A man recently told me he was losing patience with the Church. “It’s supposed to be God’s Kingdom on earth,” he said, “but it’s full of contradictions and hypocrisy. Why can’t the Church just be better?” That last word landed with a judgmental thud. It hurt. Because at times the Church can look painfully ordinary, even disappointing.
But Jesus’ parables in today’s Gospel meet that frustration head-on. He says, “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field,” yet the weeds grow up with the wheat, and the master allows both to grow together until harvest. To his listeners, this sounded strange, even offensive. They expected God’s reign to be pure, powerful, and glorious, anything but mixed up, hidden, or small.
Jesus is showing us something essential. The Kingdom always begins small and grows amid imperfection. Grace and weakness exist side by side until the harvest. That is why the Church often looks messy. Yet within that mess, God’s quiet work continues. The weeds do not stop the wheat from growing.
When we see the Church’s flaws or our own, it helps to remember that this is exactly the field in which Christ chose to plant. The miracle is not that everything looks perfect, but that his Word keeps taking root anyway.
Lord, give me patience with Your field, the Church. Help me see Your hidden life growing even among the weeds. Amen.
— Father John Muir
©LPi
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