Weeds Among the Wheat: Homily for the 16th Sunday in O.T., Yr. A

In our Gospel reading today, Jesus speaks to us through the parable of the weeds among the wheat. Jesus Himself explains the symbolism of this parable a few verses later: Jesus Himself is the one who is sowing good seed in the field of our world. The good seed or the wheat represents Jesus’ disciples, the holy ones who have heard Jesus’ message and have decided to follow Him. The bad seed or the weeds are the evildoers of the world, the people who follow the ways of the devil rather than following the ways of God. And the devil is the one who is trying to sabotage the work of Jesus in the world by poisoning the hearts of men and women with temptation and sin. At the end of the world, the wheat and the weeds will be sorted out and separated. The holy ones of God will be taken to heaven, and the evil ones of the devil will be thrown into hell.

Understandably, the slaves in this parable ask the master if they should go and pull up all of the weeds. This represents the disciples identifying and removing all of the sinners from the Christian community. But Jesus says: “No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, ‘First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.’”

Why would Jesus not want us as His disciples to identify and remove all of the sinners from our community? Until the end of our lives when we face our judgment from God, it is not clear whether you, or I, or anyone else are the wheat—saints—or the weeds—evildoers. The roots of both the wheat and the weeds are intertwined. The good and the bad within you and I are intertwined. We have both good and bad within us. We are not yet totally saints or totally sinners. God does not allow the condemnation and separation of the sinners too early because while they are still alive there is still the possibility of repentance and conversion. God shows patience with sinners, calling them to repentance and conversion.

Do not be so certain that you are one of the wheat, and also do not be so sure that you are one of the weeds. Instead, strive to be holy as your heavenly Father is holy. Continue drawing near to the sacraments, receiving the nourishment of God’s grace and begging the Lord to turn the weeds within you into wheat. Remember that God is in the business of transformation. Do not give up the hope of your own sanctification, and also do not give up the hope of other people’s sanctification, either. Just as evil can corrupt the good, so also can there a holy contamination where what is corrupt can be transformed into good. If God can become man, then surely weeds can become wheat. “For with God nothing is impossible” (Lk 1:37).

Lord Jesus Christ, help us to not pass judgment on ourselves or on others. Transform the unholy weeds in all of our hearts into the good wheat of holiness.