Mt 13:24-30

The reading for today is a very practical one. Maybe in our time, we cannot easily understand this for the reason that only few among us understand how to do gardening. Based on my experience from my elementary gardening, every time I weed our backyard plants, I observed that the pechay started to wilt, they don't die but they grow thin because every time I pull the grass around it, the roots of the pechay were also damaged. I now understand the importance of preparing a good soil which is free of weeds and of spraying it with anti-weed solution. This is the same with legumes like 'mani' or peanuts, that it is better to let the grass grow together with it so as not to destroy the growing peanut underneath.

The reading is about the selection of who would qualify to the kingdom of God. Here, in our world, God prepared everything good for us but in an instant the devil also spread influences that might harm us. Temptations are always around us, it is always testing our faith. The devil also uses person to tempt us or to deplete our patience.

But God is always a loving God, he does not only love those who are good. But he always give chances also to those who are lost. God is not sacrificing the good people to be devoured by the inhumanity of some of our evil-hearted fellows. But, as I reflect, God is letting the good people to help those who are lost to be converted.

It is true that hatred could not be quenched by hatred. But only love could pacify such pains that are usually inflicted to us by others.

If we do not trust God, we could see 'chaos' within this scenario. We could see pandemonium. We could see inhumanity and injustice and total evilness. But if we trust God, we could see a chance to practice our virtuous life in our midst where our personhood is stretched far beyond our limitations. This is our capacity to transcend and to go beyond ourselves... to give everything for others' cause and to leave everything behind to those who grabbed us our happinness in life. Beyond injustices, we could resort to love... and this love would teach us to forgive and to love even more.

This is a win-win solution for God. The weeds are given a chance to change. The goods are given a chance to help convert others. The process could be painful but it is a process of loving and the end is being loved.

At the end, God is the one who will judge us all. I always trust Him. I see everything that happens in my life as daily graces coming from God. Trials are opportunities for me to grow. Challenges make me stronger as a person. In all my hurts and shortcomings, when I think that I am always with God, they would never be that so much painful because God is sharing my pains as I share to Him also my life joys and happiness. More, with these trials and challenges, with these shortcomings and my my weaknesses, I call on more to God's name... I cling more on to God's hands... and I become open more to the God I have known. As I embrace my brokenness, I also become compassionate and tenderly loving.

As I reflect, I now see that in every chaos there is always order. In every brokenness, there is always hope. Love is the most powerful thing that could not be taken away from me because I know I am beloved by God. And to those who defiles me, I could always say that " Who am I not to love you. Who am I not to forgive you. I am also forgiven, I am also loved... I cannot say that you are not beloved by God because of my experience of God... where despite of my fallen humanity, I feel that I am also beloved by our very loving God." God loves us... God loves us-- these are the only few words that I could think of that matters to me in times of many tribulations. This is my hope. This is how God has revealed Himself to me...LOVE. den mar