Reflection on the Parable of the Weeds Among the Wheat

        A story was told about a very devout Catholic couple. They actively serve their local parish as officers of the Parish Pastoral Council. In addition, the wife is a pious member of the Catholic Women’s League, while the husband is a staunch member of the Knights of Columbus. However, despite their devoutness in serving, they had difficulty in bringing their own son to the church. Every Sunday, the couple tries their best just to invite their son to come with them to church and attend the Sunday liturgy. And Sunday after Sunday, their son continuously expresses his reluctance in attending Mass. His reason? Because there are lots of hypocrites going to church! He further said that he knows a lot of these people who appear to be holy inside the church but afterwards are little demons in their homes. His father, after hearing the son’s “reason” why he does not want to go to church, said, “Oh yes! There are really a lot of hypocrites in the church. And don’t worry son, there is still enough room for another one.”

Just like the field in this Sunday’s Gospel reading, the Church, even during Her early life, has been composed of wheat and weeds, of saints and sinners, of sheep and goats, of holy people and of hypocrites. And true enough, there is still sufficient room for more!

What, then, is the Lord’s invitation for us this Sunday?

Our faults are blessings in disguise. In the individual level, we, too, are fields of our own. God has sown the good seeds of faith, hope and love in our hearts. On the other hand, the devil painstakingly sows the seeds of doubt, despair, indifference and many other unpleasant things. Just like the workers in today’s Gospel who want to pull up the weeds right away, which seem to be reasonable, we also want to get rid of our weaknesses and sins right away. Most of the time, we even find ourselves discouraged and disheartened when, in confession, we find ourselves confessing to the priest the very same sins we confessed last time. Gusto nating bumait pero ang hirap magawa. But still, in the parable lies a certain consolation for all of these weaknesses and sins: weeds exist side by side with the wheat. Perhaps our weaknesses and sins have some “benefits” too! If and only if we have recognized that we have these “weeds” in us, then that may become a blessing for us. In recognizing these weaknesses, we become humble before the ever-loving God. In recognizing our sinfulness, we become aware of our need for repentance and conversion. In recognizing our powerlessness, the amazing power of God’s grace becomes perfect (Cf. 2 Corinthians 12:9).

The Church is not only a museum of saints but also a hospital for sinners. The Church exults in Her sons and daughters who lived exemplary lives such as Lawrence of Rome, Agatha, Maximillian Kolbe, John Paul II, Teresa of Calcutta and many others who are included in Her long roster of saints. She is glorified by these saints’ genuine witnessing of the faith. However, the Church is also grieving because of the many wounds inflicted to Her by Her very own sons and daughters. The field of the Church has been bountiful in Her harvest of saintly lives but also suffers drought from sinful lives of many adherents. We must admit this: not all members of the Church are saints! Not everyone in the Church are fruitful wheat. But again, the parable offers consolation to us. The farmer did not immediately order the uprooting of the weeds. He gave time, a lot of it, so that when the time for the harvest comes, he is sure that what the workers will uproot are really weeds and not the wheat. Perhaps, the farmer is also hoping that the weeds may become wheat! God wants every one of us to go to heaven, to be with Him for eternity.

Our Lord Jesus compares all of these to the pilgrim Church aiming for perfection in Her journey towards the realization of the Kingdom of God. True enough, the Church is already holy but still needs constant conversion. The Church is already saved by the Paschal Mystery of Christ but still in need of repentance. The Church is so much loved by Christ but still strives to be ever-faithful to Her Spouse. The Church is already glorious but still wounded and afflicted by our sins. May God continue to bless His Church so that we may in turn become fruitful wheat in time of harvest.