The Lord is patient with us

Jer. 7:1-11, Mt. 13:24-30. In true prophetic style Jeremiah’s Temple sermon insists that ritual must be balanced by practical morality. In today’s first reading, Jeremiah insists that rituals, no matter how sacred, cannot save and sanctify, unless accompanied by a life of justice and true devotion. Jeremiah reprimands the people who practice all sorts of evil, come to the Temple and act pious. However, God wants people to experience the Divine presence not just in the Temple but in their daily lives.

However, people will not be able to experience God’s presence in the Temple, if they continue to practice evil deeds, whether that be in the Temple or outside the Temple precincts. In today’s Gospel, Jesus contrasts the attitude of the farmer who sowed wheat-seed in his field with that of his servants. When weeds appeared among the wheat his servants, their instinct was to dig up the weeds so as to have a field of pure wheat. The farmer’s instinct was different. In a sense, he was more tolerant of the weeds. He suggests letting the wheat and weeds grow until the harvest time and then they can be separated. He was a patient man; he knew he would eventually get his wheat without the weeds. In the meantime, the wheat would have to live with the weeds. Like the farmer in the parable, the Lord is patient with us. We need to be patient with ourselves and with each other. This is not complacency; it is simply the realistic recognition that we are a work in progress. God has begun a good work in our lives and even if will never be completed in this life, God will bring His good work to completion in eternity.

May the Lord renew His spirit within us and keep us safe from all evil! Amen!! Good morning and happy weekend!!!