TODAY'S MASS READINGS: 16th SUN. OF ORDINARY TIME/ YEAR A

Wisdom 12: 13, 16 - 19
13For neither is there any god besides thee, whose care is for all men, to whom thou shouldst prove that thou hast not judged unjustly;16For thy strength is the source of righteousness, and thy sovereignty over all causes thee to spare all.17For thou dost show thy strength when men doubt the completeness of thy power, and dost rebuke any insolence among those who know it.18Thou who art sovereign in strength dost judge with mildness, and with great forbearance thou dost govern us; for thou hast power to act whenever thou dost choose.19Through such works thou has taught thy people that the righteous man must be kind, and thou hast filled thy sons with good hope, because thou givest repentance for sins.
Psalms 86: 5 - 6, 9 - 10, 15 - 16
5For thou, O Lord, art good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call on thee.
6Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; hearken to my cry of supplication.
9All the nations thou hast made shall come and bow down before thee, O Lord, and shall glorify thy name.
10For thou art great and doest wondrous things, thou alone art God.
15But thou, O Lord, art a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
16Turn to me and take pity on me; give thy strength to thy servant, and save the son of thy handmaid.
Romans 8: 26 - 27
26Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.
27And he who searches the hearts of men knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
Matthew 13: 24 - 43
24Another parable he put before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field;
25but while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.
26So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also.
27And the servants of the householder came and said to him, `Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds?'
28He said to them, `An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, `Then do you want us to go and gather them?'
29But he said, `No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them.
30Let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"
31Another parable he put before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field;
32it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."
33He told them another parable. "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened."
34All this Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed he said nothing to them without a parable.
35This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet: "I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world."
36Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field."
37He answered, "He who sows the good seed is the Son of man;
38the field is the world, and the good seed means the sons of the kingdom; the weeds are the sons of the evil one,
39and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels.
40Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age.
41The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers,
42and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.
43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

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