Reading
Matthew 13:36-43
36 Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”
37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
40 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.
Comment
The departure of Jesus from the crowds marks his withdrawal from the unbelieving people and the search for more intimate communion with his disciples, who here represent not only the Twelve but those whom he had sent to announce the Gospel. These are really "hungry and thirsty for justice" (Mt 5:6) because they ask Jesus to explain the meaning of the parable narrated in images.
Only in a personal relationship with Christ, his word can be unfolded to our intelligence. Listening to the Scriptures proclaimed in the Church or even reading in private can bear fruit if we are able to ask Jesus in prayer to offer us the deepest meaning.
Jesus does not shy away from the request of his disciples and explains that the weeds represent the children of the evil one, the devil, the one who sowed them. Weeds are a plant that is almost identical to wheat in its appearance, but it is not good for making flour and making bread.
By choosing this image for the parable of him, Jesus wants to indicate that the devil comes to infest the field where the good seed was sown, not with weeds recognizable by their alien nature, but by simulating the appearance of what is good.
Jesus presents to us in the explanation of this parable the possibility of the loss of God, the highest good. Our actions must take into account the ultimate horizon that gives meaning to the whole picture.
The history of the Church, but also our personal history, is oriented towards this vanishing point, the perspective of universal and personal judgment. From that horizon will rise the sun of justice (Mal 3:20; Lk 1:78), with which and in which the righteous will shine in the kingdom of their Father.
Prayer
O Lord, come and see your field with your angels, take care of us so that evil cannot overwhelm us and by keeping the true faith we can shine with you in the kingdom of the Father. Amen.
- Rev. Dr. Luca Vona
