16th Ordinary Sunday, Year A, 19.07.2026

Wisdom 12:13, 16-19 / Romans 8:26-27 / Matthew 13:24-43

The presence of wicked and evil people in this world is a reality.

That reality is also painfully near to us as we come across such people in the various areas of our lives.

So, we see such people in the news, and they come in the form of terrorists, murderers, and those hardcore criminals.

We pray that we won't ever have to come face-to-face with such people.

But more often, what we will encounter are people like scammers who will mercilessly cheat all our money away.

Or at the workplace, we may come across people who will sabotage our plans and projects.

Or others who will do evil and wicked deeds ranging from backstabbing to slandering to gossiping about us.

And then there are also those who make life miserable and difficult for us, and they may even hate us.

There is no need to go into details or descriptions, but we know that those people are around and we can't seem to avoid them or get rid of them.

In the Gospel, Jesus tells us a parable that points to this reality of wickedness and evil in the world.

A man sowed good seeds in his field.

Then, when everyone was asleep, his enemy came and sowed darnel all over the wheat.

Darnel is a poisonous, weedy grass that looks very much like wheat.

And when the wheat sprouted and ripened, the darnel appeared as well.

When the servant saw it, he immediately asked if the darnel is to be weeded out.

The man's reply was to leave it till harvest time and then the wheat and the darnel will be separated.

The wheat will be gathered into the barn and the darnel will be burnt.

Jesus went on to explain the parable that there will be vindication for the just and punishment for the wicked.

That should give us some consolation that God will reward the good and punish the bad.

But as we reflect deeper on the parable, there are a couple of underlying lessons that we can learn.

Going back to the beginning of the parable, we can see that God sowed good seeds into the world.

God created everything good and He created mankind to be the best of His creation.

And then the enemy, the devil, came along and tempted Adam and Eve and they fell into sin.

That was how sin entered the world and we continue to face temptations and fall into sin.

So, we see in ourselves the wheat of goodness as well as the darnel of wickedness.

But the devil does not stop at just sowing the darnel in us.

He even wants to make us his tools of destruction, by tempting us to go around to sow the darnel of sin into others.

But on the other hand, we might also be like the servant, who is so eager to get rid of sin, that we fall into the devil's temptations of criticizing and condemning other people's sins.

This parable is a reminder for us to constantly turn to Jesus for protection.

The Bible tells us that the devil is like a roaring lion looking for someone to eat.

We have stand by our faith in Jesus and to ask Him to save us.

Also, when others do wrong and bad things to us, the Bible again tells us not to let resentment lead us into sin. 

The sunset must not find us still angry.

We must not give the devil his opportunity.

But the deeper reality is the transforming power of God.

We must let the good seeds in us bear a harvest of love for God.

And with the power of God's love, the darnel of sin can also be changed into a harvest of goodness and love.

Yes, it is by the power of God's love that the darnel of sin can be changed into the wheat of goodness.

With God, the biologically impossible becomes the spiritually possible.

It is by the power of God's love that sinners can be turned into saints.

And it is by the power of God's love and by our prayer that we will bear a harvest of love and peace for the world.

15th Week, Ordinary Time, Saturday, 18-07-2026

Micah 2:1-5 / Matthew 12:14-21     

The existence of wickedness and evil in the world is a reality that we cannot deny.

And we also cannot deny that there are people who are just so obsessed with committing wickedness and evil.

The first reading gives us a glimpse of what is in the mind of those evil and wicked people.

They lie in bed planning mischief, seizing fields that they covet, they take over houses as well, owner and house they confiscate together, taking both man and inheritance.

But wickedness and evil do not have a free hand and to do whatever and whenever.

Because the Lord says this: Woe to those who plot evil.

Yes, the Lord restrains those who are wicked and evil because He protects the good and the upright.

In the gospel, it was the Pharisees, of all people, who began to plot against Jesus, discussing how to destroy Him.

But Jesus did not confront them or retaliate against them.

The prophet Isaiah says this of Jesus: He will not break the crushed reed, nor put out the smouldering wick.

In the face of wickedness and evil, let us put our trust in Jesus.

He will lead the truth to victory, because in the end love and truth will prevail.

15th Week, Ordinary Time, Friday, 17-07-2026

Isaiah 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8 / Matthew 12:1-8

As we go on day by day, we may feel that life is rather routine and mundane.

We do the ordinary things like waking up, get ready for the day, take our meals and at the end of the day, we rest for the night.

But when this so-called monotony of life is broken by an unexpected mortal illness, then something that seems so abstract will become so real.

And that is, life is fading away and coming to an end, just like the sand in the hour-glass that is trickling away.

In the first reading, king Hezekiah was told to put his earthly affairs in order, for he was going to die.

King Hezekiah was a powerful king but even that could not stop death from coming to take him away.

He pleaded with God in tears, and God heard his prayer and added fifteen years to his life.

And that was because God had a purpose, that through king Hezekiah, the Assyrians will be defeated.

In the gospel, the Pharisees questioned Jesus about His disciples picking and eating corn on the sabbath.

The reply of Jesus can be summed up as this: people eat to live, and hunger is also a sign of the desire for life.

We too desire for life, but let us also hunger for God.

When we hunger for God, then we will give thanks to God for the ability to do the routine and mundane things in life.

15th Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 16-07-2026

Isaiah 26:7-9, 12, 16-19 / Matthew 11:28-30   

It can be said that human beings have a contradiction within themselves 

We want peace for ourselves, but we are prepared to fight with our enemies, thinking that by eliminating them, we will have peace.

We want to make ourselves look good and be happy, and we think that by putting others down, we will be better than them.

All this do not result in any good for ourselves or for others.

Yet, we keep fanning this contradiction within us with all sorts of warped strategies.

So what we really want is to have peace in our hearts and to live good lives.

But as the first reading tells us, the path of the upright man is straight and follows the way of the Lord.

It is only when we long for the Lord and seek Him, then we will learn the meaning of integrity and justice.

In the gospel, Jesus tells us to come to Him when we are tired and overburdened.

He will give us rest but we must turn away from our sinfulness and carry the cross of purification.

When we learn from Jesus to be gentle and humble of heart, then we will not be tired out and burdened by the contradictions of our lives.

15th Week, Ordinary Time, Wednesday, 15-07-2026

Isaiah 10:5-7, 13-16 / Matthew 11:25-27   

In order to achieve success, power, wealth or a specific goal, a person needs to be ambitious.

With ambition and the willingness to put in effort, then goals and targets can be achieved.

But ambition without principles and discipline can be dangerous.

And ambition fanned by pride and ego can make a person think that nothing can stop him from getting what he wants.

In the first reading, the Lord used Assyria to punish His people for their sinfulness.

The Lord sent Assyria against His people who had become like a godless nation.

But ambition, pride and ego made Assyria go on destroying and cutting nations to pieces without limit.

Assyria was like an axe that claimed more credit than the man who wields it. Assyria was just over-ambitious.

So the Lord of host had to show Assyria who is the Master, and He sent a wasting sickness to Assyria’s stout warriors and burned up their wealth.

In the gospel, Jesus says that the true meaning of life is revealed to mere children.

As much as it is good to have an ambition in life, may we also be like simple and humble children.

May we listen to the Lord our God and do what He wants of us.

15th Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 14-07-2026

Isaiah 7:1-9 / Matthew 11:20-24  

It is easier to believe in things we can see and know, rather than to believe in what cannot be seen and difficult to believe.

What our senses can perceive, we are able to make an assessment and judgement.

But if our senses cannot perceive, then our knowledge is limited and uncertain.

In the first reading, the two kings of Aram and Israel joined forces to lay siege on Jerusalem.

When the news reached Jerusalem, the heart of the king and the hearts of the people shuddered as the trees shudder in front of the wind.

They shuddered because of the imminent danger at the gates, and if the walls of the city are breached, it will be a tragedy and a disaster.

But the hearts of the king and the people shuddered because their hearts had swayed away from the Lord.

Still, the Lord did not abandon His people to the enemy and sent the prophet Isaiah to calm the heart of king Ahaz and not to fear.

The Lord will protect Jerusalem. But the Lord also gave this warning:

“If you do not stand by me, you will not stand at all”.

In the gospel, Jesus also warned the towns of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum.

Those town are now in ruins because they rather believed in their power and wealth than in the message of repentance.

Let us heed the message of repentance and stand by the Lord.

When we stand by the Lord with faith, He will protect us and fight our battles for us.

15th Week, Ordinary Time, Monday, 13-07-20267

Isaiah 1:10-17 / Matthew 10:34 - 11:1    

It can be said that one of the most profound expressions of our faith is in the worship.

When we are gathered in the Eucharist, we worship God and offer prayer for ourselves, for the Church and for the world.

The worship, or the liturgy, is a formalized set of rituals to help us to encounter the presence of God and to come into communion with Him.

While there are rules and guidelines for the liturgy, it is kept simple and dignified for everyone to follow and understand.

But in the first reading, the people’s sacrifice was frowned upon by the Lord.

In the Lord’s words, He said, “I am sick of the holocausts of rams and the fat of calves. The blood of bulls and goats revolts me.”

The Lord detested the sacrifices because the people’s worship was not an expression of their faith.

Their worship became like a ritual festival with solemnity, and at the same time they were committing wickedness, injustice and oppression.

So the Lord turned away and did not listen to their multiple prayers, unless they repented.

May we not treat our worship and liturgy as a sort of ritual festivity with empty solemnity.

May our worship be a true expression of our faith done with humility and simplicity.

Then the Lord our God will listen our prayers and grant us His blessings.