Dear Parishioners,
In the Weeds
Could staying “in the weeds” be a good thing? In this week’s gospel, we hear the story of a farmer whose enemy sabotaged his field by planting weeds among his crop of wheat. The farmer’s servants are angry and they want to pull up all the wheat, but to their surprise, the farmer tells them to let the weeds grow together with the wheat.
The good farmer is looking beyond the moment — he knows that when it’s time for harvest, the good wheat can be salvaged and the weeds will be discarded, so there is no need to take matters into their own hands now.
This parable depicts God as the farmer who is willing to forgive and let the weeds coexist with the wheat. As always, our loving God sees the big picture, just as the farmer did.
God knows the world may always be filled with people who try to do good and those that try to do evil. Living together is inevitable. Although the evil weeds may cause our lives to be very difficult, those seeking to do good must persevere and not let the evil one influence or change our lives. We need to become stronger, not weaker, when confronted with evil. Forgiving those who hurt us may be difficult, but we should be comforted by the fact that God is the ultimate judge.
Our job is not to retaliate, but to trust in the good and just judge who has our best interest at heart. If we can all do that, the good people will become even better people. In this case, “staying in the weeds” could be a “win – win” situation.
Sincerely in Christ,
Father Lito