Sunday 16 OT A: The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares

Listen dearest grains of Christ; listen Christ’s precious ears of wheat; listen, Christ’s dearest corn. Take a look at yourselves … And if you discover that you are good grain, let the thought occur to you "Whoever perseveres to the end will be saved (Matthew 10:22)". Any of you who on shaking up their consciences find themselves among the weeds must not be afraid to change. The command hasn’t been given to cut, it isn’t the harvest yet; don’t be today what you were yesterday, or at least don’t be tomorrow what you are today.¹

Links to Res Biblica

Reading Tips

1. Observe the text of Matthew 13:24-43: which verses can you group together as belonging to the same idea?
2. Label the text. After you have grouped verses into sections try to label each. The labels you attach for each section should be descriptive.
3. Go through each of the sections that you have labeled. Pay attention to the verbs and their subjects. Identify the words that appear in other sections of the gospel of Matthew that you’ve read. A concordance and a dictionary of the Bible would be useful for this.
4. Summarize each of the sections and revise your label if needed. The analysis should be completed with a summary of the section just analyzed. Rewrite the label you have attached to the section if needed.
5. See the verses you’ve studied within its context. Rereading the passages in the light of the previous section and the following one would be of help. Look for common and contrasting ideas.

Comparing the Gospel with the First Reading

The first reading for the 16th Sunday of OT A is Wisdom 12:13,16-19. The main idea in the Old Testament reading is about God’s leniency — He can afford to be lenient because he is most powerful.

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.

From your analysis of the Gospel reading, do you find anything that suggests God’s patience towards sinners?  The Sunday’s responsorial psalm — "Lord, you are good and forgiving" — suggests another insight into the Gospel reading.  The owner of the field tells his workers to wait for the harvest and not separate the wheat and the tares immediately so that the wheat do not perish along with the tares.  In the gospel there is no suggestion that the owner of the field wants to preserve the tares.  Seen from the context of the liturgy, however, the owner’s patience becomes the reflection of God’s mercy for sinners.

The Lesson Plan

1. One can prepare a lesson plan around the theme of Judgment and God’s Mercy.
   1. The reality of judgment should be stressed. The phrase "where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth" appears in four other verses with the same meaning: the utter desperation of those who are excluded from the joy reserved for the blessed (Matthew 8:12; 25:30).
   2. The time before the day of judgment is the time of conversion. (See 2 Peter 3:8-10)
2. A catechetical "connection" to the need for the Sacrament of Penance is not out of place here.
3. One can also begin from the idea that the mixture of saints and sinners in the Church does not denigrate from her holiness, as is done in CCC 827, and from there proceed to the idea of perseverance and repentance. Or from the idea of the holiness of Church, proceed to the way her presence in the world is like that of yeast or a mustard seed. From there, the reality of the mixture of saints and sinners and the need for repentance.