Reading of the Word of God

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

The Spirit of the Lord is upon you.
The child you shall bear will be holy.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Matthew 13,36-43

Then, leaving the crowds, he went to the house; and his disciples came to him and said, 'Explain to us the parable about the darnel in the field.' 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; the enemy who sowed it, the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; the reapers are the angels. 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 causes of falling and all who do evil, and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then the upright will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Anyone who has ears should listen!

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Look down, O Lord, on your servants.
Be it unto us according to your word.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Once back home, the disciples ask Jesus to explain the parable of the weeds of the field. There are moments of intimacy between Jesus and the disciples in which it is easier to ask questions and confide in him. We can liken these moments to those that every community experiences when it gathers together in common prayer. Jesus is present wherever two or three gather in his name. Listening to the Word of God as a community has a particular value and grace, given precisely in Jesus' presence. John stresses the sense of friendship as he records Jesus saying to the disciples: "I do not call you servants* any longer... because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father" (Jn 15:15). Friendship with Jesus allows us to enter into a deeper understanding of the Gospel's meaning. Jesus' himself explains to the disciples that both the good seed and the weeds grow together. The history of men and women is one. God has come to direct it towards the Kingdom. Weeds, that evil, are present in the world and in the hearts of believers as well as in the community of the disciples. Good and evil dwell in every people, culture, community and heart. While during the course of history - that which we are living - patience is required. At the end, there will be the reaping that is the time of judgement and separation. In the Lord's heart there is always hope that the weeds will transform into grain, a transformation for which we all have responsibility. Believers need to work to transform the weeds that surround them. They will be able to do it if at the same time they will transform those weeds which are in each of them. And at the end of history, together with all righteous we will be able to shine like the sun in his kingdom.