About the wheat and the darnels.

Yesterday's gospel reading at mass was taken from Matthew 13: 24-43. It is a combination of several parables beginning with the parable of the wheat and the darnel.

I think the priest who gave the homily at the mass I attended must have had an agricultural background because he explained to us that in seed form, both the wheat and darnel look alike. However when they are fully grown, the wheats look gold and firm while darnels look dark and burnt.

Is that not the story of how evil has been birthed and entrenched in the world, because it was introduced under the appearance of good? 

Think about it, starting from the first sin. One can argue that all Adam and Eve did was eat an apple, surely that cannot be wrong. However it was not the eating of the apple that was the crux of the matter, it was because by doing so they had disobeyed God and had decided to rely on their own wits rather than trust in the benevolence of their maker. Their act was a sin against trust and obedience.

Every evil in our world today is the same way; 

Why can't I think of myself first and so control what I allow to grow in my body and when? Because by doing so we also fail to obey and trust in the benevolence of the creator who knows exactly what we need and will supply all our riches according to his riches in glory, and ultimately we end up committing murder.

Why do I have to think of my neighbour when I am not done thinking of myself and my immediate family? Because we are all created in the image and likeness of God so we are all brothers and sisters. Also we forget that we are all made of dust. We are all life-sized images of dust walking around so why do we consider one person different from another just because some dust have browned more than others? 

Why should I care about the impact of my actions and activities on others? Because we have the nature of God in us and if he cared so much about the impact of the sin of Adam and Eve on the whole of humanity that he sent his only begotten son to redeem us from the effects of that sin, then we should care about how our actions are also impacting others now, and in generations to come.

I believe the devil still goes around saying to us 'Did God really say you should not do that?' True he may not be in the form of a snake, but he's gotten even more clever and now comes in the form of family, close friends, sometimes strangers and even more worrying religious and state authorities.

I think this passage cautions that we must look beyond the appearance of the seed and subject it to testing. No wonder St Paul cautions in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 that we must 'Put all things to the test'.

Just because it looks like panadol doesn't mean it is panadol.

God bless us all.