16th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Jesus frequently uses nature in his teachings. Today is no exception with the parable of the weeds, the mustard seed, and the yeast. We all deal with weeds. We go out of our way to get rid of them. We pull one, and we get two in return. They survive heat, drought, floods, extreme cold, pests, and herbicides. As we age and get closer to our judgment, the parable of the weeds may cause us to pause and question whether we will be gathered in the wheat or the weeds.
The good news is that the readings challenge us to address the weeds in our life with the assurance that God is loving, lenient, merciful, forgiving, and desires to nourish us continuously. In the first reading from the Book of Wisdom, we hear: you gave your children good ground for hope that you would permit repentance of their sins. In the responsorial psalm, we hear: You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious. Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans reminds us that in our weakness, the Spirit intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will.
In the gospel, after telling the parables and dismissing the crowds, the disciples pressure Jesus further to explain the parable of the weeds. Did they, too, have a moment of doubt about their salvation? Did they miss the beauty of the mustard seed plant and the sanctuary it offers? Did they not comprehend how much God desires to nourish and feed us in the parable of the yeast?
When we doubt our salvation or separate our weeds from our wheat, we have the Eucharist, the living parable of God’s love through his son Jesus, who never ceases to nourish and sustain us with his body and blood.
Closing Prayer
God our Creator, you feed us with the true manna, the living bread come down from heaven: let this holy food sustain us through our earthly pilgrimage until we come to that place where hunger and thirst are no more. We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord, and Savior. Amen.
