The Word God Spells

Matthew 13:24-30
Ex 24:3-8 / Ps 50

First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.
(Matthew 13:30)

God sends the sun after the rain,
To let the weeds grow with the wheat.
Don’t be afraid of Satan’s gain,
Christ has prophesied his defeat.

Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ ”

Reflection

Most, if not all of Jesus’ parables are also prophecies, the reason why they apply as well to all generations. Jesus is telling us in today’s Gospel that God only desires good people of faith to establish His Church, but His enemy, Satan has undermined the plan of God by infiltrating the ranks of the faithful with his own minions. These are the weeds, or darnel that Satan has sown among the wheat. Often, we cannot tell that these infiltrators are from the other side, because they are even well versed in the sacred Scriptures, or may even be members of the clergy itself!

On two occasions, I have had the unforgettable experience of meeting two of these darnels that our Lord prophesied would come to deceive many of His followers. The first one was a Baptist pastor who was also the municipal mayor of a coastal town where our company tried to establish a trading company. We needed a general agent for the barter of rice with copra and other agricultural products, and decided to make him our partner because of his influence and perceived integrity, being a man of God’s Word. He was always quoting passages from the Bible, and could cite any verse from memory. Having won our confidence, he was able to advance a big amount of money to buy corn and copra, which he sold behind our backs. Only our diligence to audit his operations prevented our company’s near bankruptcy.

The other weed I encountered was also a man of the cloth -– in fact a Catholic priest who celebrated a necrological mass for a brother Mason. Instead of extolling the virtues of the deceased in his homily, he gave a tirade on why the Church was wrong in its views about Masonry, and even boasted about his membership in that secret society. Short of saying that he was excommunicating himself, the faithful in that congregation was at a loss whether to receive communion from him or not.

As Jesus predicted in today’s Gospel, the weeds in the Church may be thriving, but their day of judgment will come when they will be bundled up and thrown into the fire. In the meantime, we must be firm in holding fast to our faith to resist them.

Most loving Lord of the harvest, You know all the seasons for sowing and reaping, as well as the conditions for our healthy growth; we put our trust in You. Do with us as You will, fully confident that we will be part of the great harvest in Your kingdom. Amen.