Matthew 13:24-43:
Sunday, July 23rd, 2023 (16 OT A)
“Jesus put another parable to the people, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, an enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went away.” “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed…Though it is the smallest of seeds, yet when it grows it is the biggest shrub…”.
If we look back to the beginnings of the Church from our own day, what we see is not strange, but in the early years of Christianity you could not imagine what it would be like in the 21st century. What began with a small group of Galilean fishermen, today there are billions who live that same illusion: the kingdom of God. The mustard seed has become a tree, and the little yeast has fermented the whole dough. It is the great inner strength of the Kingdom, which has been growing without violence, without showiness, with firmness.
But along with those first seeds that Jesus planted, others “planted by the enemy” have also grown. And now we see that we are wheat and tares. That among us there are good and bad. And there are circumstances in which we wonder why God does not act. When children are killed in the bombing of a beach or a plane full of innocents is shot down, we think that God should not allow it. We may even think it is unjust.
But this is not God’s way. God is patient and believes in man. He always gives him a vote of confidence, a second chance. As he did with the prodigal son, he always waits for him to return. We cannot lose sight of the fact that in the heart of each one of us there are also some weeds. That we are not perfect or unblemished. And God is patient with us. It is not up to us to judge or condemn, no matter how obvious the evidence may be. It is up to us to strive to be leaven, salt and light in our own environment. With the testimony of our life. And with the same patience that God has.
Juan Ramón Gómez Pascual, cmf
Do you judge or do you act as leaven, salt and light?
