Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle A
Readings on p. 1065 of Daily Missal and p. 362 of Sunday Missal

Entrance Antiphon
See, I have God for my help. The Lord sustains my soul. I will sacrifice to you with willing heart, and praise your name, O Lord, for it is good.

First Reading: Wisdom 12:13.16-19

A reading from the Book of Wisdom

There is no god besides you,
whose care is for all people,
to whom you should prove that you have not judged unjustly;
for your strength is the source of righteousness,
and your sovereignty over all causes thee to spare all.
For you show your strength when
people doubt the completeness of your power,
and rebuke any insolence among those who know it.
You are sovereign in strength judge with mildness,
and with great forbearance you govern us;
for you have power to act whenever you choose.
Through such works you have taught your people
that the righteous person must be kind,
and you have filled your people with good hope,
because you give repentance for sins.

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial psalm: Psalm 86:5-6.9-10.15-16a

R/: O Lord, you are good and forgiving.

O Lord, you are good and forgiving,
full of mercy to all who call to you.

Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer,

and attend to my voice in supplication.

All the nations you have made shall come;

they will bow down before you, O Lord,

and glorify your name.

for you are great and do marvellous deeds,

you who alone are God.

But you, O God, are compassionate and gracious,

slow to anger, O Lord,

abundant in mercy and fidelity;

turn and take pity on me.

R/: O Lord, you are good and forgiving.

Second reading: Romans 8:26-27

A reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the Romans

Brothers and sisters:

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.
And he who searches the hearts of people
knows what is the mind of the Spirit,
because the Spirit intercedes for the saints
according to the will of God.

The word of the Lord.

Please stand for the Gospel

Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the kingdom.
Alleluia.

Gospel: Matthew 13:24-43

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

At that time:
Jesus put another parable before the crowds, saying,
“The kingdom of heaven may be compared
to a person who sowed good seed in the field;
but while they were sleeping,
the enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat,
and went away.
So when the plants came up and bore grain,
then the weeds appeared also.
“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?’
He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’
The servants said to him,
‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’
But he said,
‘No; lest in gathering the weeds
you root up the wheat along with them.
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.’”

Another parable he put before them, saying,
“The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed
which a person took and sowed in the field;
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.”

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

All this Jesus said to the crowds in parables;
indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable.
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.”
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.”
He answered,
“He who sows the good seed is the Son of man;
the field is the world,
and the good seed means the children of the kingdom;
the weeds are the children of the evil one,
and the enemy who sowed them is the devil;
the harvest is the close of the age,
and the reapers are angels.
Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire,
so will it be at the close of the age.
The Son of man will send his angels,
and they will gather out of his kingdom
all causes of sin and all evildoers,
and throw them into the furnace of fire;
where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Then the righteous will shine like the sun
in the kingdom of their Father.
He who has ears, let him hear.

The Gospel of the Lord.

 

Communion Antiphon
The Lord, the gracious, the merciful, has made a memorial of his wonders; he gives food to those who fear him.