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Manila Bulletin devider Opinion devider Weeds among the wheat

Weeds among the wheat

Published Jul 22, 2023 04:03 pm

REFLECTIONS TODAY


Matthew 13:24-43 [or 13:24-30]

Our Gospel this Sunday is the inspiration behind Fr. Thomas Green’s book on prayer life, Weeds among the Wheat. A person is likened to the field where the farmer — the Lord God — sows wheat seeds. The enemy, however, surreptitiously sows weeds in the same field, so that wheat and weeds sprout together. In the first creation account in Genesis, God sees the goodness of each creation every time he finishes his work. So, there is inherent goodness in all of us, more so in the hearts of those who sincerely wish to follow God’s will as revealed by Jesus. We strive to be disciples of Jesus by trying to live devout lives. We pray, we go to Mass, we try to live a moral life. But how come we find ourselves still weak, sinful, and divided? We feel with St. Paul: “What I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate” (Rom 7:15). This can indeed be a real “thorn in our flesh” (2 Cor 12:7). From St. Paul’s experience, we can conclude that our persistent imperfections are there because they are to serve as reminders of our dependence on God. Like the farmer, God allows the weeds to grow along with the wheat, for in uprooting the weeds, the wheat may also perish. God allows imperfections in us to keep us from getting proud. He wants us to see that the goodness in us is part of the grace that we have received from him. Many people are, in fact, tempted to believe that the good they accomplish comes from the strength of their own volition. In believing so, they mock the wisdom and benevolence of God. Pride can erase whatever good we may have done. Humility is known as the mother of all virtues. A person who sees himself a beggar before God is more likely to obtain holiness than one who considers himself great. In Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, it is the sinful but humble tax collector who goes home from the Temple justified before God (Lk 18:14). Source: “365 Days with the Lord 2023,” St. Paul’s, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; E-mail: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]); Website: [http://www.stpauls.ph](http://www.stpauls.ph).

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