The children of light, wary of the enemy who sows weeds around and within them, must above all trust in the power of grace, which makes the good wheat grow and wax strong in the midst of combat.
Gospel for the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time
24 Jesus proposed another parable to the crowds, saying: “The Kingdom of Heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. 26 When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. 27 The slaves of the householder came to him and said, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?’ 28 He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ 29 He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. 30 Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
31 He proposed another parable to them. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. 32 It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.’”
33 He spoke to them another parable. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened.”
34 All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. He spoke to them only in parables, 35 to fulfill what had been said through the prophet: I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation of the world.
36 Then, dismissing the crowds, He went into the house. His disciples approached Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” 37 He said in reply, “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, 38 the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are Angels. 40 Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send His Angels, and they will collect out of His Kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. 42 They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear” (Mt 13:24-43).
I – Prudence in the Fight against Evil
God reveals the mysteries of the Kingdom to the little ones, says the Gospel acclamation of this 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time (cf. Mt 11:25), indicating to us the perspective from which we must analyse the three parables contained in it. In this context, the term “little ones” does not denote children, or persons of small importance or intelligence, but those who know how to recognize the infinite distance that exists between the condition of a creature and the omnipotence of God, and live in the joy of depending entirely on Him.
Those who have this disposition of soul easily understand the lofty principles which, in the passage of St. Matthew selected for this Liturgy, Our Lord transmits to us through simple figures, taken from the everyday reality of that time: weeds and wheat, mustard seeds and yeast.
The first parable, narrated to the crowd and later explained to the disciples, is sometimes the object of an absurd interpretation, fruit of insufficient study and meditation or, perhaps, of the little attention given to the inspirations of grace. According to some, the Divine Master employed the image of the weeds uprooted from the field only at harvest time to demonstrate the futility of any fight against evil on the part of the good. However, what Jesus emphasizes in this passage is the need to be vigilant in the face of the enemy, who is relentless in the pursuit of our perdition, and to deal with him prudently, awaiting the most opportune moment to eradicate him, as will become clear in what follows.
When we consider the lesson of patience and prudence contained in this parable, the question often arises: why does God allow evil to exist alongside the good? Among other reasons, because this is an essential condition to the state of trial, for both men and Angels. This is what the perfect prayer taught by the Saviour suggests: when we pray the Our Father we ask for the grace to never succumb to temptations, but we do not beg for them to cease.
In addition to giving us the opportunity to acquire merits through resistance and perseverance, temptations are an element indispensable for certain aspects of God’s grandeur to be manifest. He brought forth the universe out of nothing for His own glory, desiring to lead intelligent creatures – Angels and men – to participate in His infinite happiness. However, each one must first be put to the test, according to which the Creator will show His mercy and justice by granting the due reward or punishment – in other words, Heaven or hell – so clearly described in the final verses of today’s Gospel.
Thus, a picture begins to take form, highlighting the indispensable role of combat for the sanctification of the children of light. It is a struggle guided by the virtue of prudence, which indicates the shortest and most effective way, indeed, the wisest way, to reach the end.
Let us analyse each parable from this supernatural perspective.
II – Three Lessons in Struggle and Confidence in the Power of Grace
As St. Matthew records at the beginning of his chapter 13, Our Lord told the parables about the Kingdom the same day He had argued with the scribes and Pharisees about the healing of a blind and dumb man (cf. Mt 12:22-45). On that occasion, He emphasized the gravity of sin against the Holy Spirit and prophesied the condemnation of that “evil and adulterous generation” (12:39). He also explained to the people His predilection for those who do the will of the Father, pointing to the disciples and saying: “Here are my mother and my brothers!” (12:49).
Next, the Evangelist relates that Jesus “went out of the house and sat beside the sea” (13:1). In the meantime, such a crowd gathered that He had to get into a boat while the crowd stood on the shore, in the manner of an amphitheatre. The passage chosen for today’s Liturgy follows immediately upon the explanation of the parable of the sower (cf. Mt 13:4-23), contemplated the previous Sunday.
In this life, there is both good and bad seed
24 Jesus proposed another parable to the crowds, saying: “The Kingdom of Heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off.”
At first sight, the account of Our Lord contained nothing new. The appearance of tares in the cultivation of wheat was commonplace, and everyone knew the similarity between the two plants. In proposing such an image as a figure of the Kingdom of Heaven, He wanted to draw the attention of his listeners to this great truth: there is always a higher lesson behind the common realities of life.
Let us underscore an important detail here: the weeds did not spring up spontaneously, but were sown by the enemy “all through the wheat,” which had also been planted in the soil by the owner of the field. There is, therefore, a close relationship between the devil and his followers, much inferior, however, to the union that is established between God and the elect. It is up to these to take the covenant offered by the Lord seriously, so as not to be devoured by the tares.
26 “When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. 27 The slaves of the householder came to him and said, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?’ 28a He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’”
The scene set by Jesus dispels a certain optimistic outlook about our existence in this world. There is in society a mixture of good and bad seed that cannot be eliminated and very often only becomes noticeable when both have grown. And such is the profusion of weeds sown by the enemy that the good plants become a reduced portion in their midst.
Moreover, each one of us carries weed seeds within ourselves, whether they be bad inclinations, temptations or even uncertainties and afflictions which the devil exploits to disturb us, and which we must resist by not allowing them to dominate us.
The fight: distinguishing characteristic of the Kingdom
28b “His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ 29 He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. 30 Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
The slaves’ attitude represents the mistaken mentality of those who think that the ideal conditions for the growth of God’s children in the field of this world would consist of sweetness and delights, peace and the complete absence of adversaries. But “militia est vita hominis super terram – the life of man upon earth is a warfare” (Job 7:1). The Kingdom of God is a kingdom of constant struggle and combat! And the very struggle between the weeds and the wheat within us will last until the moment when, like St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort on his deathbed, we can say: “Finally, I will sin no more!”1
By living in the midst of the weeds without making concessions to or letting themselves be influenced by them, the good evince the power of vigilance and prayer in the battle against the temptations and assaults of the enemy. Whenever we request it, grace is given to us in abundance; even to those who do not pray, God dispenses sufficient grace for salvation. If we are determined to practise virtue, we will not be shaken or harmed by any obstacle to this interior decision, but on the contrary, we will be strengthened by it.
It is interesting to note that at the time of the harvest, the wheat is distinguished without difficulty from the tares: the latter are pulled up first and destined for the fire, and only afterwards is the wheat gathered into the barn. The certainty of God’s infallible judgement, which will separate the good from the bad at the end of the world by granting to each the deserved reward or punishment, encourages us to have confidence. As long as we remain on the right path and strive to respond to grace, He will not allow evil to suffocate and destroy us.
After this parable, the Divine Master proposes two other metaphors of the Kingdom, one suited to capturing the attention of the male public and the second of greater interest to the women present there.
The result attained by those who are faithful
31 He proposed another parable to them. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. 32 It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.’”
Small, almost insignificant, the mustard seed is remarkable for the speed of its growth and the proportions it attains when placed in conditions suited to its development. It thus presents itself as a symbol of the Kingdom of God, both in its visible manifestation – the Holy Church – and in the discreet action of grace within hearts. From a small group of twelve Apostles, the Church expanded throughout the whole world; similarly, whoever is faithful to what he receives from Providence, as weak and lacking he may be in natural qualities, will become great in spirit, full of supernatural gifts, and capable of supporting and helping others.
It is worthwhile to focus on one detail: the mustard seed only sprouts and develops with such vigour because it is deposited in the earth. If, as soon as the stalk appeared, we were to remove it from the ground and place it on a clean cloth, it would wither completely and die in a few hours. In this regard, the comparison employed by Our Lord reminds us of the importance of avoiding environments that do not favour our sanctification. As promising as our vitality may be, it will be of no avail if we do not flee from near occasions of sin and seek to progress in union with God. On the contrary, if we have a close connection with the Creator and, consequently, a true aversion to all that leads us away from Him, we will continually receive the stimulus, the support and the strength to sustain us on our journey towards perfection.
33 He spoke to them another parable. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened.”
This parable includes the same lesson as the previous one: from a seemingly small cause, a much greater effect emerges. The dough rises simply because it is leavened; the action of the yeast is all that it takes. This is how God acts in souls: when He calls someone of minimal value in the eyes of the world – just like a mustard seed or a measure of yeast – and the person corresponds to grace, the fruits of his apostolate, however great the difficulties faced, will be copious. Of course, human qualities and talents can help, but the most important part of a supernatural work is the intervention of Providence.
34 All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. He spoke to them only in parables, 35 to fulfill what had been said through the prophet: I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation of the world.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, being God, possessed a perfect and eternal knowledge of all things and, at the beginning of His public life, He revealed wonders hitherto hidden to men. By referring to this passage from Psalm 77 as a proclamation of the Redeemer’s manner of teaching, St. Matthew attests that He was the realization of the Messianic grandeur prophesied in the Old Testament.
Two opposite paths, two eternal destinies
36 Then, dismissing the crowds, He went into the house. His disciples approached Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” 37 He said in reply, “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, 38 the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are Angels.”
At the end of the preaching, Our Lord returns to the house, where the disciples ask Him to explain the meaning of the parable of the weeds. In all naturalness He then clarifies, emphasizing the final destiny of the two forces that confront one another on the field of this world: the Kingdom of God is made up of the children of light, who will enjoy a happy eternity, but among them are also the wicked, who at the end of time will be plunged into hell together with the demons.
Jesus “sows good seed”: it is He who calls all men to benefit from His redeeming Blood and to tread the path of holiness, reserving special graces for them so that, even if they are weak, they may remain faithful throughout life.
On the other hand, there are those who “are the children of the evil one,” that is, those who have decided to forsake virtue and follow the path of sin. The one who thus leads them astray, making them into weeds, is satan himself.
40 “Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send His Angels, and they will collect out of His Kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. 42 They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
It will be the mission of the Angels to uproot from the Kingdom all that belongs to the devil, which means to extirpate not only those who embrace evil, but also “all who cause others to sin.” The expression “fiery furnace” suggests a pleonasm, but Our Lord uses it to reinforce the idea of the intensity of the flames of hell, which will not be extinguished for all eternity. It is an intelligent fire, nourished by God, capable of burning without consuming and in the exact measure determined by divine justice for each condemned person.
The “wailing and grinding of teeth” of the damned, whose bodies, reflecting the misfortune of the soul, will resurrect opaque, jet-black and foul-smelling, is in contrast to the happiness of the Blessed, who will resurrect shining with light and glory, resplendent as the sun.
III – The Insignia of our Passage on Earth
Explained by Our Lord in the parable of the weeds and the wheat, warfare is the insignia of our passage on earth. Those who are aware of this truth live full of joy and are not disturbed when evildoers arise with destructive hatred, for they know that the vitality of the good comes from God Himself. Therefore, when we witness the weeds attacking the wheat, we must reject the least thought of distrust, sadness or discouragement. On the contrary, we must maintain the conviction of our advantage as God’s warriors in the face of those who have been planted by the enemy.
A great help in never forfeiting that hope lies in not losing sight, on our interior horizon, of the events that will close the history of humanity. We live in time, and the small episodes of daily life affect us, sometimes disturbing us, but all of this passes. On the day of Judgement, it will be our love for Him who sowed us and the bounty with which we give back to Him for the sap He infused into us and the care He gave us that will count.
In the most arduous moments of the fight against evil, let us keep in mind that our prayer is always heard by Heaven. God may delay in responding, but He will never abandon us, especially when we ask Him to vanquish the weeds that have germinated within us. Let us remember that He is Integrity and will not break the covenant established with those who confide in the omnipotence of His forgiveness; He is Goodness and continually wants to do good to us; He is our Redeemer and has promised us a glorious resurrection, leaving us as a pledge the “leaven” that not even the Angels can receive: the Eucharist.
In short, today’s Liturgy opens a path of infinite mercy, goodness and forgiveness granted to us by God, provided we recognize our littleness and know how to praise Him not only with our lips but also with our actions, striving for His glory on this earth. ◊
Note
1 Cf. ABAD, SJ, Camilo María. Introducción general. In: ST. LOUIS-MARIE GRIGNION DE MONTFORT. Obras. Madrid: BAC, 1954, p.66.
