Through three parables Jesus gradually reveals the mystery of the kingdom of heaven and explains the enigma of the existence of evil.
In the parable of the seed and weed, the owner represents God. He is the one who sows, the one responsible of the quality of the seed. The seeds are defined as “good”. Creation is good as the seed of the word announced by Jesus is good.
The enemy in the parable represents the logic of this world. He comes at night and, while everyone is asleep, sows tares. Tares are a kind of weed very similar to grain. It grows to a height of 60 cm and produces an ear containing blackish grains; its roots are intertwined with those of the wheat and are impossible to eradicate without tearing that too. It is when the minds are numbed from sleep, when vigilance is loosened, when one abandons oneself to dissipation and frivolity that the enemy finds a way to hack into the field to sow evil.
The servants represent us. Their reaction—a mixture of astonishment and bewilderment in finding the presence of the darnel—is what we experience when we realize the existence of evil in the world, in the Christian community, in every person. The exciting dialogue shows the interest of the servants in the field and their commitment to the harvest.
But, their passion for the cause of good involves them to the point of proposing a reckless action. They are taken by impatience, anxiety of immediately getting rid of the darnel. They have no hesitation; they want an immediate and strong intervention.
The owner does not lose control; he keeps calm. He is not surprised of the incident. He is not moved and does not share their restlessness. The perspective of God is represented in his answer. In this world, good and evil are not separated. They are destined to grow together until the end.
It is good to reflect that the evil cannot be easily extricated because they are within us. Good and evil are found in every person although we would like to lull ourselves in the illusion of being perfect. No one is perfect. So Jesus urges us to consider it with the calm and patient eyes of God.
The twin parables that follow contain the same message: the disproportion between the small beginning and the unexpected, amazing final result. A grain of mustard seed, almost invisible, gives rise to a shrub that can reach four feet in height; a few grams of yeast makes fifty pounds of flour rise. The contrast is enormous.
The Church, which began with a group of unskilled fishermen and impure, sinful people, grows into a solace and refuge for millions in the world is the miracle of the Lord. Neither the yeast nor the seed knew what they were capable of!
The evangelist concludes the three parables with a reflection on the goal, which Jesus wanted to achieve: to unveil God’s project for the world since the moment of creation. First, the master invited servants to accept with serenity the existence of evil next to the good. Then he scolded the servants’ intolerance.
In the parable of the sower, I would like to draw your attention to the large quantities of seeds that are wasted in a barren land. The fruitfulness of those who hear the word of God and live according to it are the focal point of the parable. However, the insistence on the waste—failure and disappointment—is an important element in this parable. It reflects the reality of the world in which evil appears much stronger, more efficient than good. Note also its progressive, relentless dominance: the seed does not sprout, that which sprouts does not grow, that which grows is suffocated.
To understand the parable deeper, it should be noted that in the time of Jesus, sowing was done before and not after the field had been prepared. The farmer sowed before plowing, hoeing, eradicating the brambles and removing the stones. So we understand why the seeds are in unprepared grounds.
The farmer in the parable is apparently working in vain and wasting seed and energy. It is hard to believe that, in a field reduced to that state, something can sprout. Instead, after sowing, he plows: the paths disappear, thorns and grass are removed, the stones moved and the field that seemed unproductive, after a short time, is covered first by corn stalks, then by blonde ears. A true miracle! His word gives abundant fruits because it has in itself an irresistible force of life.
All of us have sometimes wondered if it’s worth proclaiming the word of God in a corrupt world in which we live; if it still makes sense to speak of the evangelical beatitudes to people who do not listen, whose heart are hardened, who think only about money, entertainment, and of what is transitory, fleeting. When these thoughts arise it is time to profess faith in the divine power contained in the word of the gospel.
The scarcity of results does not depend either on the seed or the sower but on the type of soil.
There is, first of all, a hardened heart, made as such—as it happens with the soil of a road—by many people who have walked on it. It represents the impenetrable heart to the word of Christ because it has assimilated the way of thinking of this world, adapted to current morality and adopted the values proposed by the people.
Then, there is a variable heart that gets easily excited, but after a few days, it goes back to what it was before. It is like a rock covered with a thin layer of earth: if one plants a seed, this sprouts but dries up immediately.
There is also a restless heart that is stirred by the problems of this world. It chases success and wealth, and nourishes mean dreams. These concerns are like thorns; they choke the seed of the word.
Finally, there is a good heart in which the gospel produces abundant fruit.
It is not about the four categories of persons but four interior dispositions that are found in different proportions in every person. It is useless that the evangelist, to launch the precious seed of the word, waits to find the ideal terrain, that which is perfectly fertile. Good soil, thorns, rocks, and arid soil will always be together. For the disciples, it will become a stimulus for a more abundant sowing. Many efforts will be in vain, but one day, punctually, the crop will make its appearance in every person.
“SMALL” THE ONLY HONORIFIC TITLE RECOGNIZED IN HEAVEN
Fr. Jijo Kandamkulathy CMF Claretian Missionaries
Gospel: Mattew 11:25-30
The solemn exclamation with which today’s gospel begins is one of the few prayers of Jesus reported in the gospels: “Father, Lord of heaven and earth… revealed them to simple people”. Jesus states a fact: the poor, the humble, the marginalized people are the first to welcome his word of deliverance. They feel the need of God’s tenderness. They hunger and thirst for righteousness. They are blessed because for them the kingdom of God has come.
In the second part of the passage Jesus says: “No one knows the Son except the Father… and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Knowing in the Bible means “to have a profound experience of the person.” A full knowledge of the Father is possible only to the Son. However, he may communicate this experience to anyone he wants. Who will have the right disposition to accept his revelation? The small ones, of course! As long as the Scribes and Pharisees do not give up their attitude of being “wise” and “intelligent” people, they preclude the true and rewarding experience of God’s love.
The religion preached by these masters of Israel had transformed itself into an oppressive yoke. So, the poor not only felt themselves wretched in this world, but also rejected by God and excluded from the world to come. To these poor, lost and disoriented, Jesus addressed the invitation to be free from fear and distressing religion instilled in them. He recommends: Accept my law, the new one that is summed up in a single commandment: love of the brothers/sisters. He does not propose an easier and permissive moral, but an ethic that points directly to the essential. It does not waste energies in the observance of prescriptions “that has the appearance of wisdom” but in reality, they have no value (Col 2:23).
His yoke is sweet. First of all because it is his: not in the sense that he imposed it, but because he carried it first. Jesus always bent down to the Father’s will. He freely embraced it while he never imposed human precepts (Mk 7). His yoke is sweet because only those who accept the wisdom of the beatitudes can experience the joy and peace.
Finally, the invitation: “Learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart.” These are the terms that we find in the Beatitudes for those who are poor and oppressed, those who, while suffering injustice, do not resort to violence. To all these poor people of the land Jesus says: I’m on your side, I am one of you, I am poor and rejected.
The passage of today’s Gospel is a reason for both personal and community reflection. Which God do we believe in? Is he the one of the “wise”? Or the one revealed to us by Jesus who stands by the poor.
全属于祢 
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