Reflection for July 24 Saturday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time: Matthew 13:24-30

Gospel: Matthew 13:24-30

Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds. “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. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well.  

The slaves of the householder came to him and said, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from? He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’  

He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.”

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Reflection:

The story is told about a married man and woman who chose to engage in an adulterous relationship. It's no-brainer that the will of God for both of them is not to engage in that sinful relationship. But, they disregarded God’s will to satisfy their lustful, shameless, wicked and bestial will.  

Perhaps we wonder, why there are people who choose to go against the will of God. Instead of living life attuned to the desire of God they live it according to what they want even if what they want is sinful. Therefore, in pursuing what they want they immerse themselves into sin. Thus, they become the sales representatives or the walking advertisements of the devil in this world.  

However, why does God allow sin? Why does He allow it to exist and in the process temp or even destroy us? When He can easily eliminate it from our environment? Lest we forget that our God is not a dictatorial God our God is a God of love and part of that love of God is to give us the freewill to choose for ourselves what we want to do in this world.  

God has a purpose for allowing sin to exist which is for us to avoid, confront and eliminate it. We have to remember that by virtue of our baptism we became Jesus’ extension in this world. Hence, Jesus expects us not only to avoid, not only to confront but to neutralize sin immediately the moment it rears its devious head.    

What if they would not or we would not stop sinning? We must prepare for its many consequences including death. In the Bible Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans tells us that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). And Jesus alludes to this severe punishment in the gospel by saying: “Collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning.” (Matthew 13:30)  

Nevertheless, why go to the extent of experiencing the very painful wages of sin when we can confront and eliminate it immediately? – Marino J. Dasmarinas