Soul Food

Matthew 13: 24-29 Parable Of The Weeds

Jesus describes the sower as sowing good seed and his enemy coming in the night to sow weeds amongst the wheat. I have often heard this explained this way: the good people of the world, those who follow God's commands, are the wheat, while the bad people of the world are the weeds.

I have a hard time with that. It just seems so black and white, so harsh. Where's the love, the mercy, the forgiveness? God did not create me to be perfect in this life, ask anyone who knows me. Certainly, He could have made me completely perfect, without sin or weakness, if He had chosen to do so. But perhaps in His great wisdom, He recognized that by allowing my shortcomings, I would have a greater appreciation of His mercy because I actually needed it. I would know what it was to be separated from His love, not entirely, but in part. And in the emptiness of that separation would grow a great desire to be in His love always.

For me, the field is my soul. The sower is Jesus. The good seeds are all the gifts of the Father: hope, peace, joy, love, trust, faith, charity, and all the virtues and gifts of the Spirit. The weeds are sown by Satan himself. They are doubt, fear, anxiety, anger, pride, lust, sloth, envy, gluttony, avarice, and all the other lesser sins that harden my heart, choking out the goodness.

Thankfully, Jesus is a watchful gardener. He tends my soul most gently. Through the waters of Baptism, He first waters the seeds He has planted. He adds the warm sunlight of Reconciliation provide light to allow the seeds to grow. Confirmation adds mulch to protect the young plants taking root. He supports the soil with the Miracle-Grow of the Eucharist. The constant food provides much needed nourishment to the tender plants.

Yes, there are many weeds in the garden of my soul and like the slaves, I would like very much to pull up every last one of them. However, the sower says to leave them until the harvest, lest any of the wheat be pulled up with the weeds. What is faith if I have never doubted? What is hope if I do not know fear? How can I forgive if I have never been hurt?

For now, I can accept His gentle tending, knowing that day will come when these weeds that sometimes seem to be overwhelming me and choking me, will be pulled up. I can bask in the sunlight of His mercy and forgiveness. I can drink in the nourishment of His love. By accepting His careful attention, I can soften my soul to be a place where wheat will grow in great abundance. In my last moments, the weeds will be harvested along with the wheat. Then, Jesus the sower, will remove the weeds from my soul, leaving only the wheat. I will be perfect in His love and I will remain there always. And after the harvest will be the everlasting feast of love.