16th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year A - July 23, 2023

The readings for the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A are focused on the Kingdom of God. The first reading reminds us that God desires justice and has shown us the way of kindness. The second reading tells us that the Spirit aids us in our weakness. And in the gospel Jesus gives us several parables related to the Kingdom of God, including the parable of the weeds in the wheat, the parable of the mustard seed, and the parable of the yeast.

• Coexistence of Good and Evil: In the gospel for the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A, Jesus presents the reality that in this world, both the children of the kingdom (believers) and the children of the evil one (unbelievers) will coexist until the final judgment, highlighting the presence of evil and the challenges faced by believers in a fallen world.

• Spiritual Warfare: The parable depicts the ongoing spiritual battle between good and evil, illustrating the strategies of the enemy to sow deception and hinder the growth of God’s kingdom.

• Patience and Delayed Judgment: The parable emphasizes God’s patience and long-suffering, as He allows both the wheat and the tares to grow together until the harvest, symbolizing the delay of final judgment and the opportunity for repentance.

• God’s Sovereignty: The parable portrays God’s ultimate sovereignty and authority over the final judgment, when the wheat (righteous) will be gathered into His kingdom, and the tares (wicked) will be cast into eternal punishment.

• Growth and Fruitfulness: The parable highlights the importance of spiritual growth and fruitfulness in the lives of believers, as represented by the wheat, emphasizing the need for genuine faith and righteous living.

• The Kingdom’s Expansion: In the gospel for the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A, Jesus teaches that the kingdom of God will expand and grow, starting small but eventually encompassing many people, cultures, and nations, reflecting God’s plan for the expansion of His kingdom.

 
Entrance:
1.      Awit sa Himaya
2.      Awit sa Pagdayeg
3.      Awit ng Pasasalamat
4.      Buksan ang aming Puso (Tinio, Hontiveros)
5.      Praise the Lord, My Soul (Foley)
6.      All the Ends of the Earth (Dufford)
 
Reading 1                        Wis 12:13, 16-19
There is no god besides you who have the care of all,
that you need show you have not unjustly condemned.
For your might is the source of justice;
your mastery over all things makes you lenient to all.
For you show your might when the perfection of your power is disbelieved;
and in those who know you, you rebuke temerity.
But though you are master of might, you judge with clemency,
and with much lenience you govern us;
for power, whenever you will, attends you.
And you taught your people, by these deeds,
that those who are just must be kind;
and you gave your children good ground for hope
that you would permit repentance for their sins.
 
Responsorial Psalm                              Ps 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16
R. (5a) Lord, you are good and forgiving.
You, O LORD, are good and forgiving,
abounding in kindness to all who call upon you.
Hearken, O LORD, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my pleading.
R. Lord, you are good and forgiving.
All the nations you have made shall come
and worship you, O LORD,
and glorify your name.
For you are great, and you do wondrous deeds;
you alone are God.
R. Lord, you are good and forgiving.
You, O LORD, are a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in kindness and fidelity.
Turn toward me, and have pity on me;
give your strength to your servant.
R. Lord, you are good and forgiving.
 
Reading 2                                   Rom 8:26-27
Brothers and sisters:
The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we ought,
but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.
And the one who searches hearts
knows what is the intention of the Spirit,
because he intercedes for the holy ones
according to God's will.
 
Alleluia                                       Cf. Mt 11:25
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
 
Gospel                                        Mt 13:24-43
Jesus proposed another parable to the crowds, saying:
"The kingdom of heaven may be likened
to a man who sowed good seed in his field.
While everyone was asleep his enemy came
and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off.
When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well.
The slaves of the householder came to him and said,
'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field?
Where have the weeds come from?'
He answered, 'An enemy has done this.'
His slaves said to him,
'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'
He replied, 'No, if you pull up the weeds
you might uproot the wheat along with them.
Let them grow together until harvest;
then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters,
"First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning;
but gather the wheat into my barn."'"
 
He proposed another parable to them.
"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed
that a person took and sowed in a field.
It is the smallest of all the seeds,
yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants.
It becomes a large bush,
and the 'birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.'"
 

He spoke to them another parable.
"The kingdom of heaven is like yeast
that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour
until the whole batch was leavened."
 
All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables.
He spoke to them only in parables,
to fulfill what had been said through the prophet:
I will open my mouth in parables,
I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation
of the world.
 
Then, dismissing the crowds, he went into the house.
His disciples approached him and said,
"Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field."
He said in reply, "He who sows good seed is the Son of Man,
the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom.
The weeds are the children of the evil one,
and the enemy who sows them is the devil.
The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire,
so will it be at the end of the age.
The Son of Man will send his angels,
and they will collect out of his kingdom
all who cause others to sin and all evildoers.
They will throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
Then the righteous will shine like the sun
in the kingdom of their Father.
Whoever has ears ought to hear."
 
or
 
Mt 13:24-30
Jesus proposed another parable to the crowds, saying:
"The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man
who sowed good seed in his field.
While everyone was asleep his enemy came
and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off.
When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well.
The slaves of the householder came to him and said,
'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field?
Where have the weeds come from?'
He answered, 'An enemy has done this.'
His slaves said to him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'
He replied, 'No, if you pull up the weeds
you might uproot the wheat along with them.
Let them grow together until harvest;
then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters,
"First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning;
but gather the wheat into my barn."'"
 
Offertory:

1. Diyutay lang Kini

1. Ihalad Namo Kanimo

1. Pag-aalay ng Puso

1. Unang Alay

1. Christify

1. Blessed be GOD

 
Communion:

1. Ang Kinabuhi sa Tawo

1. Kini Maong Akong Lawas

1. Pagkakaibigan

1. Hiram sa Dios

1. One Thing I ask

1. Love and Truth Will Meet

Recessional:

1. Ang Tawag

1. Pananagutan

1. Tanda ng Kaharian ng Dios

1. Save us, O Lord..