2026-07-19 - Rather than worry about the weeds, focus on becoming genuine wheat Author: fr. Camillus Nwaigwe
19th of July 2026
16th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A
Wisdom 12:13.16-19, Romans 8:26-27, Matthew 13:24-43
Two monks were travelling together when they came to a river. There they met a young woman who wanted to cross but was afraid of the strong current. The younger monk quietly lifted her onto his shoulders, carried her across the river, set her down safely, and they continued their journey. Several hours later, the other monk could no longer keep quiet. He said, "We are monks. We are not supposed to touch women. Why did you carry her?" The younger monk smiled and replied, "Brother, I put her down hours ago. Are you still carrying her?"
One of the greatest mistakes we can make as Christians is to become so occupied with the faults, sins, and failures of other people that we neglect our own spiritual growth. This is the lesson Jesus teaches in today's Gospel. In the parable, the servants quickly noticed the weeds and wanted to uproot them immediately. Their attention was fixed on what was wrong in the field. But the owner had a different concern: protect the wheat. He knew that if they became obsessed with removing the weeds, they might destroy the wheat as well.
Friends , we live in a world where it is easy to point fingers. We criticize politicians, condemn corrupt leaders, complain about immoral lifestyles, talk about the failures of priests, gossip about neighbours, and judge family members. Social media has made this even worse. Everyone seems to have an opinion about someone else's life. Yet, while we are busy identifying the weeds around us, we often fail to notice the weeds growing within our own hearts, pride, envy, anger, greed, lust, resentment, unforgiveness, and hypocrisy.
Jesus is not saying that evil does not exist or that we should ignore sin. Rather, He is teaching us that our first responsibility is our own conversion. Before trying to correct others, we must first allow God to transform us. A Christian who spends all his energy exposing the faults of others but neglects his own spiritual life is like a farmer who spends all day counting weeds while forgetting to water the wheat.
This message is especially relevant today. Many people excuse their own failures by pointing to the failures of others. Some stop going to church because of the bad example of a priest or another Christian. Others justify corruption because "everyone is doing it." Some abandon their faith because they see hypocrisy among believers. But notice that the wheat never became weeds simply because weeds were nearby. Their identity remained unchanged. Likewise, our holiness should not depend on the behaviour of others. We are called to follow Christ, not the crowd.
The *First Reading* from the Book of Wisdom reminds us that God is patient and merciful. He gives sinners time to repent because He desires salvation, not destruction. If God Himself is patient with people, we too should avoid rushing to condemn them. We should pray for their conversion while remaining vigilant about our own lives.
St. Paul, in the *Second Reading*, assures us that the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. There are times when we feel discouraged by the amount of evil in society or even by our own struggles. At such moments, the Holy Spirit strengthens us to persevere. He reminds us that our mission is not merely to survive among the weeds but to bear fruit despite them.
Beloved, the liturgy of today leaves us with the following lessons:
✓Focus on your own growth, not on other people's faults. Like the second monk, we can become so preoccupied with the "weeds" in others that we neglect becoming good "wheat" ourselves.
✓Do not let the weeds around you stop the wheat within you from growing. Other people's sins, bad examples, or failures should never become an excuse for your own lack of spiritual progress. Don't let the weeds around you prevent the wheat within you from reaching maturity. I hear people say, "I stopped going to Church because of that man. That should not be.
✓Your growth is your responsibility: You cannot control how others live, but you can control how you live and respond. You can choose to grow in prayer, charity, humility, and holiness every day.
✓Do not carry unnecessary burdens. The more you dwell on people's mistakes and offences, the less energy you have for your own relationship with God and growth in general. The older monk carried burdens that he ended up not enjoying the journey.
✓Combat evil by becoming good. Do not waste your energy complaining about the faults of others. During our reunions as seminarians with Archbishop Ugorji, whenever we complain about priests who treat seminarians badly, he simply reminds us: "When you become priests, don't repeat their mistakes." The best response to bad examples is not endless criticism but becoming a better example yourself. As St. Paul says, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Rom. 12:21).
What or whom are you still carrying today that is preventing you from growing into the good wheat God wants you to be?
Remember, there will always be weeds. But do not let the weed around you determine the wheat within you. Grow anyway.
Happy Sunday and God bless you
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