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SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME A
Can weeds become wheat? Maybe, this question could be a bit stupid
or maybe not. Because, what would our Lords parable mean for someone
who doesnt produce good fruits in wors of charity, lo!e and prayer? "f we
find oursel!es short on fruit, can we do nothing more than wait for the day
of har!est, when the reaper angels will cast the weeds into the fire?
#hile my own bacground is not in agriculture, " suspect that most
farmers would laugh at me if " carefully spent my time fertili$ing a thorn
bush in hopes that it would bring wheat. %!erybody thought " am a madman.
But, today, the Lord suggests that it is &ust as difficult for a sinner to mae
himself into a saint as it is for a bush to mae wheat.
'oes this mean that we should despair? "f " cant fi( myself, " might as,
what is the use of trying? "ndeed, if it were all up to me, despair might be the
only reasonable option. But it is not all up to me. )he one who turned water
into wine, and who multiplied loa!es of bread for the hungry crowd, can
mae this thorn bus bear good crop.
" cant mae myself a saint. But *od, who can do all things, can
accomplish his will in me. " didnt choose to come into this world+ neither
did " win for myself the gift of life. ,nd, in the same way, " cant earn the
gift of eternal life. " can only recei!e it, freely from the -ne who gi!es.
#e could picture a parallelism with the alcoholic addiction. #hen the
alcoholic person tries to stop drining by himself, there is no success. .e
will be able to stop drining only when he recogni$es his own inability to
sol!e his problems and turn to *od and to the doctors for help. )hats the
same in the spiritual life/ we need the *ods grace to become saints.
-n the other hand, to acnowledge that " depend totally on *od is not to
say that " ha!e no responsibility for my own actions. #hile *ods grace may
inspire us, he waits for our response. ,nd e!en once the life of grace has
begun within us, our merits are still dependent on his gift.
0inally, we dont now how to pray as we ought, but the 1pirit comes to
help our weaness. #e hope that *od, who has the care of all, will permit
repentance for our sins+ indeed, .e gi!es his di!ine pardon in the sacrament
of Confession.
#e cant turn weeds into wheat, but we now that *od can do so. 1oon,
in the %ucharistic 2rayer, .e will tae bread made from wheat and transform
it into his own body and blood. May we be liewise transformed into li!ing
images of the 1on of *od.
" in!ite you to read the Catechism of the Catholic Church, from 3445 to
6733.
Cf. )heodore B--8, 9Letting *od find you:, Homiletic & Pastoral Review
333;4 <=une;=uly 6733>, ?@A?5.