RENUNGAN – 19 JULAI 2026
16th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A
Readings: Wisdom 12:13,16-19 • Romans 8:26-27 • Matthew 13:24-43
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
One of the hardest questions we ask is, “Lord, why do You allow evil to exist? Why do good people suffer while those who do wrong seem to prosper?” Jesus answers this question in today’s Gospel through the parable of the wheat and the weeds. When the servants wanted to pull out the weeds immediately, the master said, “Let both grow together until the harvest.”
At first, this seems strange. Why wait? Because God sees what we cannot see. We judge by appearances, but God looks into the heart. The person who seems far from God today may become a faithful disciple tomorrow. St. Paul once persecuted Christians before becoming the great Apostle to the Gentiles. St. Augustine lived a sinful life before becoming one of the Church’s greatest saints. If God had judged them too quickly, the Church would have lost two of her greatest witnesses. God’s patience is not weakness—it is the power of His love and mercy.
The first reading from the Book of Wisdom reminds us that although God is all-powerful, He rules with mercy and kindness. He gives sinners time to repent because He desires not their destruction but their conversion. If we are honest with ourselves, we will admit that we too have received this mercy. How many times have we failed God? Yet He never stopped loving us. Every new day is another chance to return to Him. Every Confession is another opportunity to begin again. Every Holy Mass is an invitation to receive His grace and start a new life.
In the second reading, St. Paul tells us that the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. There are moments when our hearts are so burdened by sorrow, fear, disappointment, or guilt that we do not even know how to pray. Yet the Holy Spirit prays within us, presenting our deepest sighs to the Father. Even when we feel alone, God is silently working in our hearts.
Jesus continues by comparing the Kingdom of God to a tiny mustard seed and a little yeast. They seem small and insignificant, yet they bring about extraordinary growth and transformation. In the same way, every small act of love, every prayer, every sacrifice, every word of forgiveness, every hidden act of kindness becomes a seed that God causes to grow. Parents who patiently teach their children to pray, those who care for elderly parents, priests faithfully serving God’s people, and everyone who quietly does good without recognition are building God’s Kingdom, even if they do not immediately see the results.
Today’s readings also invite us to be patient with ourselves and with others. Sometimes we become discouraged by our weaknesses or disappointed by the failures of people around us. We may even lose hope for someone who has wandered away from God. But today’s Gospel reminds us that God never gives up on anyone. As long as there is life, there is hope. God is still working, still healing, still transforming hearts.
Perhaps today you feel like a field filled with weeds. You carry painful memories, broken relationships, unanswered prayers, or hidden struggles. You may wonder whether God has forgotten you. But today’s Gospel gives us a beautiful answer: “Wait… I am still working.” The farmer never abandons his field because of the weeds. He patiently cares for it until the harvest. In the same way, Jesus has never abandoned you. Every heartbeat is a sign of His mercy. Every sunrise is another opportunity to begin again. Every Holy Communion is Jesus saying to you, “I still believe in you.”
Therefore, never lose hope in your children, your spouse, your family, your friends, or even yourself. The greatest miracle is not that God removes every problem immediately. The greatest miracle is that He never stops loving us while He patiently transforms us into the people He created us to be.
One day, when we stand before the Lord, we will understand why He waited, why He was patient, and why He never gave up on us. Until that day, let us trust in His mercy.
Amen.
Ernest M
