GOD'S JUDGMENT AND MERCY

Matthew 13:30

“Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, ‘First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.’”  

For the full readings, click here: 

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/072322.cfm

For more information on St. Bridget of Sweden, click here:

https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/july-23---saint-birgitta-religious/

For the examination of conscience and guide to confession, click here:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/

For more information on how to pray the rosary, click here:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/the-most-holy-rosary/

Blessed Memorial of St. Bridget of Sweden! The parable of the wheat among the weeds pertains to the judgment of God. There are two types of judgement, the particular judgment and the general judgment. The particular judgment refers to the judgment that will take place immediately after our death. It pertains to our individual lives. On the other hand, we also believe that Jesus will come again in a glorious way, and all of the people who ever lived will be judged by our Christ. Jesus is not just a Merciful Savior, but He is also a Righteous Judge. As such, it's good for us to reflect on how this parable applies to our personal lives and on the lives of all people. 

In the parable, Jesus speaks of the importance of not immediately uprooting the weeds. It's because if the harvesters do it, the wheat may also be uprooted. Satan and all other evil spirits are responsible for the temptations we experience, but we also have the freedom to say "yes" to such temptations or say "no." The warning that Jesus gives should remind us of God's mercy and patience towards us. There may be times in our lives when we are living in the state of grave sin and when we are seriously offending our God. If God took our lives during those moments, we might lose the chance of being in heaven, and we might be in hell forever because of our grievous sins. Despite the fact that we are deserving of eternal punishment, Jesus shows us how merciful He is. The fact that we are alive shows God's mercy. 

Everyday is an opportunity to repent. Every day is a new day of mercy. The reason why He lengthens our lives is because we need to recognize the importance of repentance in our lives. Our Lord is always waiting with patience for us to come back to Him, especially after falling to numerous temptations. He will not cast us away. He simply wants us to allow Him to embrace us by His love, and this takes place if we persevere by His grace to do what is good. This is why the sacrament of confession is always available for us. It's because His mercy will always be available for us in anticipation and in preparation for the time that we will meet God face to face after our death. 

When we look at the first reading and in the history of Israelites, we see some of their grave sins such as child sacrifice, adultery, idolatry and many more. We may think that this is no longer present today, but in reality, we can see these horrible today in different forms. Instead of taking care of both the needs of the mother and the dignity of the unborn children, some people think that it's permissible to abort and kill them. Instead of being faithful to the sacredness of marriage, some may entertain lust, immodesty, and adultery, especially by seeking divorce with the intention of having a new relationship without listening to the Church and being open to annulment. The idolatry of oneself and of the world replaces the idolatry of the past to the point that God no longer becomes the center of our lives as if we can just do what we just want in the name of "freedom." Despite what we see in the world, we can still have hope because of God's mercy. 

The reality of heaven and hell should not lead us to fear, but it should inspire us to trust in God's mercy and entrust everything to Him. Jesus is calling us to pray, not just for our salvation, but for the salvation and conversion of other sinners. We can do this, especially if we pray the rosary with devotion. In the second prayer of the "Hail Mary", we also say, "pray for us, sinners, now and at the hour of our death." We are all sinners who are in need of God's mercy. Seeing the wickedness around us should not lead us to belittle them or condemn them, but it should inspire us to pray even more. At the hour of our death, we may experience strong temptations from the evil one. But, there is no reason to despair because God will also appear to us and invite us to accept His mercy, come to Him in heaven and repent of our sins. May we pray for God to forgive us of all of our sins and to save us from the fires of eternal hell, as we say in the rosary. Let's trust in Jesus, and He will banish the darkness of sins in our minds, hearts and souls. 

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic