The perfect harvest comes from tending to God's good seeds
by Sister Laura Zelten
I love to garden and this year I have been taking care of my Dad’s flowers at his home in De Pere. Dad had planted an invasive flower some years ago and now wants it gone. I have been pulling it up bit by bit. Last week when I went to weed and water the flowers, I noticed that some of the flowers were brown. I asked my Dad if he was spraying weed killer. He answered, “Yes, I want to get rid of the weeds.” I said, “You are killing the flowers, too.” He asked, “How do you propose getting rid of the weeds?” My answer was with patience and pulling them up one at time. It might take longer but the flowers will flourish.
All of this reminds me of the parable we will hear in Sunday’s Gospel. Jesus tells His disciples: “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 in the wheat field, and then went off.” The crops and weeds grew together until harvest time when the harvesters collect and burn the weeds allowing for the safe gathering of the wheat.
What are the “weeds” in your life? Do you strive to uproot your “weeds” before they establish deep roots? Most likely, we will never uproot all the weeds in our lives; however, if we nurture the good seeds that have been sown by God we will produce an abundant, if not perfect, harvest.
Sr Laura,
What a beautiful way to look at life. Thank you for your words of inspiration.