Pope reflects on the parable of the wheat and the tares

July 21, 2014

Pope Francis reflected on the parable of wheat and the tares during his July 20 Sunday Angelus address.

“The teaching of the parable is twofold,” he said. “First of all, [Jesus] says that the evil in the world comes not from God but from the enemy, the devil. This enemy is cunning: he sowed evil amidst the good, so that it is impossible for us to clearly separate them. But God, in the end, will do it.”

“And here we come to the second theme: the contrast between the impatience of servants and the patient waiting of the owner of the field, who represents God,” he continued. “We are sometimes in a hurry to judge, classify, place the good here and the bad beyond. But God knows to wait. He looks at the ‘field’ of every person’s life with patience and mercy. He sees much better than us the dirt and the evil, but he also sees the seeds of good and looks forward with confidence for them to mature.”

Pope Francis added:

Evangelical patience is not indifference to evil. One cannot make confusion between good and evil! In the face of the weeds in the world, the disciple of the Lord is called to imitate the patience of God, nourishing hope with the support of an unshakable faith in the ultimate victory of the good, that is, of God.

“At the end we will all be judged by the same standards by which we judged: the mercy we gave to others will also be used with us,” the Pope concluded. “Let us ask the Virgin Mary, our Mother, to help us to grow in patience, hope and mercy.”

 

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Further information:

• Le parole del Papa alla recita dell’Angelus (Holy See Press Office)
• Pope Francis prays for peace in the Middle East (Vatican Radio)
• Pope's Angelus Address for July 20th (Zenit)