The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to respond to the weeds in our environment with the love and patience of Christ.
The reading from the Prophet Jeremiah proclaims God’s Judgement on the Nation.
* [7:1–15] The Temple of the Lord will not guarantee safety against enemy invasion or any other misfortune.
* [7:6] The alien: specially protected within Israelite society; cf. Ex 22:20; Nm 9:14; 15:14; Dt 5:14; 28:43. (Jeremiah, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 84 praises the Joy of Worship in the Temple.
* [Psalm 84] Israelites celebrated three pilgrimage feasts in Jerusalem annually. The Psalm expresses the sentiments of the pilgrims eager to enjoy the divine presence.
* [84:4] The desire of a restless bird for a secure home is an image of the desire of a pilgrim for the secure house of God, cf. Ps 42:2–3, where the image for the desire of the pilgrim is the thirst of the deer for water. (Psalms, PSALM 84 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Matthew presents 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.
* [13:25] Weeds: darnel, a poisonous weed that in its first stage of growth resembles wheat.
* [13:30] Harvest: a common biblical metaphor for the time of God’s judgment; cf. Jer 51:33; Jl 4:13; Hos 6:11. (Matthew, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB, n.d.)
Jay Carney comments that Jeremiah recognizes the ever-present danger that religious piety and worship become escapist or compartmentalized from the rest of our lives. Orthodoxy, literally “right worship,” requires orthopraxis, or “right action.”
Held together, then, Jeremiah 7 and Psalm 84 cut to the heart of the good news of the Jewish and Christian traditions. God calls us to a holistic gospel, connecting mind, body, and spirit, inner and outer, personal and social. We are called to recognize that genuine spirituality entails reforming our lives and reflecting in action what we profess with our lips. Yearn and pine for the courts of the Lord, yes, but first love your neighbor and do justice to the innocent. Then, by the grace of God, may we be counted among the wheat on the day of final harvest. (Carney, 2024)
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)
[Note: Chromatius was an early Christian scholar and bishop of Aquileia, Italy. He was a close friend of John Chrysostom and Jerome. He died in 406 AD. Jerome described him as a "most learned and most holy man."] (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 13:24-30 asks why would a landowner hesitate to remove harmful weeds from his field? But if Jesus meant for the landowner to represent God, maybe we can learn something about the way our heavenly Father looks at us and at the growth of his kingdom.
Our God is merciful. Our God is patient. Our God is just. Let’s praise him for his care for us!
“Father, thank you for the way you manage the ‘field’ of your kingdom.” (Meditation on Matthew 13:24-30, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes that Jeremiah speaks about the holiness of the Temple and contrasts it with the oppression of aliens and neglect of widows and orphans. Our worship is not a superstitious act but an expression of who we are and who we want to be. Friar Jude reminds us of the very strong theme of a final accounting in Matthew and our need to do the best we can and it will all be sorted out in the end.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces authors Thomas Bien and Beverly Bien who approach recovery through an ongoing, mindful approach.
Remember that mindfulness is “choiceless awareness”; that is, it is the willingness to be present with whatever is going on. This includes being willing to become aware of your forgetfulness and to return again to mindfulness. If you become self-critical or frustrated, you have become too goal oriented about your spiritual practice. Relax. Use humor. Smile. Tune into the fun…. Isn’t it funny that, if we struggle too hard, we get caught in the very net of suffering we want to escape?…
Make patience and self-acceptance your main practice. And one day you will realize you have changed. You will see that you have become a more mindful person. You get there, not by trying all at once to attain some perfection, but just by the simple daily things…. You get there one mindful breath at a time. (Rohr, n.d.)
As we grow and mature we become more aware of the wheat and weeds in our field and we are grateful for the love, patience, and mercy of our companions on the journey as we seek transformation as followers of Christ.
References
Carney, J. (2024, July 27). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved July 27, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/072724.html
Jeremiah, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 27, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jeremiah/7?1
Matthew, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 27, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/13?
Meditation on Matthew 13:24-30. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved July 27, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/07/27/1033707/
Psalms, PSALM 84 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 27, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/84?3
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Breathing Under Water, Week Two: Weekly Summary. Retrieved July 27, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/breathing-under-water-week-two-weekly-summary/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 27, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=jul27
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