earth, in the ocean, in the depths, Yahweh’s will is sovereign.

Verse 19 says: By acting thus you have taught a lesson to your people how the virtuous man must be kindly to his fellow men,ⁱ and you have given your sons the good hope that after sin you will grant repentance. Footnote  ⁱ  says “Like Wisdom herself, 1:6; 7:23. The kindness enjoined by the Law on the Israelite in dealing with his compatriot is here extended into a universal obligation, in preparation for the NT, cf. Mt 5:43-48.”

Parallel text is Ws 11:23 that says:  Yet you are merciful to all^q, because you can do all things and overlook men’s sins so that they can repent. Footnote   ^q says “The thought of vv. 23f is not new to Israel but it had never before been expressed so powerfully, nor so serenely or so logically argued as in vv. 25-26.”

The Second Reading is taken from Rm 8:26-27.

Verse 26 says: The Spirit too comes to help us in our weakness. For when we cannot choose words in order to pray properly, the Spirit himself expresses our plea in a way that could never be put into words…

Parallel texts are:

1.       Rm 5:5 - And this hope is not deceptive, because the love of God^e has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which had been given us.^f Footnote ^e says “God’s love for us; of this the Holy Spirit is a pledge and to this, by his active presence within us, he bears witness, cf. 8:15 and Ga. 4:6. Through him we stand before God as sons before their father; the love is mutual. This text therefore, in the light of its parallel passages, asserts that the Christian shares in the life of the Trinity through ‘sanctifying grace’.”; and Footnote ^f says “The promised Spirit, Ep 1;13, cf. Ga 3:14; Ac 2:33+, distinctive of the new covenant as contrasted with the old, Rm 2:29; 7:6; 2 Co 3:6; cf. Ga 3:3; 4:29; Ezk 36:27+, is not merely exhibition of healing or charismatic power, Ac 1:8+; is also, and especially, an inward principle of new life, a principle that God ‘gives’, 1 Th 4:8, etc., cf. Lk 11:13; Jn 3:34; 14:16f; Ac 1:5; 2:38 etc.; 1 Jn 3:24, ‘sends’, Ga 4:6; cf. Lk 24:49; Jn 14:26; 1 P 1:12, ‘supplies’, Ga 3:5; Ph 1:19, ‘pours out’, Rm 5:5; Tt 3:5f; cf. Ac 2:33. Received into the Christian by faith, Ga 3:2,14;cf. Jn 7:38f; Ac 11:17, and baptism, 1 Co 6:11; Tt 3:5; cf. Jn 3:5; Ac 2:38; 19:2-6, It dwells within him, Rm 8:9; 1 Co 3:16; 2 Tm 1:14; cf. Jm 4:5, in his spirit, Rm 8:16; cf. the Spirit of Christ, Rm 8:9; Ph 1:19; Ga 4:6; cf. 2 Co 3:17; Ac 16:7; Jn 14;26; 15:26; 16:7, 14; makes the Christian a son of God, Rm 8;14-16; Ga 4:6f, and establishes Christ in his heart, Ep 3:16. For the Christian (as for Christ himself, Rm 1:4+) this Spirit is a principle of resurrection, Rm 8:11+, in virtue of as eschatological gift which even in life signs him as with a seal, 2 Co 1:22; Ep 1:13; 4:30, and which is present within him by way of pledge, 2 Co 1:22; 5:5; Ep 1:14, and of first-fruits, Rm 8:23. It takes the place of the evil principle in man that is ‘the flesh’. Rm 7:5+, and becomes a principle of faith, 1 Co 12:3; 2 Co 4:13; cf. 1 Jn 4:2f, of supernatural knowledge, 1 Co 2:10-16; 7:40; 12:8f; 14:2f; Ep 1:17; 3:16, 18; Col 1:9; cf. Jn 14:26+, of love, Rm. 5:5, 15:30, Col. 1:8, of sanctification, Rm 15:16, 1 Co. 6:11, 2 Th .2:13, cf. 1P 1:2, of moral conduct, Rm 8:4-9, 13; Ga. 3:16-25, of apostolic courage, Ph. 1:19; 2 Tim 1:7f; cf. Ac 1:8+, of hope, Rm 15:13, Ga. 5:5, Ep. 4:4, of prayer. Rm. 8:26f,cf. Jm 4:35; Jude 20.  The Spirit must not be quenched, 1 Th. 5:19, or grieved, Ep. 4:30.  It unites man with Christ, 1 Co 6:17, and thus secures the unity of his Body, 1 Co. 12:3, Ep. 2:16,18, 4:4.”

2.       Rm 8:15 - The spirit you received is not the spirit of slaves bringing fear into your lives again; it is the spirit of sons, and it makes us cry out ‘Abba, Father!’^I Footnote ⁱ  says “The prayer of Christ in Gethsemane, Mk 14:36.”

3.       Ga 4:6 - The proof that you are sons is that God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts: the Spirit that cries, “Abba, Father”

4.       Jm 4:3,5…when you do pray and you don’t get it, it is because you have not prayed properly, you have prayed for something to indulge your own desires (v. 3). Surely you don’t think scripture is wrong when it says: the spirit which he sent to live in us wants us for himself alone?^c Footnote ^c says  “Lit. ‘the spirit he has made to dwell in us years for our love’; or ‘he years intensely over the spirit he has made to dwell in us’. This text, now lost, seems to have inspired Rm 8:26-27 as well. It is because God has shared his Spirit with us, that we want what God wants and that God answers our prayers, cf. Mt 18:19-20; Jn 14:13+.”

Verse 27 says: And God who knows everything in our hearts knows perfectly well what he means, and that the pleas of the saints expressed by the Spirit are according to the mind of God.^o Footnote ^o says  “Paul insists on the necessity of constant prayer (Rm. 12:12, Ep 6:18, Ph. 4:6, Col. 4:2, 1 Th. 8:17+, 1 Tm. 2:8, 5:5, cf. 1 Co. 7:5) taught by Jesus himself (Mt. 6:5+, 14:23+) and practiced by the early Christians (Ac. 2:42+). Paul is always praying for the faithful, 1 Co. 1:16, Ph. 1:4, Col. 1:3,9, 1 Th. 1:2, 3:10, 2 Th. 1:11, Phm. 4) and asks them to do the same for him (Rm. 15:30, 2 Co. 1:11, Ep. 6:19, PH. 1:19, Col. 4:3, 1 Th. 5:25, 1 TH. 3:1, Phm. 22, Heb. 13:18), and for each other (2 Cor. 9:14, Ep. 6:18, on prayer for sinners and the sick, cf. 1 Jn. 5:16, Jm. 5:13-16. These prayers must ask for growth in holiness but also for the removal of all external (1 Th. 2:18 and 3:10; Rm. 1:10) and internal (2 Co. 12:8-9), obstacles to it; we have to pray too, for the orderly conduct of the country’s business (1 Tm. 2:1-2). Paul lays special stress on prayers of thanksgiving (Ep. 5:4; Ph. 4:6, Col. 2:4, 4:2, 1 Th. 5:18, , 1 Tm. 2:1) for every gift of God (Ep. 5:20, Col. 3:17) and particularly for the food God gives us (Rm. 14:6, 1 Co. 10:31, 1 Tm. 4:3-5); he begins all his own letters with a prayer of thanks (Rm. 1:8, etc.) and he wants the spirit of gratitude to pervade all the Christian’s dealing with each other (1 Co. 14:17, 2 Co. 1:11, 4:15, 9:11-22). In liturgical gatherings prayers of thanksgiving and praise must predominate (1 Co. 11:14) and these sentiments must inspire the hymns that the Christians compose for these occasions (Ep. 5:19, Col. 3:16). It is the Holy Spirit who inspires the prayer of the Christians and Paul prefers to emphasize this rather than repeat the traditional Wisdom themes, namely the necessary conditions for prayer and its efficaciousness (cf. Jm. 1:5-8, 4:2-3, 5:16-18, 1 Jn. 3”22, 5:14-16) which Paul guarantees by the presence of the spirit of Christ within the Christian, enabling him to pray as a son to his father (Rm. 8:15, 26-27); Ga. 4:6, cf. 6:18; Jude 20), while Christ himself intercedes at the right hand of God (Rm. 8:34, cf. Heb. 7:25, 1 Jn. 2:1). The Father’s response is therefore most generous (Ep. 3:10). Hence Christians are called ‘those who invoke the name of Jesus Christ’ (1 Co. 1:2, cf. Rm. 10:9-13, 2 Tm. 2:22, Jm. 2:7, Ac. 9:14,21, 22:16). On the attitude to be adapted when praying, cf. 1 Co. 11:14-16, 1 Tm. 2:8.”

Parallel text is Jr 11:20 that says: But, you, Yahweh Sabaoth, who pronounce a just sentence who probe the loins and heart, let me see the vengeance you will take on them, for I have committed my cause to you.^j Footnote   ^j says “‘I have committed’ corr.; ‘I have revealed’ Hebr. On such appeals to God for revenge, cf. Ps 5:10+.”

Homily:

In our society where “instant” is a trend, the three qualities of leniency, patience and forbearance are desirable.

Leniency, Patience and Forbearance are the three qualities that are exemplified in today’s (16^th Sunday in Ordinary Time –Cycle A) gospel reading, namely, the three parables of the darnel (weeds), the mustard see and the yeast, which are also supported by the first and second readings.

Leniency and Forbearance are the message of the parable of the darnel, which is also stated in the first reading, Ws 12:13,16-19.

Patience is the message of the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast, which is supported by the second reading, Rm 8:26-27, on the need to pray always, and further explained by the footnote ^g of Mt 13:33 that says: “ The kingdom, like the mustard seed and the leaven, is unpretentious in its beginnings but destined for enormous growth.”

Leniency, and Forbearance are two words that mean the same thing, which is to be kind, gentle and merciful to others. They are synonymous to compassion, tolerance, charity, mercy, kindness and lenity as opposed to cruelty, intolerance and meanness (from http://www.thesaurus.com).

Particularly the statements of Ws 12: 19 that says:  “By acting thus you have taught a lesson to your people how the virtuous man must be kindly to his fellow men, and you have given your sons the good hope that after sin you will grant repentance.”

Patience had already been tackled in the previous topics of “Impatient Landowner” and the “Mustard Tree.”