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From: Wisdom 12:13, 16-19

God, Just and Forbearing (Continuation)

[13] “For neither is there any god besides thee, whose care is for all men,
to whom thou shouldst prove that thou hast not judged unjustly;
[16] For thy strength is the source of righteousness, and thy sovereignty
over all causes thee to spare all.
[17] For thou dost show thy strength when men doubt the completeness of
thy power,
and dost rebuke any insolence among those who know it.
[18] Thou 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.
[19] Through 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.

*********************************************************************************************

Commentary:

12:12-27. This passage is imbued with very solid faith in the goodness and po-
wer of God, who is the only God, almighty, and has to account to no one for
what he does (vv. 12-14). Here the book of Wisdom connects up with sapiential
tradition (cf. Job 9) and with prophecy (cf. e.g. Is 45:9-13; Jer 18: 5-11). His all-
embracing power does not make God an unjust tyrant; on the contrary, God is
always righteous (vv. 15-17). Nor is his justice in any sense at odds with his mer-
cy and kindness. He shows this in his dealings with Israel, especially, but also
in his dealings with mankind at large, whose evil actions he punishes gently, to
give people a chance to change (vv. 18-25). However, he will indeed punish those
who are obdurate in their unbelief and wickedness (vv. 26-27). We find the same
teaching in the New Testament (cf. e.g., Mt 16:15-16).

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Romans 8:26-27

Christians are Children of God (Continuation)

[26] Likewise 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. [27] And 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.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

“The action of the Holy Spirit may pass unnoticed because God does not reveal
to us his plans, and because man’s sin obscures the divine gifts. But faith tells
us that God is always acting. He has created us and maintains us in existence,
and he is leading all creation by his grace towards the glorious freedom of the
children of God” (St J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 130).

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Matthew 13:24-43

The Parable of the Weeds

[24] Another parable he (Jesus) put before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven
may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field; [25] but while men
were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went
away. [26] So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared
also. [27] And 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?’ [28] He said to them,
‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go
and gather them?’ [29] But he said, ‘No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up
the wheat along with them. [30] Let both grow together until the harvest; and at
harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bun-
dles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”

The Mustard Seed; The Leaven

[31] Another parable He (Jesus) put before them saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven
is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field; [32] it 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.”

[33] He told them another parable. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a leaven which
a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till it was all leavened.”

[34] All this Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed He said nothing to them
without a parable. [35] This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: “I will
open my mouth in parables, I will utter what has been hidden since the founda-
tion of the world.”

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

[36] Then He (Jesus) 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.” [37]
He answered, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; [38] the field is
the world, and the good seed means the sons of the Kingdom; the weeds are the
sons of the evil one, [39] and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest
is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels. [40] Just as the weeds are
gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. [41] The Son
of Man will send His angels, and they will gather out of His Kingdom all causes
of sin and evildoers, [42] and throw them out into the furnace of fire; there men
will weep and gnash their teeth. [43] Then the righteous will shine like the sun in
the Kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.”

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

24-25. “The situation is clear: the field is fertile and the seed is good; the Lord of
the field has scattered the seed at the right moment and with great skill. He even
has watchmen to make sure that the field is protected. If, afterwards, there are
weeds among the wheat, it is because men have failed to respond, because they
— and Christians in particular — have fallen asleep and allowed the enemy to ap-
proach” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 123).

25. This weed—cockle—looks very like wheat and can easily be mistaken for it un-
til the ears appear. If it gets ground up with wheat it contaminates the flour and a-
ny bread made from that flour causes severe nausea when eaten. In the East per-
sonal vengeance sometimes took the form of sowing cockle among an enemy’s
wheat. Roman law prescribed penalties for this crime.

28. “When the careless servants ask the Lord why weeds have grown in his field,
the explanation is obvious: ‘inimicus homo hoc fecit: an enemy has done this.’
We Christians should have been on guard to make sure that the good things
placed in this world by the Creator were developed in the service of truth and
good. But we have fallen asleep—a sad thing, that sluggishness of our heart while
the enemy and all those who serve him worked incessantly. You can see how the
weeds have grown abundantly everywhere” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”,
123).

29-30. The end of this parable gives a symbolic explanation of why God allows
evil to have its way for a time—and for its ultimate extirpation. Evil is to run its
course on earth until the end of time; therefore, we should not be scandalized
by the presence of evil in the world. It will be obliterated not in this life, but after
death; at the Judgment (the harvest) the good will go to Heaven and the bad to
Hell.

31-32. Here, the man is Jesus Christ and the field, the world. The grain of mus-
tard seed is the preaching of the Gospel and the Church, which from very small
beginnings will spread throughout the world.

The parable clearly refers to the universal scope and spread of the Kingdom of
God: the Church, which embraces all mankind of every kind and condition, in eve-
ry latitude and in all ages, is forever developing in spite of obstacles, thanks to
God’s promise and aid.

33. This comparison is taken from everyday experience: just as leaven gradually
ferments all the dough, so the Church spreads to convert all nations.

The leaven is also a symbol of the individual Christian. Living in the middle of the
world and retaining his Christian quality, he wins souls for Christ by his word and
example: “Our calling to be children of God, in the midst of the world, requires us
not only to seek our own personal holiness, but also to go out onto all the ways
of the earth, to convert them into roadways that will carry souls over all obsta-
cles and lead them to the Lord. As we take part in all temporal activities as or-
dinary citizens, we are to become leaven acting on the mass” (St. J. Escriva,
“Christ Is Passing By”, 120).

34-35. Revelation, God’s plans, are hidden (cf. Matthew 11:25) from those who
are disposed to accept them. The Evangelist wishes to emphasize the need for
simplicity and for docility to the Gospel. By recalling Psalm 78:2, he tells us once
more, under divine inspiration, that the Old Testament prophecies find their fulfill-
ment in our Lord’s preaching.

36-43. While making its way on earth, the Church is composed of good and bad
people, just men and sinners: they are mixed in with one another until the harvest
time, the end of the world, when the Son of Man, in His capacity as Judge of the
living and the dead, will divide the good from the bad at the Last Judgment—the
former going to eternal glory, the inheritance of the saints; the latter, to the eter-
nal fire of Hell. Although the just and the sinners are now side by side, the Church
has the right and the duty to exclude those who cause scandal, especially those
who attack its doctrine and unity; this it can do through ecclesiastical excommu-
nication and other canonical penalties. However, excommunication has a medici-
nal and pastoral function—to correct those who are obstinate in error, and to pro-
tect others from them.

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Readings at Mass

First reading

Wisdom 12:13,16-19 ©

There is no god, other than you, who cares for every thing,

to whom you might have to prove that you never judged unjustly;

Your justice has its source in strength,

your sovereignty over all makes you lenient to all.

You show your strength when your sovereign power is questioned

and you expose the insolence of those who know it;

but, disposing of such strength, you are mild in judgement,

you govern us with great lenience,

for you have only to will, and your power is there.

By acting thus you have taught a lesson to your people

how the virtuous man must be kindly to his fellow men,

and you have given your sons the good hope

that after sin you will grant repentance.

Psalm

Psalm 85:5-6,9-10,15-16 ©

O Lord, you are good and forgiving.

O Lord, you are good and forgiving,

full of love to all who call.

Give heed, O Lord, to my prayer

and attend to the sound of my voice.

O Lord, you are good and forgiving.

All the nations shall come to adore you

and glorify your name, O Lord:

for you are great and do marvellous deeds,

you who alone are God.

O Lord, you are good and forgiving.

But you, God of mercy and compassion,

slow to anger, O Lord,

abounding in love and truth,

turn and take pity on me.

O Lord, you are good and forgiving.

Second reading

Romans 8:26-27 ©

The Spirit comes to help us in our weakness. For when we cannot choose words in order to pray properly, the Spirit himself expresses our plea in a way that could never be put into words, and God who knows everything in our hearts knows perfectly well what he means, and that the pleas of the saints expressed by the Spirit are according to the mind of God.

Gospel Acclamation

cf.Ep1:17,18

Alleluia, alleluia!

May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

enlighten the eyes of our mind,

so that we can see what hope his call holds for us.

Alleluia!

Or	Mt11:25

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessed are you, Father,

Lord of heaven and earth,

for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom

to mere children.

Alleluia!

EITHER:

Gospel

Matthew 13:24-43 ©

Jesus put another parable before the crowds, ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everybody was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off. When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, the darnel appeared as well. The owner’s servants went to him and said, “Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? If so, where does the darnel come from?” “Some enemy has done this” he answered. And the servants said, “Do you want us to go and weed it out?” But he said, “No, because when you weed out the darnel you might pull up the wheat with it. Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers: First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn.”’

He put another parable before them, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the biggest shrub of all and becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come and shelter in its branches.’

He told them another parable, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like the yeast a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour till it was leavened all through.’

In all this Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables; indeed, he would never speak to them except in parables. This was to fulfil the prophecy:

I will speak to you in parables

and expound things hidden since the foundation of the world.

Then, leaving the crowds, he went to the house; and his disciples came to him and said, ‘Explain the parable about the darnel in the field to us.’ He said in reply, ‘The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world; the good seed is the subjects of the kingdom; the darnel, the subjects of the evil one; the enemy who sowed them, the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; the reapers are the angels. Well then, just as the darnel is gathered up and burnt in the fire, so it will be at the end of time. The Son of Man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that provoke offences and all who do evil, and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then the virtuous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Listen, anyone who has ears!’

OR:

Alternative Gospel

Matthew 13:24-30 ©

Jesus put another parable before the crowds, ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everybody was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off. When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, the darnel appeared as well. The owner’s servants went to him and said, “Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? If so, where does the darnel come from?” “Some enemy has done this” he answered. And the servants said, “Do you want us to go and weed it out?” But he said, “No, because when you weed out the darnel you might pull up the wheat with it. Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers: First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn.”’

Perpetual Novena for the Nation (Ecumenical)

Prayers for The Religion Forum (Ecumenical)

Jesus, High Priest

We thank you, God our Father, for those who have responded to your call to priestly ministry.

Accept this prayer we offer on their behalf: Fill your priests with the sure knowledge of your love.

Open their hearts to the power and consolation of the Holy Spirit.

Lead them to new depths of union with your Son.

Increase in them profound faith in the Sacraments they celebrate as they nourish, strengthen and heal us.

Lord Jesus Christ, grant that these, your priests, may inspire us to strive for holiness by the power of their example, as men of prayer who ponder your word and follow your will.

O Mary, Mother of Christ and our mother, guard with your maternal care these chosen ones, so dear to the Heart of your Son.

Intercede for our priests, that offering the Sacrifice of your Son, they may be conformed more each day to the image of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Saint John Vianney, universal patron of priests, pray for us and our priests

This icon shows Jesus Christ, our eternal high priest.

The gold pelican over His heart represents self-sacrifice.

The border contains an altar and grapevines, representing the Mass, and icons of Melchizedek and St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney.

Melchizedek: king of righteousness (left icon) was priest and king of Jerusalem. He blessed Abraham and has been considered an ideal priest-king.

St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests.

Pray a Rosary each day for our nation.

Pray the Rosary

1. Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

2. The Apostles Creed: I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

3. The Lord's Prayer: OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

4. (3) Hail Mary: HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. (Three times)

5. Glory Be: GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.

Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer. Repeat the process with each mystery.

End with the Hail Holy Queen:

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Final step -- The Sign of the Cross

The Mysteries of the Rosary

By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary.
The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.

The Joyful Mysteries
(Mondays and Saturdays)
1. The Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38) [Spiritual fruit - Humility]
2. The Visitation (Luke 1: 39-56) [Spiritual fruit - Love of Neighbor]
3. The Nativity (Luke 2:1-20) [Spiritual fruit - Poverty of Spirit]
4. The Presentation (Luke 2:21-38) [Spiritual fruit - Purity of mind & body]
5. The Finding of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52) [Spiritual fruit - Obedience ]

~ PRAYER ~

St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle
Be our protection against the wickedness
and snares of the devil;
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God,
Cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits
who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen
+

A Prayer for our Free Nation Under God
God Save Our Country web site (prayer warriors)
Prayer Chain Request for the United States of America
Pray for Nancy Pelosi
Prayer and fasting will help defeat health care reform (Freeper Prayer Thread)
Prayer Campaign Started to Convert Pro-Abortion Catholic Politicians to Pro-Life
[Catholic Caucus] One Million Rosaries
Non-stop Rosary vigil to defeat ObamaCare

From an Obama bumper sticker on a car:

"Pray for Obama. Psalm 109:8"

PLEASE JOIN US -

Evening Prayer
Someone has said that if people really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless.
Did you know that during WWII there was an advisor to Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every day at a prescribed hour for one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England, its people and peace?

There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America. If you would like to participate: Every evening at 9:00 PM Eastern Time (8:00 PM Central) (7:00 PM Mountain) (6:00 PM Pacific), stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, and for a return to a Godly nation. If you know anyone else who would like to participate, please pass this along. Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have. Please forward this to your praying friends.

Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ

July Devotion: The Precious Blood

July Devotion: The Precious Blood

Like the Sacred Wounds of Jesus, His Precious Blood deserves special honor because of its close relation to the Sacred Passion. That honor was given to it from the beginning by the Apostles who praised its redeeming power. (Rom. 5:9 "we are justified by His blood"; Heb. 13:12 "and so Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people by His blood, suffered outside the gate"; 1 John 1:7 "and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.")

The Church has always held devotion to the Precious Blood in high esteem. We continue to recognize and publicly acknowledge the profound indebtedness of the whole human race to Christ, Priest and Victim.

Standing at the foot of the cross, we see Jesus' head, hands, feet, and side pouring out streams of precious blood. It is precious because it:

• Redeems us and atones for our sins. Through His precious blood we are reconciled to God, made one with Him. Death ceases to be death and heaven's gates are opened to us.

• Cleanses us from all sin.

• Preserves us and keeps us safe from the grasp of evil. When the Father sees us washed in the Blood of the Lamb we are spared.

• Comforts us. It is the constant reminder that Jesus - true God and true man suffered and died to save us and to open heaven to us because He loves us.

• Sanctifies us. The same blood that justifies by taking away sin, continues to work within us. Its action gives us the grace to continue on the path toward the Kingdom of God. It assists us in achieving our new nature, leading us onward in subduing sin and in following the commands of God.

Jesus shed His precious blood seven times during His life on earth. They events were:

• Jesus shed His Blood in the Circumcision

• Jesus shed His Blood whilst praying in the Garden of Olives

• Jesus shed His Blood in the scourging

• Jesus shed His Blood in the crowning with thorns

• Jesus shed His Blood while carrying His cross

• Jesus shed His Blood in the crucifixion

• Jesus shed His Blood and water when His side was pierced

The Power of the Precious Blood

"I adore You, O Precious Blood of Jesus, flower of creation, fruit of virginity, ineffable instrument of the Holy Spirit, and I rejoice at the thought that You came from the drop of virginal blood on which eternal Love impressed its movement; You were assumed by the Word and deified in His person. I am overcome with emotion when I think of Your passing from the Blessed Virgin's heart into the heart of the Word, and, being vivified by the breath of the Divinity, becoming adorable because You became the Blood of God." (St. Albert the Great)

At their recent meeting, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops had continuous Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for "healing and peace." They encouraged parishes and communities to have ongoing Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. In these dark months of woundedness, pain and violence we need to turn to the Precious Blood of Jesus in the Eucharist, for healing, peace, and light.

"What power we have in the Precious Blood of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist! He is there to protect us, to be our refuge and our redemption. (In Exodus 12, God told Moses to have His chosen people mark their door posts with the blood of an unblemished lamb, during the first Passover. Those who did this were spared when the Angel of the death passed by). This is why Archbishop Sheen said that we must call down the Blood of the Lamb, Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament. For, he warned, when we stop calling down the Blood of the Lamb, we start calling down the blood of each other." (From our book Bread of Life)

"And the Lamb on the throne will shepherd them. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water" (Rev 7:17).

"In the tumultuous events of our time, it is important to look to the Eucharist: it must be at the heart of the life of priests and consecrated people; the light and strength of spouses in putting into practice their commitment to fidelity, chastity and the apostolate; the ideal in education and in training children, adolescents and young people; the comfort and support of those who are troubled, of the sick and all who are weeping in the Gethsemane of life." (Pope John Paul II)

Precious Blood of Jesus, save us!

"The only time our Lord asked the Apostles for anything was the night when He went into His agony. But as often in the history of the church since that time, evil was awake, but the disciples were asleep. That is why there came out of His anguished and lonely Heart a sigh: 'Could you not watch one hour with Me?'" (Mt 26:40). Not for an hour of activity did he plead, but for an hour of friendship (Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen).

St. Maria Goretti, Patroness of Youth & Children of Mary, Feast-July 6 St. Maria of Italy (1890-1902), couldn't wait to make her First Communion. She wanted to receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist so that she could become more beautiful and pure like Him; she wanted Him to live in her, close to her heart. After she received Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament for the first time, she stayed in Church for a long time after Mass to talk to Him. Maria's family lived with and worked for a farmer. His son Alessandro kept trying to make Maria sin against purity. One day, when everyone else was working, Alessandro grabbed Maria and tried to make her sin. Maria kept crying out for him to stop, and each time she did, he stabbed her. Courageously, Maria resisted him and was stabbed fourteen times. St. Maria died the next day.

"Look at Maria Goretti.... Like her, be capable of defending your purity of heart and body. Be committed to the struggle against evil and sin. Always esteem and love, purity and virginity." (Pope John Paul II, 1990)

A Prayer for Priests

O my God, help those priests who are faithful to remain faithful; to those who are falling, stretch forth Your Divine Hand that they may grasp it as their support. In the great ocean of Your mercy, lift those poor unfortunate ones who have fallen, that being engulfed therein they may receive the grace to return to Your Great Loving Heart. Amen. Precious Blood of Jesus, protect them!

The Eucharist is the fruit of our Lords Passion. Jesus gave up His Body on the cross so that He may give you His Body in the Holy Eucharist. Jesus poured out His very last drop of Blood on the cross so that He may fill you with His Divine Love each time that you receive Him in Holy Communion and visit Him in Eucharistic Adoration!

"The Eucharist, in the Mass and outside of the Mass, is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, and is therefore deserving of the worship that is given to the living God, and to Him alone" (Pope John Paul II, September 29, 1979, Phoenix Park, Ireland)

"The bread and wine, fruit of human hands, transformed through the power of the Holy Spirit into the body and blood of Christ, become a pledge of the 'new heaven and new earth,' announced by the Church in her daily mission." "In Christ, whom we adore present in the mystery of the Eucharist, the father uttered his final word with regard to humanity and human history." "To live the Eucharist, it is necessary, as well, to spend much time in adoration in front of the Blessed Sacrament, something which I myself experience every day drawing from it strength, consolation and assistance." "How could the Church fulfill her vocation without cultivating a constant relationship with the Eucharist, without nourishing herself with this food which sanctifies, without founding her missionary activity on this indispensable support?" "To evangelize the world there is need of apostles who are 'experts' in the celebration, adoration and contemplation of the Eucharist" (Pope John Paul II, World Mission Message 2004).

The Power of the Precious Blood of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist

"The Precious Blood belongs in an especial manner to men. Much more, therefore, does God invite them to come to its heavenly baths, and receive therein, not only the cleansing of their souls, but the power of a new and amazing life. Every doctrine in theology is a call to the Precious Blood. Every ceremony in the Church tells of it . . . . Every supernatural act is a growth of it. Everything that is holy on earth is either a leaf, bud, blossom or fruit of the Blood of Jesus. To its fountains God calls the sinner, that he may be lightened of his burdens. There is no remission of him in anything else. Only there is his lost sonship to be found. The saints are no less called by God to these invigorating streams. It is out of the Precious Blood that men draw martyrdoms, vocations, celebacies, austerities, heroic charities, and all the magnificent graces of high sanctity. The secret nourishment of prayer is from those fountains" (Father Faber, The Precious Blood).

The Most Precious Blood of Jesus
July is traditionally associated with the Precious Blood of Our Lord. It may be customary to celebrate the votive Mass of the Precious Blood on July 1.

The extraordinary importance of the saving Blood of Christ has ensured a central place for its memorial in the celebration of this cultic mystery: at the centre of the Eucharistic assembly, in which the Church raises up to God in thanksgiving "the cup of blessing" (1 Cor 10, 16; cf Ps 115-116, 13) and offers it to the faithful as a "real communion with the Blood of Christ" (1 Cor 10, 16); and throughout the Liturgical Year. The Church celebrates the saving Blood of Christ not only on the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, but also on many other occasions, such that the cultic remembrance of the Blood of our redemption (cf 1 Pt 1, 18) pervades the entire Liturgical Year. Hence, at Vespers during Christmastide, the Church, addressing Christ, sings: "Nos quoque, qui sancto tuo redempti sumus sanguine, ob diem natalis tui hymnum novum concinimus." In the Paschal Triduum, the redemptive significance and efficacy of the Blood of Christ is continuously recalled in adoration. During the adoration of the Cross on Good Friday the Church sings the hymn: "Mite corpus perforatur, sanguis unde profluit; terra, pontus, astra, mundus quo lavanturflumine", and again on Easter Sunday, "Cuius corpus sanctissimum in ara crucis torridum, sed et cruorem roesum gustando, Deo vivimus (194).

Catholic Word of the Day: LITANY OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD, 09-25-12
ST. GASPAR: Founder of the Society of the Precious Blood
Mass in the Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ (London, 9/18)

Devotion to the Drops of Blood Lost by our Lord Jesus Christ on His Way to Calvary (Prayer/Devotion)
Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood
Catholic Word of the Day: PRECIOUS BLOOD, 12-03-11
The Traditional Feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Catholic Caucus)
Devotion to the Precious Blood
DOCTRINE OF THE BLOOD OF CHRIST
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,And More on the Precious Blood
Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ
NOTHING IS MORE POTENT AGAINST EVIL THAN PLEADING THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST
Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus

"Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you" (Jn 6:53).

July 2014
Pope's Intentions
Universal: That sports may always be occasions of human fraternity and growth.

For Evangelization: That the Holy Spirit may support the work of the laity who proclaim the Gospel in the poorest countries.

Daily Gospel Commentary

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year A

Commentary of the day
Homily attributed to Saint Macarius of Egypt (?-390), monk
No.24, 4 ; PG 34, 662

"Until the whole batch was leavened"

If someone kneads bread without mixing leaven into it, they may well apply themselves to the task, knead and work at it, the dough will not rise and can’t be used as food. But when leaven has been mixed in it draws all the dough to itself and makes it all rise, as in the parable the Lord applied to the Kingdom… It is the same with meat: no matter how much care you take, if you neglect to put in salt to preserve it,… it will smell bad and become uneatable. In the same sort of way, imagine the whole of humanity as meat or dough and that the divine nature of the Holy Spirit is salt and leaven from another world. If the heavenly leaven of the Spirit and good salt of the divine nature… are not added to our lowly human nature and mixed into it, the soul will never lose its bad odor of sin and will not rise by losing the heaviness and impurities of the “leaven of wickedness” (1Cor 5,7)…

If a soul only relies on its own strength and thinks itself able to achieve complete success of itself, without the help of the Holy Spirit, it is greatly deceived. It is not made for the dwelling places of heaven nor made for the Kingdom… If sinful man does not draw near to God, does not renounce the world, does not await in hope and patience a good that is foreign to its own nature, namely the strength of the Holy Spirit; if the Lord does not instil his own divine life from on high into that soul, that person will never taste the true life… On the other hand, if he has received the Spirit’s grace, if he does not turn away from it, if he does not offend him by his negligence and wrongdoing, if, after persevering a long time like this in the fight, he does not “grieve the Spirit” (Eph 4,30), he will have the happiness of winning eternal life.

Arlington Catholic Herald

GOSPEL COMMENTARY MT 13:1-23

'Whoever has ears ought to hear’

Fr. Robert Wagner

In this Sunday's Gospel, Jesus tells His disciples the parable of the sower and the seed, which He concludes with the following: “Whoever has ears ought to hear.” Taken literally, the warning makes little sense. Can a man command his ears to hear, any more than he can command his nose to smell or his eyes to see? Hearing is what ears do, whether we want them to or not.

That being said, we recognize that there are different types of “hearing.” Even though our ears pick up everything they can, many sounds do not even register in our thoughts. Some are ignored because they hold no immediate importance to us, like the whir of an air conditioner. Others register in our minds, but are ignored because we disregard their urgency. We have all been guilty of such selective hearing, when someone speaks to us but we do not focus on what they are saying.

Jesus does not want us to fall into that trap when we hear His divine teaching. “Whoever has ears, ought to hear” applies to all Jesus says, and it is particularly fitting for the parable of the sower and the seed, whose subject is hearing and responding to the “word of the kingdom,” which is the Gospel message. We, like those disciples following Jesus in Galilee, certainly hear what He teaches about listening to the divine truth, but in order to bear a harvest of 30-, 60-, or 100-fold, it takes more than just hearing. It requires taking the words to heart and putting them into action.

How do we do this as Christ's disciples? First and foremost, truly hearing the message of Jesus takes faith. We as His disciples must believe that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life. If we treat His as just one of many voices we follow to guide us, we will be distracted by the noise of the world and selectively hear the truths He reveals in His words and the teaching of His church. In such a situation, we will be tempted to ignore some of the harder truths He teaches, and less willing to live sacrificially when the world offers a teaching that is much easier to hear and follow. It is only when we recognize the voice of the Good Shepherd and place our faith in the truth He offers for our salvation that we are able to hear with our ears, our minds and our hearts.

Secondly, we need to place ourselves into a position to hear the words Jesus speaks to us. It is much easier to listen when we are in a quiet room and totally focusing on the person speaking to us. Much more difficult would be a conversation in a loud restaurant, surrounded by televisions that distract us, while we simultaneously attempt to flag down a waiter. Likewise, listening to the word of Jesus — in prayer, at Mass, reading scripture, etc. — requires that we remove the distractions we can and focus our attention on what He is telling us. We do this by making an effort — depending on our situation, sometimes an extraordinary effort — to arrive at Mass early so we have time to settle into our pews and settle our hearts and minds with prayer before the opening hymn begins. We do this by finding a quiet place where we will not be easily distracted when we pray our rosary or read Scripture or examine our conscience. We do this by choosing a time of day when we are as alert as possible to pray or do our spiritual reading, knowing this will allow us to focus more easily on what Jesus wants to speak to us.

God has a message of peace, love and salvation for each and every one of us. It is a message that will set our hearts aflame and provide guidance and light for our path to eternal life. Let us make the effort to listen with ears, minds and hearts that are attentive to His voice. May God increase our faith so we may trust what He tells us so that we as His disciples may bear harvests of 30-, 60- and 100-fold.

Fr. Wagner is Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde’s secretary.

The Work of God

Year A - 15th Sunday in ordinary time

The word of God. The seed, the sower

Matthew 13:1-23

1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea.
2 Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach.
3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: "Listen! A sower went out to sow.
4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up.
5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil.
6 But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away.
7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.
8 Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
9 Let anyone with ears listen!"
10 Then the disciples came and asked him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?"
11 He answered, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
12 For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.
13 The reason I speak to them in parables is that 'seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.'
14 With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says: 'You will indeed listen, but never understand, and you will indeed look, but never perceive.
15 For this people's heart has grown dull, and their ears are hard of hearing, and
they have shut their eyes; so that they might not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn -- and I would heal them.'
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.
17 Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.
18 "Hear then the parable of the sower.
19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path.
20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;
21 yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away.
22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing.
23 But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word
and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty." (NRSV)

Inspiration of the Holy Spirit - From the Sacred Heart of Jesus

My word can be compared to a little seed, that falling into fertile soil will germinate and grow; therefore fulfilling the mission that it has been created for. A seed is very small but has a great potential. My word sounds simple as a human word, but coming out of my mouth it is no longer a human word but a divine command.

My word can be compared to a precious stone that a man is looking for with great desire. When he finds it he will be very happy, he will make it his treasure. There is nothing greater in this world than that which will give you eternal life. I am the Word of God, the Savior of the world whose word you must treasure in your heart to give you eternal life and joy.

My word is the eternal word of God, the word that has created everything that has come into existence, my word is the ever powerful live command of God that is always ready to create, to shape, to correct, to build and to sanctify.

Listen you who have ears, but not just listen with your hearing. Listen with your heart since that is the center of your being, it is the spiritual place where my spirit gives life and you can draw life from me. It is in your heart that you keep your treasures, whether they are the affections to your material things or whether they are heavenly things. Where your treasure is, there is your heart. Let me be your treasure, let your heart be in me.

Listen to this word of mine with the reverence that it deserves, understand the power behind that word and take it quickly into your heart, make it your treasure, savor it in your mouth as if it was a delicious delicacy that you want to relish forever, give it the power that it claims and rest assured that my word will perform miracles in your life.

My word is not a human word; it is the word of God. When I said, “Let there be light” the elements bowed before my power as the Word of God, they formed light. In the same way my word is still alive and active, powerful enough to continue to work in those who take it into their hearts and put it into practice.

Honor my word by studying it, by meditating it, by accepting it and by living by it. My word is like an arrow pointing straight to heaven, my word is the answer to all your questions. Come to me, listen to me, learn from me and live.

Author: Joseph of Jesus and Mary

Archdiocese of Washington

Saint or Ain’t? A Sermon for the 16th Sunday of the Year

By: Msgr. Charles Pope

We live in difficult times for the Church, and from many sectors the very legitimate cry for reform goes up frequently. Beyond the sexual abuse scandal, there are also deep concerns regarding the uncertain trumpet of Catholic preaching, lukewarm and nominal Catholics, an overall lack of discipline among Catholics, and a lack of disciplining by the bishops and clergy of Catholics, clergy and lay, who cause scandal. In a way, the list is quite long and has been well discussed on this blog, which is, overall sympathetic to the need for reform, and greater zeal in the Church.

But today’s Gospel issues a caution in becoming over zealous to root out sin and sinners from the Church. It is the memorable Parable of the Wheat and Tares. The Lord’s cautionary rebuke to the zealous farmhands who wanted to tear out the weeds, was that they might harm the wheat as well. Wait, says the Lord, leave it to me. There will come a day of reckoning, but it is not now, wait till harvest.

This does not mean that we are never to take no notice of sin or never rebuke it. There is need for discipline in the Church and other texts call for it (see below). But this text is meant to balance a scouring that is too thorough, or a puritanical clean sweep that overrules God’s patience and seeks to turn the Church from a hospital for sinners to a germ-free (and hence people-free) zone.

We are going to need to depend on a lot of patience and mercy from God if any of us are going to stand a chance. Summoning the wrath of God to come on sinners, as some do, may well destroy them as well. We all have a journey to make from being an ain’t to being a saint.

So let’s allow this Gospel to give us some guidance in finding balance between the summons to reform and the summons to patience. The guidance comes in Four Steps.

I. WAKE UP – The text says, Jesus proposed another parable to the crowds, saying: “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off.

Notice in this text that every one was sleeping when the enemy sowed weeds. There is a great mystery as to why God allows Satan to sow the seeds in the first place. But there is far less mystery as to why Satan has been so successful in our times. The weeds are numerous, and are vigorously growing in our times. And part of the reason is that we, in the Church, have been sleeping while Satan has steadily sown his weeds among us.

Now don’t just blame the Church leadership. Though we share plenty of the blame. But the fact is that too many in the whole Church have been in a moral sleep. Too many Catholics will just watch anything, listen to anything, expose themselves to anything. We just go with the flow, and live unreflective sleepy lives. We also allow our children to be exposed to almost anything. Too many parents have little knowledge of what their children are watching, listening to or surfing on the Internet, who their friends are etc. We hardly think of God or his plan for our lives, and, collectively, have priorities that are more worldly than spiritual. We are not awake and sober to sin and sin’s incursions, we are not outraged, we take little action other than to shrug, and seem to be more concerned with fitting in than living as a sign of contradiction.

Church leadership too has been inwardly focused. While the culture was melting down beginning in the late 1960s, we were tuning guitars, moving the furniture in the sanctuaries, having debates about Church authority, gender wars, and seemingly endless internal squabbles about every facet of Church life. I do not deny that there were right and wrong answers in these debates, and that rebellious trends had to be addressed, but while all this was going on, Satan was sowing seeds and we lost the culture.

We are just now emerging from our 50 years in the cocoon to find a world gone mad and we, who lead the Church, clergy and lay, have to admit that this happened on our watch.

It is long past time to wake up and sober up to the reality that Satan has been working while we squabbled and sang songs to ourselves.

And lots of hollering and blaming one side of the Church or the other, this kind of liturgy or that, is not very helpful, because that is still inward in its focus.

It’s time to wake up and go out. There is a work to do in reclaiming the culture for Christ and reproposing the gospel to world that has lost it.

Step one in a finding a balance between the need for reform and patience is to wake up

II. WISE UP – the text says, When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came to him and said,’Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.‘

Part of the sobriety we have to regain is to understand that we have an enemy who hates us, Satan. He is responsible for much of the spiritual, moral and even physical ruin we see around us. We have too long been dismissive of his presence, as though he were a fairy tale. While we cannot blame everything on him, for we connive with him, and we also suffer the weakness of the flesh and the bad influence of the world. But Satan is real and he is an enemy and he hates you. He hates also your children, he hates the Church, and he hates anything and anyone that is holy, or even on the way to holiness.

We have to wise up and ask the Lord for an anointing. We need not utterly fear the devil, but we need to understand that he is at work. We need to learn and know his moves, his designs, his tactics, and tools. And we need the grace, having recognized him, to rebuke him at every turn.

Now be careful here. To wise up means to learn and understand Satan’s tactics. But it does not mean to imitate them in retaliation. Upon waking up and wising up, some want to go right to battle, but in worldly types of ways. Yet, the Lord often proposes paradoxical tactics which are rooted in the wisdom of the Cross, not the world. Wising up to Satan and his tactics, does not often mean to engage in a full on frontal assault. Often the Lord counsels humility to battle pride, love (not retaliation) to conquer hate, and accepted weakness to overcome strength.

To wise up means to come to the wisdom of the cross, not the world. As we shall see, the Lord is not nearly as warlike in his response to his enemy as some zealous reformers propose to be. We may be properly zealous for reform, and want to usher in change rapidly, but be very careful what wisdom you are appealing to. Scripture says, Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. (1 Cor 3:19-20).

Step two in a finding a balance between the need for reform and patience is to wise up.

III. WAIT UP - The text says, His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest...

We have already laid the ground work for the Lord’s rebuke to these overly-zealous reformers. Today in the Church we are well aware of the need for reform, so is the Lord. He says, clearly, an enemy has done this. And yet, to those who want to go through the Church rooting out every sinner, every ne’er do well, every bad theologian (and there are many), and call for an increasing and severe clamp-down by the bishops across the board, the Lord gives a balancing notion.

There is need for discipline in the Church, and even punitive measures from time to time. The Lord himself proposes excommunication in certain instances (e.g. Matt 18:17), St Paul too (e.g. 1 Cor 5:5). Yet, texts such as those need to be balanced by texts such as the gospel today. Fraternal correction is an essential work of charity (I have written more on that here: Fraternal Correction) and it must be conducted with patience and love.

But the The Lord is patient and here directs us to also to be prepared to wait and not be over zealous in pulling weeds, lest we harm the wheat. The Lord says, remarkably, let them grow together. Notice, now is the time to grow, the harvest comes later. In certain, rarer instances the harm may be so egregious that the Church has to act to remove or discipline a sinner more severely. But there is also a place to wait and allow the wheat and tares to grow together. After all, sinners may repent and the Lord wants to give people the time they need to repent. Scripture says, God’s patience is directed to our salvation (2 Peter 3:9).

So, while there is sometimes need for strong discipline in the Church, there is also this directive to balance such notions: Leave it be, wait, place this in the hands of God, give time for the sinner to convert, keep working and praying for that, but do not act precipitously.

We have had many discussion here on the blog about whether and how the bishops should discipline certain Catholic politicians who, by their bad example and bad votes, undermine the gospel and even cost lives through abortion and euthanasia.

While I am sympathetic to the need for them to be disciplined, how, when and who, remains a prudential judgement for the Bishop to make. And, as we can see, there are certain Scriptures which balance each other. In the end, we cannot simply make a one-size-fits-all norm. There are prudential aspects to the decision and Lord himself speaks to different situations in different ways.

In today’s Gospel the Lord says, wait. And generally it is good advice to follow. After all, how do YOU know that you won’t or don’t need more time? Before we ask God to lower the boom on sinners, we ought to remember that we are going to need his patience and mercy too. Scripture says, The measure that you measure to others will be measured back to you. (Matt 7:2& Luke 6:38). Be very careful before summoning God’s wrath, for who may endure the Day of his coming (Mal 3:2)?

Step three in a finding a balance between the need for reform and patience is to wait up and balance zeal with patience.

IV. WASH UP – The text says, Then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.

So you see, there is a harvest and those who have sinned or led others to sin and have not repented are going to have to answer to the Lord for it.

The Lord is no pushover and he does not make light of sin. In saying wait, he does not mean that judgment will never come. But his general advice is “Leave it to me.” And to us he says, in effect, “As for you, wash up, get ready, and help others to get ready too. For judgment day is surely coming and every knee will bend to me and every one will render and account.

That’s it, Wash up! You’re either going to be a saint, or an ain’t. For now the wheat and tares grow together. But later the tares and all the weeds will be gathered and cast into the fire.

So here’s the balance, God is patient, but there is a harvest and we have to get ready by God’s grace. For the overly zealous God says wait. But to the complacent and sleepy God says, wake up, wise up and wash up!

Here is a great exposition of this Gospel from Fr. Francis Martin. Don’t Miss it.

Sunday Gospel Reflections

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading I: Wisdom 12:13,16-19 II: Romans 8:26-27

Gospel
Matthew 13:24-43

²⁴ Another parable he put before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field;
²⁵ but while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.
²⁶ So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also.
²⁷ And 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?'
²⁸ He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?'
²⁹ But he said, 'No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them.
³⁰ Let 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.'"
³¹ Another 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;
³² it 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."
³³ He 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."
³⁴ All this Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed he said nothing to them without a parable.
³⁵ This 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."
³⁶ Then 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."
³⁷ He answered, "He who sows the good seed is the Son of man;
³⁸ the field is the world, and the good seed means the sons of the kingdom; the weeds are the sons of the evil one,
³⁹ and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels.
⁴⁰ Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age.
⁴¹ The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers,
⁴² and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.
⁴³ Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

Interesting Details

The word "weeds" were used to refer to darnel, tares or cockle. These weeds are so much like wheat in the early stages that it is very hard to distinguish them from real wheat. They can only be distinguished later when they are grown, but their roots would be too intertwined with those of the wheat so that both would be uprooted. The grain of these weeds is slightly poisonous and can cause sickness if eaten.
Sowing weeds into an enemy's field was a common form of vengeance or sabotage at that time. Roman laws punished it as a crime.
A mustard seed would grow into a shrub-like tree about 10 to 12 feet high. The emphasis is the contrast between the insignificance of the beginning of the kingdom and the unimaginable greatness of the completed kingdom.
With the Jews, leaven represents something sinful or evil. One of the preparation ceremonies for Passover was to search and burn every scrap of leaven that can be found in the house. It was however used here by Jesus as a figure of something good. Jesus must have chosen this figure deliberately to arouse attention, and to emphasize the transforming power of the leaven.

One Main Point

God believes in people. He is patient to give us freedom to discern, spiritual food to grow, and time to transform for the Kingdom of God.

Reflections

To separate rightly the ones from the others is an impossible task for those who can judge only according to appearance. God alone can see clearly what is in the human heart. Contemplate your social and spiritual environments. What do you see of yourself and what do you perceive of others?
Contemplate your daily life. Like the mustard seeds that grow ceaselessly, what effort have you put in to grow spiritually under the grace of God? Is your faith growing stronger day after day? What should you do to encourage it along?
Like the yeast that leavens the dough, how have you allowed or used the Words of God to transform your complete being for the Kingdom of God?

Reason can but ascertain the profound difficulties of our condition, it cannot remove them.

-- Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman