Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house. His disciples approached him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” He said in reply, “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom. The weeds are the children of the Evil One, and the enemy who sows them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his Kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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The Sistine Chapel is one of the most iconic works of art ever created. Strewn across the wall where the altar stands is a depiction of the final judgment.
Angels fight for the souls of the just, while demons pull the evil ones down into the netherworld. It’s a jarring but beautiful piece, drawing its inspiration from today’s Gospel.
“Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire,” Jesus says, “so it will be at the end of the age.”
Michelangelo reminds us that everyone must stand before the judgment seat of God.
But why does God wait until the end of our lives to judge us? Or, using the imagery from today’s Gospel, why must the weeds co-exist with the wheat?
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When they first sprout, weeds and wheat look quite similar.
Any seasoned farmer knows that it’s best to wait until the weeds and wheat become fully mature before separating them; otherwise, one may be mistaken for the other.
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In a similar way, Jesus waits until the end of our lives to judge what we’ve become, either a weed or wheat. It’s his prayer that every soul becomes wheat. Shouldn’t we hope for the same?
Doing so means three things:
First, that we are patient with ourselves; faith is a life-long journey. Secondly, that we’re patient with others. And, third, that we withhold judgment, never seeing another person as incapable of change.
Rather, like Jesus, we do everything we can to reveal the goodness of God.
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Sometimes it feels like a distant and difficult truth, but the Lord’s judgment does come at the end of time. So, “whoever has ears ought to hear,” Jesus says.
When that moment comes, may he gaze upon the world – including us – and see a field of wheat.
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Image credits: (1) Parable of the Sower, Van Gogh (2) The Last Judgment, Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo (3) Wheat Field, Van Gogh
Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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I’m glad Martha lost her cool. Her frustration teaches us a lesson in discipleship.
Imagine the scene: she’s moving around the kitchen for an hour or two, banging pots and pans, cutting vegetables while mumbling beneath her breath. Finally, she storms into the dining room to confront her sister, Mary, who’s listening attentively to Jesus.
Interrupting their conversation, Martha bursts out, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?”
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Martha just made several mistakes.
First, she accuses the Lord of not caring about her burdens. “Lord, do you not care?”
Then she blames someone else for her anxiety. “My sister has left me to do all the serving.” Somehow, it’s Mary’s fault that Martha is so anxious.
Finally, Martha polishes off her cocktail of complaints by telling the Lord how to solve her problem. “Tell her to help me!”
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Does that ever sound like us? Do we accuse the Lord of being aloof of our burdens? Do we tell God how to help us?
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Jesus rebukes her softly, saying, “You are worried and anxious about many things.” The Lord knows that Martha is not anxious about making a perfect sauce or maintaining a clean kitchen.
Although these things may be bothering her on the surface, in her heart, she is anxious because she’s lost her focus; that day, she is motivated more by duty than by love.
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So it is with us at times.
Think about the ordinary tasks we do throughout the day – going to work, toting the kids across town, doing household chores, interacting with others.
When these activities are motivated more by duty than by love, they can bring the same type of anxiety that Martha experienced. Love, on the other hand, brings peace.
As Saint Paul says, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”
It brings life to any situation, including ordinary tasks like hosting a meal, or whatever may be on our plate today.
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Image credits: (1) Transformations Care Network (2) Christ in the House of Martha and Mary, Diego Velázquez, 1618 (3) I am Fruitful
Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee. A large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. The Jewish feast of Passover was near. When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, he said to Philip, “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?” He said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?” Jesus said, “Have the people recline.” Now there was a great deal of grass in that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted. When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples, “Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted.” So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat. When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, “This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world.” Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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In the summer of 2018, a group of twelve curious boys – ages 11 to 16 – wandered into a gigantic cave in Thailand after soccer practice. While they were exploring, heavy rainfall started flooding the cave, blocking their exit.
Unable to swim, the boys were forced to retreat deeper and deeper into the cave, until they found themselves stuck in a dark maze, two and a half miles inside the belly of the earth.
A week passed by.
Chances of their survival were slipping by the hour. Finally, a burst of light came out of the watery tomb beneath their feet as two British divers emerged. Somehow, these divers found them!
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Still, the boys’ survival wasn’t guaranteed.
Although these experts were able to navigate the dark, craggy tunnels, pulling the boys out of the cave seemed impossible.
Their story went viral. Volunteers from around the world arrived on site, saying, “I’m a diver… I’m a scientist… I’m a doctor… I’m an engineer…. I cannot save those boys alone. But I can be part of the solution.”
After three treacherous weeks, all twelve boys were rescued, concluding a story of remarkable endurance and teamwork.
That moment reminded the world that when we work together, nearly anything is possible.
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Something similar is happening in today’s Gospel.
For the last nine miles, thousands of people have been following Jesus. They’ve listened to his teachings, witnessed his miracles, and are mesmerized by his power.
But now they’re hungry … and far from home.
So, the Lord asks his disciples, “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?” But all they come up with is the contents of a boy’s lunchbox – five loaves and two fish. That’s enough for the disciples, perhaps, but not the rest of the crowd.
Still, the Lord insists, “have the people recline.”
Somehow, everyone is fed. In fact, there was so much left over that twelve wicker baskets were filled – far more than the five loaves and two fish they began with.
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How did Jesus do it? How did he turn a small meal into a buffet large enough to feed thousands?
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The Gospel doesn’t tell us how it happened; only that everyone, “ate and was satisfied.”
While Jesus could’ve miraculously multiplied the fish and bread himself – he did greater miracles than this – some have suggested that he might’ve done it another way.
Perhaps the Lord inspired his neighbors to see themselves as part of the solution.
Wouldn’t that be an even greater miracle – a moral miracle – convincing thousands of people to solve this problem of communal hunger together?
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Jesus knew some had fish and bread stuffed inside their pockets. Think of that little boy. It’s these – the ones with extra – whom the Lord is targeting.
As the Gospel says, he takes the boy’s dinner, gives thanks, and begins sharing it with others. And so, the multiplication of the loaves begins.
Imagine a wave of empathy moving throughout the crowd as people realize that they, too, can share whatever they have, becoming part of the solution. Before sunset, stomachs are filled and hearts are transformed.
This would be the greatest miracle of all:
Teamwork.
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Similar dynamics unfolded in Thailand just a few years ago.
Think of all the divers, doctors, and engineers, who risked their lives in order to save those desperate boys. Extracting them from the maze of dark, flooded tunnels seemed highly unlikely.
But teamwork made the impossible possible. Each person gave what they had – five loaves and two fish. Suddenly, a miracle unfolded before the world’s eyes.
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The same lesson could be applied to a variety of problems across the globe, including: hunger, poverty, war, and the often elusive search for peace. As the old saying goes, “Teamwork makes the dream work.”
It’s also true in our parish.
Consider how far we’ve already come. Together, we can continue transforming hearts and minds, until everyone we know loves and serves the Lord.
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So, what are my “five loaves and two fish”?
How do I see myself as part of the solution to the challenges we face – from spreading the Gospel to striving for peace?
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Teamwork makes the dream work.
It helped feed a hungry crowd of thousands; it saved the lives of twelve boys in Thailand; and it will continue making the impossible possible in our world today.
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Image credits: (1) Inc. Magazine (2) disappointment media (3) NPR
