The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite contemplation of the tension in our lives between our self serving action and the path that leads to fullness of life.
Wheat and weeds
The reading from the Book of Exodus describes the ratification of the Covenant.
* [24:4] Sacred stones: stone shafts or slabs, erected as symbols of the fact that each of the twelve tribes had entered into this covenant with God; see 23:24; Gn 28:18.1
Psalm 50 praises the acceptable sacrifice.
* [Psalm 50] A covenant lawsuit stating that the sacrifice God really wants is the sacrifice of praise accompanied by genuine obedience (cf. Mi 6:1–8). It begins with a theophany and the summoning of the court (Ps 50:1–6). Then in direct address God explains what is required of the faithful (Ps 50:7–15), rebukes the hypocritical worshiper (Ps 50:16–21), and concludes with a threat and a promise (Ps 50:22–23; cf. Is 1:19–20).2
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus teaches the Parable of Weeds among the Wheat.
* [13:24–30] This parable is peculiar to Matthew. The comparison in Mt 13:24 does not mean that the kingdom of heaven may be likened simply to the person in question but to the situation narrated in the whole story. The refusal of the householder to allow his slaves to separate the wheat from the weeds while they are still growing is a warning to the disciples not to attempt to anticipate the final judgment of God by a definitive exclusion of sinners from the kingdom. In its present stage it is composed of the good and the bad. The judgment of God alone will eliminate the sinful. Until then there must be patience and the preaching of repentance.3
Kimberly Grassmeyer comments that evil humans among us can influence us. They can sow doubt, foment anger, tempt us with earthly desires, turn us from our better angels. Can we believers keep our faith, walk the right road, not be led into temptation, and remain in God’s grace when the world around us doesn’t want us to?
God (the householder of the parable?) trusts us to remain steadfast in his word. Prayer, being in community, acting in service to others, and other spiritual disciplines help us to do so. I pray today that we have the optimism, discipline, and trust in the grace of our Lord, to grow into tall, healthy wheat that will be harvested into the barn. Healthy in faith despite any weeds that work to distract us. “Lord, let my heart be good soil,” fertile for the “good seed” you’ve sown in me. Amen.4
Don Schwager quotes “The Lord sows good seeds in our heart,” by Chromatius (died 406 AD).
"The Lord clearly points out that he is the sower of good seeds. He does not cease to sow in this world as in a field. God's word is like good seed in the hearts of people, so that each of us according to the seeds sown in us by God may bear spiritual and heavenly fruit." (excerpt from TRACTATE ON MATTHEW 51.1)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Psalm 50:1-2, 5-6, 14-15 notes that we can surely recall times when we saw God’s power at work. Perhaps someone arrived to help us just when we were in desperate need. Or maybe something unexpected happened that ended up restoring a broken relationship. Maybe we were flooded with peace during an anxious situation. At these times, offering praise to the Lord is not a burden. But what about those times when we can’t see how God is working, or we don’t know what we will face in the future? Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.
So go ahead and praise your God and heavenly Father. Decide to trust him and give him praise even in the darkness or disappointments. When you do, you’ll strengthen your faith in the God you’re praising—the one who created the heavens and the earth, who has given you a share in his divine life, who has shown you boundless mercy and grace. Little by little, God will lift up your heart and open your eyes to his love. “Father, you are always worthy of my praise. Help me lift my voice to you today.”6
Franciscan Media writes about St. Sharbel Makhlūf who followed the example of the fifth-century Saint Maron. Sharbel lived as a hermit from 1875, until his death. His reputation for holiness prompted people to seek him to receive a blessing and to be remembered in his prayers. He followed a strict fast and was very devoted to the Blessed Sacrament. When his superiors occasionally asked him to administer the sacraments to nearby villages, Sharbel did so gladly.
John Paul II often said that the Church has two lungs—East and West—and it must learn to breathe using both of them. Remembering saints like Sharbel helps the Church to appreciate both the diversity and unity present in the Catholic Church. Like all the saints, Sharbel points us to God and invites us to cooperate generously with God’s grace, no matter what our situation in life may be. As our prayer life becomes deeper and more honest, we become more ready to make that generous response.7
Friar Jude Winkler shares that Moses proclaimed the Commandments and offered a sacrifice to “cut” a Covenant. Followers of Jesus ponder why evil continues to exist in the world. Friar Jude reminds us to avoid judgement, live in joy, and do our best.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Dr. Douglas-Klotz, who offers several possible understandings of Jesus’ teaching “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.” He offers an embodied prayer practice to help us sense the powerful message of this beatitude.
When in emotional turmoil—or unable to clearly feel any emotion—experiment in this fashion: breathe in while feeling the word lawile (lay-wee-ley) [longing]; breathe out while feeling the word netbayun (net-bah-yoon) [loving]. Embrace all of what you feel and allow all emotions to wash through as though you were standing under a gentle waterfall. Follow this flow back to its source and find there the spring from which all emotion arises. At this source, consider what emotion has meaning for the moment, what action or nonaction is important now.8
As we grow in our relationship with the Trinity, the love of the Spirit moves us to compassion and care for all people.
References
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