JESUS often used parables to make his teachings more vivid. On one occasion, he explained the Kingdom of God using three images: the good seed sown alongside the weeds, the tiny mustard seed that grows into a leafy tree, and the yeast that leavens the dough (cf. Mt 13:31-33). All three are linked by being examples of growth. The good seed and the weeds grow together until they are separated at harvest time; the mustard seed grows into a large tree where the birds of the air build their nests; a bit of yeast in the flour makes the dough rise.
The Kingdom of God is thus characterized by its dynamism, by always increasing. It is not a static reality: it is destined to grow every day and in every historical setting. The Kingdom of God grows above all when humanity makes room for divine initiative, when that seed can unfold its full power, especially within us. Like a good gardener, the Lord tends the soil that each of us is, willing to wait. “With patience and mercy he looks at the ‘field’ of each person’s life; he sees much better than we do the filth and the evil, but he also sees the seeds of good and waits with trust for them to grow.”[1]
“Jesus compares the Kingdom of Heaven to a field of wheat to enable us to understand that something small and hidden has been sown within us which, nevertheless, has an irrepressible vital force. In spite of all obstacles, the seed will develop and the fruit will ripen.”[2] This is a comforting reality: if we do not place barriers to God’s action, his Kingdom grows in our hearts, often without our being fully aware of it.
IN THE FIRST PARABLE, the good seed and the bad seed of the weeds grow together in the field. When the disciples ask Jesus about the meaning of the image, he explains: “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world; the good seed stands for the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil” (Mt 13:37-39). Thus we see that, although evil is present in the world, it does not come from God.
Our Lord shows us that the weeds coexist with the wheat until the very end of the harvest. “It is not possible to think of human history without the weeds; that is, as Jesus himself says, it is not possible to completely eradicate the weeds, because they are mixed with what is good.”[3] We see this reality in the world around us, but above all we experience it in our own hearts, where genuine desires for holiness coexist with bad inclinations. We have the same experience that caused Saint Paul so much pain when he realized that sin dwelt within him: “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate” (Rom 7:15).
We shouldn’t be surprised or lose hope when we see the weeds in our heart: envy, jealousy, ignoble desires... As Saint Josemaría said: “Do not get sad if, when things seem to be going really well, you suddenly get the temptation to think you consented to some horrible desire, but really you didn’t. Have recourse to God’s mercy, relying on the intercession of his Mother and our Mother, and everything will be put right. And then laugh about it: just think, God is treating me like a saint! It doesn’t matter at all, but you should be convinced that at any moment the old man we all carry within can rise up. Be happy, and keep struggling!”[4]
THE PARABLE of the wheat and the weeds is a summary, as it were, of the mystery of human history: it shows us both the action of God and the freedom of men and women when used for sin. Through our actions, we can contribute to the growth of the seed of the Kingdom of God, but we can also cause the weeds to grow. Our Lord has left us entirely free. He didn’t create us predetermined to nourish only the good seed, nor did he surround the field with high walls to protect it. He left it open, although knowing that someone might sabotage temporarily part of the harvest.
In the field of our heart, the good seed coexists with the bad seed. It is there, in our heart’s freedom, that we decide whether the weeds will choke the wheat, or the wheat overcome the effect of the bad seed. But sometimes this discernment isn’t easy, since good and evil are closely intertwined. It is the moment to decide to nurture the good seed “with all our strength, and turn away from the evil one and his temptations.”[5] We will only be truly happy if we embrace the good seed, using our freedom to love God and those around us. In discerning how to do so, a good criterion might be to always choose to serve others.
“Whoever, on examining his conscience, finds weeds,” Saint Augustine said, “shouldn’t fear to change. There is no order yet to cut them down, the time for the harvest has not yet come. Don’t be today what you were yesterday, nor tomorrow what you are today.”[6] The Virgin Mary, our hope, will sustain us in our battle to let the good seed grow, so that it triumphs in our own heart and in the hearts of those around us.
[1] Francis, Angelus, 20 July 2014.
[2] Benedict XVI, Angelus, 17 July 2011.
[3] Saint John Paul II, Homily, 19 July 1987.
[4] Saint Josemaría, In Dialogue with the Lord, “The Talent of Speaking,” no. 147.
[5] Francis, Audience, 23 July 2017.
[6] Saint Augustine, Sermon 73, A.