Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 13, 24-30
Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds.
“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.
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.’
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;
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.”
Wheat and weeds
1. Discernment. God always sows his seed in your heart, but within you there are evil weeds that you must work on so that they don’t drown the good fruits and good seeds. That demands inward work in your heart and discernment to see what’s inside you, what you should accept responsibility for and work on, and what you should leave aside. Discernment is the ability to know what to choose and what to leave aside. Are you sure of what you should retain and what you should cast aside in your life? You know what’s good for you and what’s not, and at this point you shouldn’t allow your feelings to cloud your judgement. Be honest with yourself and try to recognize good from evil as best you can.
2. Time. Only over time can you become aware of someone’s true colors. All processes are slow. Over time you manage to have a broader and clearer view of things, of people and of yourself. Time will help you discover what your weaknesses and struggles are. Time will help you to gradually improve your life, to realize what things help you in life and what things don’t. Time will lead you to the truth.
3. Uprooting. We all have a bad habit or a weakness that is deeply engrained in us and when we least expect it, it manifests itself all of a sudden again. All of us can slide back into our weaknesses. It’s good to make an examination of conscience every night, to have a look at the day that has just ended. We must pray to God that He may help us to discover what isn’t good for us and then we must try to uproot it. The weeds that begin to take root can ruin all our hard work to bear fruit. This is why we must pull out all the bad things, but not before discerning carefully with God’s help, which can take some time. Don’t let yourself be carried away by anxiety, or by the foolishness of the fast-paced life you may be leading. If you are sure about what doesn’t contribute positively to your life and what doesn’t do you good, uproot it, cast it aside, and don’t delay doing so by being sentimental.
Remember that something good is on the way! God bless you and be with you, in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
