WATCHING FOR WEEDS

An enemy sowed weeds

This morning’s gospel reading is the parable about an enemy who comes and sows weeds in the field of a farmer. (Matthew, 13:25.) I want to reflect on an interesting aspect of this story that is not directly concerned with the main point of the parable but which I found helpful to reflect on, namely those “weeds” that the enemy comes and sows in the farmer’s field. What do they have to do with me?

First, I think about all the distractions that I put up with when I am trying to pray. Here is a quotation from a time-tested book, “The Kneeling Christian” by Albert Richardson (1924):

So then, prayer meets with obstacles, which must be prayed away. That is what men mean when they talk about praying “through.“ We must wrestle with the machinations of Satan. It may be bodily weariness or pain, or the insistent claims of other thoughts, or doubt, or the direct assaults of spiritual hosts of wickedness.91”

The author’s language is often old-fashioned, but I have found many of his thoughts to be really helpful.

In the case of this parable, we can take it as a warning not to be naïve about our prayer— there are powers of evil in the world that will try to disrupt and discourage our efforts at prayer.

Listen to these words of the First Letter of Peter:

Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for [someone] to devour. Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that your fellow believers throughout the world undergo the same sufferings. (5:8,9)

St. Peter would certainly agree that we should be prepared to wrestle sometimes at prayer.

A second point comes when you look at the Greek word that the gospel writer uses that gets translated as “weeds.” Of course, weeds can be pretty pesky, especially during this time of year. But the Greek word zizania contains another dimension that we never realize. According to my Greek lexicon, not only are zizania a pesky nuisance, like the weeds that invade our flower beds, but their seeds are poisonous!

Once again, we are being warned not to be caught off guard but now the stakes are higher. What Satan is trying to sow in our lives can’t just be ignored or laughed off: his temptations can be poisonous, even deadly.

Saint Caesarius of Arles (d. 542) was always warning his flock against being complacent in their practice of the faith. He would say that it is just at the moment when we are quite satisfied with ourselves and so let down our guard, that the devil moves in and we fall into sin. 

¨an enemy came at night
and sowed weeds.¨

I’m sure that a lot of modern people find this talk of Satan and devils too old-fashioned, and prefer the vocabulary of modern psychology: neurosis, compulsion, and so on. But I have always found that Saint Peter and Saint Paul and the ancient monks are on to something very useful when they use the personal imagery of an enemy who we can identify and even name.

So, when Jesus warns you about an enemy sneaking into your life to sow deadly “weeds,” while you are asleep  it’s probably worth asking yourself how that applies to your own life.

I know it applies to mine.

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