Our God is a Righteous God

July 23, Sunday of the 16th week of Ordinary Time
Daily Readings: First Reading: Wis 12:13, 16–19; Second Reading: Rom 8:26–27; Gospel Reading: Matt 13:24–43.

"Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father" (Matt 13:43). Our God is a righteous God, and He wants human beings created in His own image and likeness to become like Him. God desires their righteousness to shine like the sun, influencing the entire universe positively and inspiringly. Is righteousness one and the same for God and human beings?

The First Reading from the Book of Wisdom portrays God as someone who is moderate and tolerant while exercising His Divine power. God tempers power with mercy and does not use it against the innocent. This should serve as a lesson for all of us to temper justice with mercy and thereby hope for God’s compassionate love and mercy.

Yes! Our God cares for all people. He is kind and generous in forgiving the sins of the world and, more importantly, in instilling hope in humans. He is mild while judging and practices forbearance while governing humanity.

The Second Reading is part of that passage where the apostle speaks about the "future glory" of the believers (Rom 8:18–30). Yes! The Spirit helps us with our weaknesses and teaches us to pray.

The Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. God alone has the ability to read hearts. How many times do we read in the Old Testament that God knows the hearts of humans and in the Gospels that Jesus knew what others were thinking in their hearts?

Today’s Gospel Reading presents three parables and an explanation. The Kingdom of God here is likened to the farmer who sowed the good seeds in his field. Having accomplished an important task, he sleeps while his enemy keeps himself awake to carry out an evil task. The night is the best time for the enemy, or devil, to work. Everything that is sown will have to sprout. Everything looks alike at the beginning. Once the plants begin to grow and bear fruit, the slaves of the household identify the weeds. The slaves are in a hurry to react and take revenge, namely, remove the weeds.

The owner is concerned about the destruction it will bring to everyone, good and bad. He is patient. He doesn’t want to harm the wheat. He advises the slaves to allow everything to grow until harvest, when they can separate the wheat from the weeds. The treatment that is meted out to the wheat and weeds is different. Wheat is collected in the barn, while weeds are bundled in order to be burned.

That is what will happen at the end of the world. Blessed are those who can be patient and persevere even in adverse conditions!