The Wheat and the Weeds

07-23-2023Weekly ReflectionFr. James Aboyi, V.C.

Jesus presents us with three parables in the Gospel this weekend to explain the nature of the Kingdom of God and those who merit to enter it. Some of us who experience weeds in our gardens or lawns may relate well to these parables. However, the parables communicate a much deeper message: they speak to the reality of the coexistence of good and evil in the world. Many beautiful inventions in the world, like sowing good seeds, were created with good intentions; however, the devil knows how to sow weeds. For instance, the invention of the internet and social media was a wonderful breakthrough in human history, but the devil has sown weeds into the minds of people who now use them for harm and deceit. The invention of money was a beautiful thing, but as St. Paul says in his letter to Timothy, “The love of money is the root of many evils” (Tim 6:10). Medical advancements are wonderful, but we have seen how the devil has used the same avenue to destroy many lives. Originally, weapons were developed for hunting food and personal protection, but we see how they are now used as weapons of mass destruction. As a result, we kill ourselves more than any other species in the world.

Many religious denominations have reported a significant decline in membership post COVID-19. Besides COVID-19, some believe that the current challenges are from global inflation, global warming, the war in Europe, and increased political tension that have all contributed to the decline. Studies have shown that most people who lose their faith during a time of crisis do so because they cannot imagine how a loving God could allow bad things to happen to good people. At times like this we may ask why an all-powerful and all-loving God doesn’t intervene in the world today. Why doesn’t He remove bad people or prevent them from harming good people? Why can’t He remove evil from the world? In response to such questions, in the Gospel today Jesus uses the parable of the wheat and weeds to explain that God is very patient and loving to both good and bad people. He gives everyone enough opportunity to repent before the end of time. If we pay very good attention to the parable, and especially in the context of the other two parables that Jesus gives in the Gospel, we realize that both the wheat and weeds actually reside side by side within each of us. The question we need to ask ourselves is, “Am I perfect?” If the answer is no, then the next question is, “Should God destroy me because I am imperfect?”

My brothers and sisters, this weekend we are invited to stop pointing fingers at others as enemies that need to be removed from the world. The other two parables of the mustard seed and the leaven in the Gospel today offer us hope. This hope is the fact that there is goodness in each one of us, including our perceived enemy. We are invited to focus on what is good in ourselves and other people. May God nourish our faith and the seeds of goodness within us to overcome the evil in the world.

Remain Blessed,

Fr. James