Jesus
tells the parable of the wheat and weeds. This parable was common practice to
plant weeds in a field for revenge or hate or competition and it was against
Roman law. The weed is called darnel.
It
grows like wheat. It looks like wheat. It’s so similar it’s called false wheat;
but it’s poison. Eating it makes you sick or worse.
Unless
you knew what to look for, it was hard to tell the wheat from the weed. But when
ripe, the fruit of the wheat turns a golden brown and the weed turns black. The master gave these instructions: wait until the harvest. Let’s
see the fruit.
This week, I worked with great people from my company. My
boss gave me these instructions: communication–communication-communication.
I’ve worked in my field for 30 years. In the beginning, every
day I would learn something new and then something new again. I still have a
lot to learn; but, my learning is not in leaps and bounds as it once was.
The communication instructions I was given was about learning
every day. Learn from co-workers, peers, and customers. Most importantly,
communicate what I learn so others learn.
That’s easier said than done. To learn more I will have to
seek it with intentionality, with a lived life.
It is also the way of faith. Faith comes with intentionality,
with a life lived.
Faith is by the grace of God; but to be strong, it needs to
be experienced in life. Purposely put faith in our daily life by how we live in
Christ and how we bring Christ to others. It’s a lot easier said than done.
Yet, the Spirit comes to the aid of
our weakness
In
the beginning, faith can grow like a mustard seed.
Faith gets stronger every day and the next day again. Those who’ve lived long
in faith still grow, but maybe in less leaps and
bounds as when it was new.
It
is by the intentionality of faith through prayer we communicate with God. It is
hard to pray as we ought but by the purposeful intention of prayer we grow in
God; so pray – pray - pray.
Pray
so that as faith matures, it will continue to grow. Again, seek faith a lived
life.
Sometimes
the experience of a lived life hurts and all we can do is groan. Offer that as
prayer. Scripture says that then, the spirit himself
will intercede… and God will hear it and know our intentions.
The
Holy Spirit is the source of our prayer. By grace, the Holy Spirit communicates us to
God and God to us to grow our faith. Then by the Spirit that is in us, we communicate
God to others.
A
couple of weeks ago, Father challenged us to become dynamic Catholics. We are
to be good wheat; but, we must be dynamic, which means being Catholic with the intentionality
of a lived life.
According
Matthew Kelly’s book The Four
Characteristics of Dynamic Catholics are prayer, study, generosity, and
evangelization.
These
are all communication. Prayer is communication with God. Study is the
communication of His knowledge, wisdom, and reason. Generosity is communication
of His love and caring. Evangelization is the communication of the gospel of
Christ to others. The first three all lead to evangelization. The more you grow
in Christ through prayer, study, and generosity the more you desire to share
Christ with the world.
Imagine
a world living in accord with the greatest commandment. Imagine a world where
prayer, study, generosity, and evangelization communicates love of God and
neighbor in the most natural and effective way of kindness and friendship.
The
world constantly changes for better or worse; full of good or full of poison. It
is the way it is because of our human weaknesses, bad seed strewn by the enemy.
As dynamic Catholics, we are wheat separated from the weeds by our fruit. We are
to live a dynamic communication of God in prayer, study, generosity, and
evangelization.
We
have to do it intentionally, with a lived life.
Yall
be good. Yall be holy. Preach the gospel by the way you live and love. Amen.
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