Many of us are so used to living in urban environments that other than noticing the change in seasons in parks and gardens we have little familiarity with the rhythm of rural live. Like most people of my background, I would spend long weeks of the summer holiday on my grandmother’s farm. Everything was done by hand; my sister and I had to get used to making a contribution through the work we were expected to do.

Jesus’ society was largely a rural economy. It makes perfect sense that Jesus often used examples of rural and ordinary life to make his point. We saw it last Sunday's gospel in the parable of the sower, and in this Sunday's gospel with the wheat in the field, the mustard seed, and the yeast. Why did He do this? Jesus always used images that people would instantly recognise, at the same time Jesus’ parables still invites the hearer to think and use their imagination. I recall that the best teachers I had at school where those that gave us the knowledge we needed couched within getting us to think about what was being taught. For Jesus sometimes He could be seemingly obscure in his teaching, and we see an example of how His friends ask him for an explanation.

So, what is Jesus getting at this Sunday? All of Sunday's parables work a number of levels. Take the wheat and the weeds, all of us are called to be “good wheat”. Wheat is beautiful to see and it is not only a thing of beauty but also something that is sustaining and of great value. The wheat is an allegory for us. Yet an enemy is present – the devil – the weeds that Jesus refers to are darnel. Darnel is initially indistinguishable from wheat, yet it is toxic to it. It was an offence in Roman law to deliberately poison wheat in this way. The darnel had the potential to destroy the harvest. The poison of sin has the potential to destroy us. Making us toxic in this life, by bad words and actions, and ultimately condemning our immortal souls to hell for eternity where we will share the pain and misery of the devil.

And what of the mustard seed? From small things big things grow. When we look at seeds it is hard to imagine the potential locked away inside them. The same is with us. Physically we start as a tiny collection of cells, yet we grow and mature. The church started with the 12 disciples and now there are 1.4 billion baptised Catholics. But there is something deeper. We need to cultivate, grow, and enlarge our souls. Our bodies grow but they also ultimately decay, our souls are immortal and their cultivation will enable them to shine out for eternity and be united with our renewed and perfected bodies in the new heaven and earth that is promised to us.

And what of this new heaven and earth? We are told by Jesus on Sunday, as we are told by Him elsewhere in scripture, that the fusion of heaven and earth will happen at the end of time. There will be no more separation of heaven and earth there will be the potential for us to live in an “eternal now” in the presence of God. All the baptised are called to this but noting impure can be in the presence of God. We will be accountable for our actions or inactions; ultimately, we will either be wheat harvested for eternity or weeds thrown away.

But be encouraged, we are invited to grow the mustard seed of faith in our lives and God in His love, compassion and mercy gives us the means to do this through the sacraments. There is no doubt that sometimes this will be easier than others, but our destiny, should we choose to accept it, is something extraordinary, it is for us to shine like the sun in the kingdom of our Father, the invitation has been given to us, the seed of immortality is within us, it is up to us about how we respond. 

Please accept an assurance of my daily prayers for your needs and intentions.

God bless you.

Fr Chris