GOSPEL, Matthew (13: 24-30)

Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew

The Parable of Weeds among the Wheat

²⁴ He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; ²⁵ but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. ²⁶ So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. ²⁷ And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ ²⁸ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ ²⁹ But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. ³⁰ Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”

  

The Gospel of the Lord

 

REFLECTION

We live as if in a field where wheat and tares grow side by side, good and evil like two sides of the same coin. Good is symbolized by wheat and evil by tares. If tares produce stagnation, alienation, indifference, wheat produces energy, vigour, a willingness to work.

Jesus warns his disciples to be careful not to confuse the different expressions of the Kingdom, clinging only to appearances, it is necessary to wait for the fruits. When the tares grow together with the wheat, both are very similar, however, when they produce the grains it is possible to distinguish them. Separating them while they grow is too risky. Although tares and wheat are so similar and even entwined at their roots, tares cannot destroy wheat; at the right time, it will be set aside. Patience in judging lays the foundations of true justice.

Evil and good exist in each of us, it becomes impossible to separate them. To stop sinning definitively, is something that we must embrace with peace and tranquillity. Our Sin and failures allow us to recognize our frailty and compel us to turn to God.

Let us, make the good grow in us without letting ourselves be crushed by evil. It is our Christian duty to separate ourselves from sin, in order to be included in God’s divine plan for our salvation. During the Last Judgment, the angels will separate the “sons of the evil one” (the “tares” or weeds) from the “children of the Kingdom” (the wheat). “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!” (Matthew 13:43)

 

PRAYER

Spirit of Jesus give us light to discern the ways of the adversary in our lives so that we do not underestimate them. To be vigilant, to prevent them, to be able to fight courageously and be victorious, remaining steadfast in the Faith. Amen.