16th Sunday in ordinary time, Wisdom 12:13,16-19, Romans 8:26-26, Mathew 13:24-43

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, The Gospel of the day presents three beautiful parables that reveal the mystery of the Kingdom of God: the parable of the wheat and the weeds, the mustard seed, and the yeast.

Jesus says: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field."

God never plants evil. Everything He created was good.

Genesis tells us: "God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good."

God continues sowing good seeds every day. These good seeds include: love, faith, forgiveness, generosity, compassion, humility, honesty, purity, hope, kindness

Every good inspiration in our hearts is a seed from God.

Jesus continues: "While everyone was asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat." Jesus clearly identifies the enemy. It is Satan.

From the very beginning, Satan has been planting weeds.

In the Garden of Eden, God said, “Do not eat from this tree." Satan sowed doubt. "Did God really say that?" He injected confusion. He injected pride. He injected disobedience. Ever since then, Satan has continued sowing weeds.

Today, those weeds appear as: jealousy, hatred, lust, greed, anger, addiction, revenge, gossip, pride, selfishness, discouragement, hopelessness

Notice something important. The devil rarely begins with actions. He begins with thoughts. A negative thought enters. Then imagination. Then desire. Then habit. Then sin.

That is why St. Paul says, "Take every thought captive." Our greatest battlefield is not outside. It is inside our minds.

We Must Discern the Seeds We Entertain

Every day, many thoughts enter our hearts. Some are from God. Some are from our own emotions. Some are temptations from the evil one.

Therefore, every Christian must ask: Where did this thought come from? Does it lead me toward Christ? Or away from Him?

For example, a thought says: "I should forgive." That is God's seed.

Another thought says: "Take revenge." That is a weed.

One thought says: "Pray." Another says, "You are too busy."

One says, "Help the poor." Another says, "Keep everything for yourself."

The Christian life is choosing which seed to water.

Why Doesn't God Remove Evil Immediately?

And we see, the servants ask: "Do you want us to go and gather the weeds?"

The master replies: "No."

This surprises us. Wouldn't it be better to remove evil immediately? Jesus says no. Why?

Because immature servants cannot always distinguish wheat from weeds.

In pulling weeds, they might uproot wheat.

There is another lesson hidden in this parable.

The servants were eager to pull out the weeds. Sometimes we are like those servants.

We are quick to judge others. We decide who is holy and who is sinful.

We label people. We condemn them.

But Jesus reminds us that only God sees the whole story.

The person we criticize today may become tomorrow's saint.

God alone knows every heart. Only He knows who can still repent. Many saints were once sinners. St. Augustine lived a sinful life. St. Paul persecuted Christians. Mary Magdalene had a broken past. Had God judged immediately, they would never have become saints.

And you know, many misunderstand God's silence.

They think: "I don't pray." "I drink excessively." "I cheat." "I gossip." "I never attend church." "Nothing bad has happened." "So God must not care." This is dangerous thinking.

God's patience is not permission. It is mercy. The harvest has not yet arrived.

Ecclesiastes reminds us: There is a time for everything. Jesus says: The harvest is the end of the age. God waits. But he does not forget. Every action will be judged. Nothing escapes His eyes.

The Final Separation

Jesus explains the parable Himself.

The harvest represents the final judgment. The angels will separate the wheat from the weeds.

This is not because God enjoys punishment. Rather, every person finally becomes what they have freely chosen. The separation is based on the life we live today. Every day, we are becoming either wheat or weeds.

The Mustard Seed- Jesus tells another parable. The Kingdom begins like a mustard seed. It is the smallest seed. Yet it becomes a large tree.

God often begins with small things. A five-minute prayer. A smile. A simple apology. One Rosary. One visit to the sick. One act of forgiveness. One honest confession. These appear small. But God grows them into something much greater. Never underestimate small acts done with love.

The Yeast-Jesus says: The Kingdom is also like yeast hidden in flour. Yeast is almost invisible. Yet it transforms the whole dough. Faith works similarly.

The Holy Spirit quietly transforms hearts. Christian influence is often hidden.

The battle is real. It’s the realistic picture of today’s world, both good and evil exist, and it’s up to us what to listen to and be watchful in every area of life because evil is at work…

16th Sunday of Ordinary Time

15th Sunday in ordinary time, Isaiah 55:10-11, Romans 8:18-23, Mathew 13:1-23

"Words are powerful. They can build a person up or break a person down." A word of encouragement can change someone's life. A word of hatred can leave a wound for years.

If human words have such power, how much more powerful is the Word of God!

Today's readings invite us to rediscover the beauty, power, and transforming force of God's Word.

In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah gives us a beautiful image: "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there until they have watered the earth... so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty."

Rain does not ask whether the earth deserves it. It simply falls. It softens hard ground, nourishes dry fields, awakens sleeping seeds, and brings life where there was barrenness.

In the same way, God's Word is heavenly rain. God never speaks meaningless words. His Word always has a purpose. It always carries life.

But if rain falls on concrete, it cannot penetrate. The problem is not the rain; it is the surface. This is exactly what Jesus explains in today's Gospel.

Jesus tells us about a farmer who scatters seed everywhere.

Human logic would say, "Be careful! Don't waste seed on the path, among rocks, or among thorns."

But God's love is different. The Sower throws seed everywhere because God never gives up on anyone.

He speaks to saints and sinners. He calls the faithful and the indifferent. He offers His grace to everyone.

Every Sunday, the same Gospel is proclaimed. Yet people leave the church differently. Some are deeply touched. Some forget the message before reaching home. Some are inspired for a few days. Others allow the Word to change their lives completely.

The difference is not the seed. The difference is the soil; the condition of your heart…it must be prepared so that word can sprout

We hear a lot of noises, but how many of us really hear the word that God is speaking to you?

Imagine a doctor giving life-saving medicine to four patients. All four hear the doctor's instructions. One ignores them, another starts but soon stops, a third lets other priorities get in the way, and only the fourth faithfully follows the prescription and recovers.

The doctor's advice was the same for everyone. The difference was not in the medicine but in the response.

So, it is with God's Word. Jesus' invitation, "He who has ears, let him hear," is a call to become more than listeners. It is a call to become doers of the Word, so that His message may take root in our hearts and bear abundant fruit.

We might ask: if God’s Word is so powerful, why do so many hearts remain untouched? Jesus’ parable answers: because the Word is personal and requires a human response.

Let’s ask, how many of us read the word of God daily, how many of us try to understand what Jesus says to us?

3. The Four Conditions of the Human Heart- Jesus is really describing four kinds of hearts.

The Path – A Closed Heart

Some people hear God's Word but never really listen.

Their minds are occupied with work, money, phones, worries, or entertainment.

The Word never enters because the heart has become hard.

Many people today hear the Gospel every Sunday but never allow it to challenge their way of living.

The Rocky Ground – A Shallow Heart

Others receive God's Word with enthusiasm.

They enjoy retreats. They love emotional moments. They make beautiful promises.

But when suffering comes...when people criticize them...when following Christ demands sacrifice...their faith disappears. Roots take time.

A tree survives storms because its roots go deep.

The Thorny Ground – A Distracted Heart

Jesus says that worries, riches, and worldly pleasures choke the Word.

Notice that the seed actually grows. The problem is that something else grows faster.

This is perhaps the greatest danger today. Not persecution. Not atheism. But distraction.

We live in an age filled with endless notifications, social media, constant entertainment, consumerism, and anxiety. These are the modern thorns that slowly crowd out time for God.

Without realizing it, we can spend hours scrolling on our phones but only a few minutes listening to God.

The Word is not absent. It is simply crowded out.

The Good Soil – An Open Heart

Finally comes the good soil. This person listens. Reflects. Prays. Lives the Word.

The seed grows silently. Nobody sees the roots. But eventually everyone sees the fruit.

Jesus says some produce thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold. God never measures success by talent.

He measures faithfulness.

4. Mary: The Perfect Soil

Among all human beings, the Blessed Virgin Mary is the greatest example of good soil. When God's Word came to her through the angel, she did not merely hear it.

She welcomed it with faith: "Let it be done to me according to your word."

Because she received God's Word with an open heart, the Word became flesh within her.

This is also our vocation. Each time we hear the Gospel, Christ desires to take flesh in our thoughts, our words, our decisions, and our actions.

Conclusion

Today's readings leave us with one important question.

God is still sending His Word like rain upon the earth.

Jesus is still scattering the seed generously.

The seed has not lost its power.

The Sower has not stopped sowing.

The only question is: What kind of soil am I? Is my heart hardened by pride? Shallow because I avoid commitment? Crowded with the thorns of worldly distractions? Or open, humble, and ready to bear fruit?

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

14th Sunday, Zechariah 9:9-10, Romans 8:9,11-13, Mathew 11: 25-30

For what thing have you made a strong demand?

Thomas said, "Unless I see... unless I touch... I will not believe,"…he was adamant…stubborn.

Like any other disciple, he also had followed the Lord.

He had left everything to follow Jesus. For three years, he walked beside Him. He saw the blind receive sight, the dead raised, and sinners forgiven. He believed that Jesus was the Messiah. He had the right to get a share of everything that the lord gives.

We often criticize Thomas…telling the doubting one

The other disciples are rejoicing because they have seen the risen Jesus. And Thomas was absent.

So, he said, "Unless I see... unless I touch... I will not believe."

And Jesus appears only for him after eight days, and that encounter changed everything.

Tradition tells us that he journeyed thousands of miles from the Middle East to the shores of India,

We have heard the song, ‘sat samundar par ke mei tere piche piche aagayi…it’s a love of story of human beings who promises that I'm ready to travel for you even as far as 7 oceans…

But we have a person in the gospel who travelled many oceans and reached the land of Kerala in ad 52, but he was not in search of the love that he lost but instead, he was travelling to give the warmth of the love that he has experienced from the risen Lord…

We celebrate the feast of The Apostle Who Crossed the Sea for Christ- Thomas

Thomas might have known that there is no turning back…and travelled through the unknown land…

He carried nothing but the Gospel, his faith, and an unwavering conviction that Christ had conquered death, he is alive…

How do we carry our faith? Or what do we carry with us?

Imagine a situation when you are not having a Bible, Rosary, Mobile, how do you carry the faith?

Thomas’ travel, shows that it is a sign that the Church’s faith was meant to be carried—handed on, planted, and lived—until communities arise that can themselves become witnesses.

He did not seek wealth or power. He sought hearts. He travelled through unfamiliar lands, learned to live among different peoples, respected their cultures, and proclaimed the Good News with courage and compassion. He preached that every person, regardless of status or background, was loved by God and invited into a new life through Jesus Christ.

Today, nearly two thousand years later, we proudly call ourselves Christians. We celebrate our churches, our traditions, our feasts, and our rich heritage. But St. Thomas asks each of us a challenging question: Has the mission ended? Or how do you carry out the mission?

The mission of Christ did not end with the apostles. It continues through every baptized believer. Mission is not only about travelling to distant countries. It begins where we are—in our homes, our schools, our workplaces, our neighbourhoods, and our communities.

Today, missionary work takes many forms. It is the parents who patiently teach their children to pray. It is the teacher who forms not only intelligent minds but also compassionate hearts. It is the young person who chooses honesty in a world tempted by corruption. It is the doctor or nurse who treats every patient with dignity. It is the priest and religious who dedicate their lives to proclaiming the Gospel. It is the lay faithful who become witnesses through acts of kindness, forgiveness, and service.

Missionary work is also present in the digital world. Social media, podcasts, videos, blogs, and online conversations have become modern mission fields. While falsehood, hatred, and division spread rapidly across digital platforms, followers of Christ are called to fill these spaces with truth, hope, encouragement, and love. A thoughtful message, a word of comfort, or a testimony of faith can touch hearts far beyond our own communities.

How many of you put the word of God in your WhatsApp status?

Some of our other teachers of other religion they put videos in fb about their guru…they all try to proclaim their faith but we feel ashamed of it…I don’t get any money or subscription and it takes time to create the image also…dear friends, what I am trying to say is…we have to share the faith that we have received. And we are called only for this.

The greatest challenge today is not that people have never heard the name of Jesus. The greater challenge is that many have heard His name but have not yet encountered His love through His followers. People are looking for authentic witnesses. They long to see Christians whose lives reflect the Gospel they proclaim.

Gandhi ji said, I love Christ not Christians…because they don’t live what their master asked to do.

So dear friends, we have to build Churches by Faith, not by bricks…

What does it mean to “establish churches” in a place where the faith is new?

Later on, a time, if the Govt says you can’t practice prayers here, even if the church building is demolished, the faith should exist to continue…

Yesterday the place where I went for burial, a man told me don’t come here again for prayers…dear friends, it’s not easy to plant faith in a land where lot of blind faith exists.

Today if church is grown up in different parts of India the world, it’s because of the contribution received from the faithful. Last Sunday I got one 500 note from the offering. When God gives us, we have to give to the Lord and for his works. Normally 10%is the normal but at least one percentage.

The Church in India stands today because one apostle responded to the call of Jesus. The future of the Church will depend on whether we answer that same call today.

We are not called to sit in the locked rooms…like other disciples. It was Thomas who strengthened them.

If you have doubts like Thomas, do not hide. The Gospel invites you to come to the Lord—especially when the wound of your heart needs light. 

So today, we do not celebrate Thomas because he doubted.

We celebrate him because he did not remain in his doubt.

…whenever our faith is shaken, when doubts arise in our hearts, let us look at the wounds of the risen Lord…so that we also may feel like Thomas and say -"My Lord and my God!"

 

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time