The passage from Exodus gives some sense of Moses’ special relationship with God. The Psalm describes God’s patience and sympathy for His people. The Gospel is an explanation of the Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat.

Today’s readings depict God as possessing very human attributes. Moses is able to speak face-to-face with God. He listens and shares his personal feelings with the Divine. The Psalm reveals a caring and empathetic God. The part of the Gospel that strikes me is the Sower’s patience in allowing the harvest to come to fruition before the good and the bad are separated. These readings have me reflecting on the nature of my relationship with God. I am grateful for God’s patience.

I find my attention going to two things from today’s Gospel. The first is the nature of weeds. A year ago we moved into a house where the garden had not received the attention that it deserved. It is clear that weeds grow faster than the rest of the landscape. It is also clear how early stages the weeds are hard to distinguish from the intended planting. I often have needed to use the plant identification app on my phone. The second thing that stands out is the particular seriousness ascribed to leading others astray (both here and elsewhere in the Gospel). These days I find myself doing a lot of reflection on what I have done over the years. I see so many mistakes and missteps in my personal history. In the moment, I think back to an incident when I was part of the Boy Scouts. I can remember telling the younger scouts at the winter camp, “You know, Mr. LaFond is in the shower and has no one to throw snowballs at him.” I had sowed the malevolent seeds and both Mr. LaFond and the younger scouts suffered for it. (I was never held responsible for this.) Perhaps it is a personal sense of guilt that leads me to be so seriously upset when I see people in positions of influence prodding people to do things that they might not otherwise do.

My prayer today focusses how I relate to God and what seeds I choose to sow.

Dear Lord,
The passage from Exodus leaves me longing for a firsthand encounter with You.
Too often I look for a direct answer to my prayer and instead I experience silence.
I find myself asking for Your forgiveness for the bad seeds that I have sown.
I am grateful for Your response even when it is mediated through Scripture.
I think of Your patience described in today’s parable
and Your mercy described in today’s Psalm.
I am bothered when I encounter the seeds of discord in the mainstream of discourse.
I look for Your guidance in my interactions with this world.