The Gospel according to Matthew (13:36-43)
Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house.
His disciples approached him and said,
“Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”
He said in reply, “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man,
the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom.
The weeds are the children of the Evil One,
and the enemy who sows them is the Devil.
The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire,
so will it be at the end of the age.
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.
They will throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
Then the righteous will shine like the sun
in the Kingdom of their Father.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
Reflection:
So, I don’t know about you necessarily, but speaking for myself, there have been times in my life when I look up at God and wonder why He is doing this or that, or (more likely) why He *isn’t* doing something when I think He should. And at those times, all I really want is for Him to just *tell me* what His plan is exactly. Do any of you ever feel like that?
Our Gospel today is one of the rare times when Jesus explains one of His parables. Parables were stories told with images that the listeners could relate to, with a particular lesson or moral of the story. He didn’t typically explain parables, leaving the effort to find that “lesson” or “moral” to the listener to figure out, or – more likely – to scratch one’s head and wonder what *was* the lesson to be learned. Jesus said elsewhere in the Gospels that He only spoke in parables to the people, lest they understand and reform their lives.
I’ve always thought that last saying was not very loving or merciful. I mean, doesn’t God want us to turn to Him? Why, then, did Jesus say He was purposely obscuring His own message to keep it from being understood? From a human perspective, I don’t think there’s a very pleasant answer. In our own day, much that happens in the world seems not to be all that benevolent – there is dissent, discord, war, suffering, hatred, misunderstanding everywhere. How do we make any sense of it?
I think the only way is to trust that God has the bigger view of it all, and to know that He promises never to leave us to face it all alone. It’s not the same as the explanation (which the disciples requested and received in today’s Gospel), but even companionship is a very powerful thing. We just have to realize that we are all walking “in community” together through it all.
And, God Himself walks with us, too. Maybe He will share an explanation at some point, but even if He doesn’t, then, we just enjoy the fact that we are walking together, and trust that the path we are on is going to a place we need to be. And, because we are “in community”, we are called to emulate the example of Jesus and love those we are walking with, care for those who are in need, and be the light in a world full of darkness. It may not seem like much, but it is truly enough!
Action for the Day:
Think for a moment of someone in our “community” here on earth who is on your heart today and ask our loving Lord to watch over and bless that person in whatever way he or she needs most. Then, say thanks to God for His promise that He will do just that!
The picture that accompanies today’s reflection is one of those questions that we just don’t understand.. maybe it will give you a smile as you think of the many questions YOU have that God hasn’t explained to you just yet. Just like wondering why red squirrels drive slowly.
If you would like to hear this reflection, click the link below!
Thank you all for doing these. They are much appreciated and very thought provoking. (Not sure why Red Squirrels are allowed to drive either!)