GOSPEL
Jerusalem Bible © 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd and Doubleday & Company Inc.
Jesus put another parable before the crowds: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everybody was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off. When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, the darnel appeared as well. The owner’s servants went to him and said, “Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? If so, where does the darnel come from?” “Some enemy has done this” he answered. And the servants said, “Do you want us to go and weed it out?” But he said, “No, because when you weed out the darnel you might pull up the wheat with it. Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers: First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn.”’
(Matthew 13:24–30)
DID YOU KNOW?
Points of interest and Catholic lore
- Darnel is an annual grass commonly found in grain fields as a weed. When it first shoots it looks very much like wheat.
- There are echoes in this gospel of the final judgment, when the good will be separated from the bad, the sheep from the goats, the weeds from the harvest.
- The Jewish faith has a profound respect for the name of God, and the holy name is never pronounced or even written in full. The Gospel of Matthew is the most Jewish of the gospels and characteristically always refers to the ‘kingdom of heaven’ rather than the ‘kingdom of God’.
EXPLORING THE WORD
The contrast between the good and bad seed reflects a reality within Matthew’s community. This text highlights the difficulty of being a Church called to spread the Good News while there are some within its ranks who scandalise others by their bad behaviour or decadent way of life.
This parable counsels patience. The answer to the dilemma is to let both the righteous and the lawless members of the community grow together until the harvest time and then let God be the judge. Ultimately, this parable assures its hearers that God will not allow evil to destroy what is good.
In the longer version of this gospel, the short parables of the kingdom compare it to a mustard seed and to the yeast in dough. Both are small and insignificant, but both develop almost imperceptibly, and once begun, there is no stopping them.
- What small signs of the kingdom already present do we see in our world?
- What signs of the kingdom not yet present do we see in our world?
- What small signs of the kingdom already present do we see in ourselves?
- What signs of the kingdom not yet present do we see in ourselves?
MAKING CONNECTIONS
Opportunities for group discussion and personal prayer
- Alexander Solzhenitsyn recalls, ‘Gradually I came to realise that the line that separates good from evil passes not between nations, nor between classes of people, nor between political parties—but right through every human heart.’ Do you agree with this estimation of where evil originates? If this is true, how can evil be confronted or challenged? Share your reflections.
- Identify some of the positive and negative aspects of your character or personality. How do you deal with the less attractive side of yourself?
- Identify some of the positive and negative aspects we see in our own society. How can we foster what is good and discourage what is not?
- We need to accept the imperfections in ourselves and in others to some extent. What do you have to be patient with in yourself? In others?
- This week, be tolerant of the limitations of others and try to rectify an imperfection in yourself.
- Say the Lord’s Prayer slowly each day this week and reflect on ways you can help to build the kingdom:
Thy kingdom come on Earth as it is in heaven.
SHARING THE TRADITION
A closer look at the Scripture of the day, to see how it makes more explicit God’s word to us through the teachings of Jesus Christ
Just as this text reflects both good and evil within Matthew’s community, there have been times in the history of the Church when it acted in a way that was contrary to the call of the Gospel. In the Jubilee Year of 2000, Pope John Paul II issued a historic apology for some of those past wrongs. While insisting that the Church is ‘holy in Christ’, he also recognised that it may be ‘sinful in its members’ and at various times in history, those members carried out actions like the Crusades and the Inquisition. Both Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis have expressed a similar message in more recent times, particularly with reference to the failings of some clergy.
It is only in recognising past wrongs that the Church can be truly reconciled to alienated groups, including Protestants, Muslims, the Orthodox and victims of abuse.
Following the statement from John Paul II, the Australian bishops also recognised some of the wrong actions of the Church in Australia by apologising to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for any harm the Church may have caused them by cooperating with the government policy of the time to remove children to be raised in orphanages and institutions. Apologies were also issued to those who have suffered exploitation and abuse at the hands of clergy or religious in the past.
Such recognition of the human failings of the Church is a mark of growing maturity as the Church itself journeys towards a full and complete understanding of the kingdom.
- Discuss ways in which the Church has been both persecutor and persecuted, especially in Australia.
- How do you see the role of the Church today?
- How important is it that we recognise and acknowledge our own weaknesses and failings and take positive action to rectify those?
SYMBOLS AND IMAGES
The kingdom of heaven that is proclaimed by Jesus is not explained by him. What Jesus does do is to convey its meaning through the parables he uses, and his life illustrates some of the key characteristics of the kingdom: the overcoming of evil, the triumph of mercy, the welcome extended to all. The kingdom of heaven was established among us through the death and resurrection of Jesus, but clearly it has yet to come in its fullness. There is a future dimension to the kingdom as well as a present dimension. In the Lord’s Prayer we pray for the kingdom to come. There are also two dimensions in the location of the kingdom. It exists in heaven but we pray for it to come in its fullness on earth as well. We participate in the building of the kingdom each time we act in harmony with the teaching and example of Jesus.
LIVING THE WORD
Practical ideas for group leaders to employ in connecting Scripture and daily life, with suggestions for music and environment
- In what ways does your community seek to build a stronger relationship with those outside the Church? Is there an ecumenical or interfaith dimension that is actively pursued by the community? How can catechumens become involved in this activity?
- A sturdy pottery bowl with a very small piece of firelighter could form the focus for prayer. With reflective music playing, invite participants to face up to one of their own imperfections, write it on a slip of paper and place it in the bowl to be burned. You could conclude with the prayer of exorcism in the RCIA at §94C.