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..

 

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year A - July 16, 2023

The readings for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A tell of how our relationship with God helps us grow, which in turn allows our lives to bear fruit. The first reading explains that God’s Word is like the rain, which falls on the earth and makes it fertile. The second reading reminds us that a new creation is going to emerge. And in the gospel Jesus tells the parable of the sower and explains that our hearts must be ready to receive the Word of God.

• God’s Word: The first reading highlights the power and effectiveness of God’s word, comparing it to rain and snow that bring nourishment and produce fruitful results.

• Spiritual Nourishment: The imagery of rain and snow in the passage symbolizes the spiritual nourishment and refreshment that come from engaging with God’s word, highlighting the life-giving nature of Scripture.

• Receptive Hearts: Jesus teaches about the different types of hearts or dispositions of people who hear the word of God, emphasizing the importance of having a receptive heart that receives and embraces the message.

• Responses to God’s Word: The parable illustrates various responses to the word of God, including unbelief, superficial faith, distractions, and genuine faith and fruitfulness.

• Fruitfulness and Growth: The parable emphasizes the power of God’s word, depicting the potential for growth and abundant fruitfulness in the lives of those who receive and apply it.

 
Entrance:
 
1.      Diha sa Halaran (Koro Viannista)
2.      Atong Daygon ang Ginoo
3.      Awit ng Pasasalamat (Hontiveros)
4.      Buklod ng Pag-ibig (Pangilinan & Hontiveros)
5.      Come with into the Fields (Schutte)
 
Reading 1                        Is 55:10-11
Thus says the LORD:
Just as from the heavens
the rain and snow come down
and do not return there
till they have watered the earth,
making it fertile and fruitful,
giving seed to the one who sows
and bread to the one who eats,
so shall my word be
that goes forth from my mouth;
my word shall not return to me void,
but shall do my will,
achieving the end for which I sent it.
 
Responsorial Psalm                               Ps 65:10, 11, 12-13, 14
R. (Lk 8:8) The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
You have visited the land and watered it;
greatly have you enriched it.
God's watercourses are filled;
you have prepared the grain.
R. The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
Thus have you prepared the land: drenching its furrows,
breaking up its clods,
Softening it with showers,
blessing its yield.
R. The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
You have crowned the year with your bounty,
and your paths overflow with a rich harvest;
The untilled meadows overflow with it,
and rejoicing clothes the hills.
R. The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
The fields are garmented with flocks
and the valleys blanketed with grain.
They shout and sing for joy.
R. The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
 
Reading 2                                             Rom 8:18-23
Brothers and sisters:
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing
compared with the glory to be revealed for us.
For creation awaits with eager expectation
the revelation of the children of God;
for creation was made subject to futility,
not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it,
in hope that creation itself
would be set free from slavery to corruption
and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.
We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now;
and not only that, but we ourselves,
who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
we also groan within ourselves
as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
 
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower.
All who come to him will have life forever.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
 
Gospel                                        Mt 13:1-23
On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.
Such large crowds gathered around him
that he got into a boat and sat down,
and the whole crowd stood along the shore.
And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:
"A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and birds came and ate it up.
Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil.
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep,
and when the sun rose it was scorched,
and it withered for lack of roots.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.
But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit,
a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.
Whoever has ears ought to hear."
The disciples approached him and said,
"Why do you speak to them in parables?"

He said to them in reply,
"Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven
has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.
To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich;
from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
This is why I speak to them in parables, because
they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.
Isaiah's prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:
You shall indeed hear but not understand,
you shall indeed look but never see.
Gross is the heart of this people,
they will hardly hear with their ears,
they have closed their eyes,
lest they see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts and be converted,
and I heal them.

"But blessed are your eyes, because they see,
and your ears, because they hear.
Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people
longed to see what you see but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

"Hear then the parable of the sower.
The seed sown on the path is the one
who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it,
and the evil one comes and steals away
what was sown in his heart.
The seed sown on rocky ground
is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy.
But he has no root and lasts only for a time.
When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
he immediately falls away.
The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word,
but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word
and it bears no fruit.
But the seed sown on rich soil
is the one who hears the word and understands it,
who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold."

 

or

Mt 13:1-9

On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.
Such large crowds gathered around him
that he got into a boat and sat down,
and the whole crowd stood along the shore.
And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:
"A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and birds came and ate it up.
Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil.
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep,
and when the sun rose it was scorched,
and it withered for lack of roots.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.
But some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit,
a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.
Whoever has ears ought to hear."

Offertory:

1.      Dagyon Ikaw Ginoong Dios (Koro Viannista)

2.      Diyutay Lang Kini (Koro Viannista)

3.      Banyuhay (Esteban)

4.      Isang Pagkain, Isang Katawan, Isang Bayan (San Pedro)

5.      Christify (Bukas Palad)

6.      Blessed be GOD

 

Communion:

1.      Ang Magpupugas ug Daghan (swak na swak kaayo sa gospel)

2.      Ang Kinabuhi sa Tawo (swak sab kaayo as the song mentions BINHI)

3.      Ang Tawag

4.      Pagkakaibigan

5.      Ang Mabuting Pastol

6.      The Seed

7.      You are Mine

 

Recessional:

1.      Magpasalamat ta Niya

2.      Kahiusa

3.      Maliban na Mahulog sa Lupa

4.      Glory and Praise to Our GOD