Reflection for 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Today Jesus continues his parable of sowing the seed and raising the crops. Weeds and wheat are always competing for the same ground that the wheat needs to grow. I remember when we bought our first home in Copley – we had a large yard and Pat and I planted a pretty good-sized garden. One of the biggest challenges was keeping the weeds out so they weren’t challenging the tomatoes and green beans. As any gardener knows, the weeds seem to come from nowhere. You have nicely tilled soil, you plant good pure seeds, and it is as if some enemy snuck in at night and planted weeds, for there they are growing amongst the plants you want as if they have every right to be there. The parable in today’s Gospel speaks of this tug-of-war between the wheat and the weeds.

When most of us were very young, our parents planted seeds of wheat in us – seeds like love, family, faith, positive values. As we grew up they watered and fertilized those values, hoping that they would take root and grow strong in our lives. But somehow, as we get older, weeds can start to pop up in our lives – weeds like pride, selfishness, being unforgiving, ignoring the needs of others, forgetting about God, forgetting about prayer. The world, our society and culture, have such an influence on us. So many of our world’s values look like wheat, but are often really weeds, weeds that can choke out the health in our lives.

Isn’t it interesting that we can often see the weeds in others more clearly than the weeds in ourselves? That allows us to see our imperfections in a more favorable light. When we recognize the selfishness in others, our selfishness doesn’t look so bad. When we see the bad choices that other people make, our mistakes don’t seem so bad. When those around us blatantly break God’s laws, we start to feel a little more faithful. And when they show us a few of the weeds in their lives, we begin feeling more and more like wheat.

I don’t have to tell you how dangerous that is. It’s a trap, luring us into a false sense of security, a spiritual place in which we have little to improve upon, little to change, little to turn over to God. Rather than focusing on others, we have to start with ourselves. How can I be more faithful? How can I continue to carry out Jesus’ mission? How can I be a reconciler, a healer, a giver, and a lover? If we really think about it, life is not as clear-cut as the Gospel parable suggests. All of us at times are channels of God’s grace and, therefore, “wheat.” And at other times we are capable of turning our backs on God and are, therefore, “weeds.”

When there are weeds in our garden or on our lawn, we grab the Round-up, give those babies a few squirts, and look forward to their disappearance. But sometimes Round-up is just not enough. Many of us have been on our hands and knees in the garden, digging and pulling those weeds. The same is true in life. God has given us some Round-up to eradicate the weeds that have crept in. When we listen to God’s word and share in the sacrament of Reconciliation and the Eucharist, the weeds get attacked. When we make time to pray, to share what’s going on in our life with God, the weeds get attacked. When we stop focusing on ourselves and reach out to others in need, the weeds get attacked. And, yes, sometimes we have to get down on our knees.

I guess you could say that weeds and wheat grow side by side in the human heart. And all we can do is, like the workers in the story, acknowledge that the weeds exist, bring them to the Lord’s attention, and allow Him to separate them from all that is good and holy within us. There are some things in this life which we would be wise to simply leave to God. Only he can judge. Only he can cleanse. Only he can save.

And so this day, let’s remember to always be as understanding as possible with others, resisting the temptation to pretend that we know how God sees them. Instead, let’s recognize our own profound need for God’s mercy, acknowledging that too often we allow the wrong kind of seed to grow in our lives and hearts. Wheat? Weeds? Good? Bad? Holy? Unfaithful? Lord, I think I’ll let you sort it out and heal me as you see fit. Open my heart to receive your love and your grace.

If you have a brief faith reflection on today’s reading that you would like to share, please send it to me at deaconruss@holyspiritunoh.org.