“The kingdom of heaven may be likened 

to a man who sowed good seed in his field.

While everyone was asleep his enemy came

and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off.”

The introduction to this parable should wake us up to the reality of the evil one in our midst. The specific action of the “enemy” in this parable is disturbing. Imagine if this story were true and we were the farmer who worked very hard at sowing the seed throughout our field. Then, if we awoke to hear the news that weeds had been sown also, we would be quite saddened, angered and disappointed. Nevertheless, this parable is especially about the Son of God. Jesus is the one who has sown the good seed of His Word and watered that seed with His Precious Blood. But the evil one, the devil, has also been at work trying to undermine the work of our Lord. Again, if this were a true story about us as a farmer, it would be hard to refrain from much anger and a desire for revenge. But the truth is that Jesus, as the Divine Sower, does not allow the evil one to steal His peace. Instead, He has allowed this action of the evil one to remain for now. But at the end, the works of evil will be destroyed and burned in the unquenchable fire.

What’s also interesting to note is that Jesus does not root out all evil in our world here and now. According to the parable, He refrains so that the good fruit of the Kingdom will not be negatively affected. In other words, this parable reveals to us the interesting truth that the “weeds” all around us, that is, the evil alive within our world, cannot affect our growth in virtue and entrance into the Kingdom of God. We may have to endure evil on a daily basis and find ourselves surrounded by it at times, but our Lord’s willingness to allow evil for now is a clear sign that He knows it cannot affect our growth in virtue if we do not let it. The evil one, despite his malicious attacks, will ultimately be defeated. We can console ourselves by remembering that Our Lord says that one day there will be no more evil, sinfulness, or unfairness. The Catechism says “The Church will not be wounded any longer by sin, stains, self-love, that destroy or wound the earthly community. The beatific vision, in which God opens himself in an inexhaustible way to the elect, will be the ever-flowing well-spring of happiness, peace, and mutual communion” (CCC 1045).

Also, in the Gospel, the master in the parable of the weed and wheat is patient to wait for the harvest time. Likewise, God is patient. God is patient with us. God is patient with our sins. God is patient with our salvation. St. Peter says, “God’s patience is our opportunity to be saved” (2 Peter 3:15). Actually, God has a plan that He is working out over time. We live in a world where tragedies and accidents occur every day and where injustice and violence still destroy in people’s lives. Where is God and why doesn’t He do something? The Parable of the Wheat and Weeds teaches us that God does have a plan for this world and He is working to accomplish it. However, it is unfolding over time and that means there’s some waiting to do, something we find difficult. Jesus is teaching us patience – the patience of a God who chooses to delay His judgment. God is not in a hurry and we must be prepared to trust Him and wait for His time. At the end, God will win and good will overcome evil. Hence, being a follower of Christ takes patience and perseverance. We trust in God’s love and mercy. God has allowed both the righteous and unrighteous to coexist, giving everyone a chance to repent and turn to Him. God is always waiting for us. God, as Pope Francis mentions, “is never tired of forgiving us, but at times we get tired of asking for forgiveness.”