Homily: July, 30, 2024, Tuesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time (seeds of weeds).

 “The weeds are the children of the Evil One, and the enemy who sows them is the Devil."

Last year, I didn't plant anything in my planter. I left it bare and basically neglected it, but over time, I discovered weeds were growing naturally and thrived. They covered my whole planter. I neither watered them nor used any fertilizer, yet they survived the hot summer and finally withered only during winter.

This year, I planted Asian spinach in the same soil, and thankfully, they grew well and thrived too. I have harvested them many times now, yet they continue to grow. There are no weeds so far because the spinach grew so well that it covered the entire planter, there is no room for any weeds to grow, no space for weeds to enter. My friends and I have eaten much of what has grown, and some deer nearby have also had a good share of the harvest.

At the recent National Eucharistic Conference, the place was filled with thousands of people, and everyone was joyful, friendly and kind to one another. During eucharistic adoration, all of us were united in prayer and worship, I felt like I was in a holy place. It almost felt like heaven came down, with all the saints, known and unknown, and all the angels congregated with us to worship God.

And then almost immediately after the Conference, just few days ago, we hear about the inaugural ceremony of the Olympics, an event which the whole world was watching and there we see the most controversial performances, much of which looked like scenes and images designed to mock at Jesus and the Christian faith, while celebrating demonic symbols and evil darkness.

Nailed to the cross, tortured to death, yet our crucified Lord cried out, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

All around the world, both good and evil co-exist. Weeds are everywhere; they grow without much effort and spread easily, because there are barren souls and gaps in our spiritual life for them to take advantage of. 

As followers of Christ, we must focus on the Lord Jesus, every day, every moment of our life, so that there is no space for evil to take root. We must pray unceasingly so that we have no time to curse others or our circumstances. We must love selflessly so that there is no room in our heart for hatred or evil thoughts. When we live fully in the Spirit, and stay always in the light, there is no chance for sin and darkness to rule in us.

At the end of time, Jesus promised that “all who cause others to sin and all evildoers… (will be thrown) into the fiery furnace…” and “the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father”.

Courage, my dear friends, let us remain faithful and vigilant. Trust in the Lord, walk in His ways, and always look towards heaven, our home in eternity. Amen.