Wheat and Weeds (麦子和莠子）

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This Sunday's Gospel, July 19, 2026, presents three parables about the Kingdom of Heaven: wheat and weeds, the mustard seed, and the yeast. Fr. Joseph reminds us that both wheat and weeds exist simultaneously in our hearts. How, then, shall we prepare for the final harvest? Read more in Fr. Joseph's latest bilingual Scripture reflection, included below in Chinese and then in English:

Scripture Reflection in Chinese

常年期第十六主日　甲年  

今天是常年期第十六主日。耶稣在福音中讲了三个有关天国的比喻：麦子、芥菜子和酵母（玛13:24-43）。三个比喻从不同角度描绘天国的奥迹：天国已经临在人间，仍在逐步成长；天主的恩宠一直运行，只是许多时候悄无声息，犹如种子埋在泥土中，又像酵母藏在面团里。麦子和莠子的比喻尤其触及一个历代以来困扰人心的问题：天主既然美善，世上为何仍有邪恶和痛苦？主人明明撒下好种子，田里却长出莠子。面对仆人的疑问，主人回答：“这是仇人所做的”（玛13:27-28）。这句话把罪恶的来源说得很清楚：天主创造的一切原本美好，罪恶则来自受造物对自由的滥用，扭曲了天主美善的工程。

第一篇读经宣认：“除你以外，别无照顾万物的神”（智12:13）。天主是唯一的创造者，也是历史的主宰。魔鬼只是受造物，能力有限，结局早已注定（参阅《天主教教理》391-395）。莠子的出现，显示受造界与人的自由已经受到罪恶的创伤；天主依然掌管这块田地。邪恶虽然真实，也具有强大的破坏力，却绝非世界的根源，更无法决定历史的终局。世界由天主创造，始终在祂的掌管中，最后的胜利必定属于天主。这个信念使我们面对黑暗时仍能怀抱希望。我们既无须低估邪恶，也无须把邪恶看得过分强大，仿佛天主对它束手无策。

福音中，仆人听见是仇人撒了莠子，马上问：“你愿意我们去把莠子拔出来吗？”主人回答：“不用了，免得你们拔莠子的时候，连麦子也拔出来。让两样一起长到收割的时候好了”（玛13:28-30）。主人对莠子的危害看得清楚，对麦子的成长更为珍惜。仆人急于清理田地，主人却顾念每一株尚未成熟的麦子。人往往根据眼前的表现判断，便急着给别人盖棺论定；天主看到一个人的整个生命，也看到他在恩宠推动下仍有悔改和成长的可能。智慧篇说，天主虽然“掌握大权”，施行审判却“很温和”，治理我们也“极为宽厚”（智12:16-18）。祂的宽仁显示出力量的从容，因为真正有能力者，无须依靠暴力和报复来证明权威。教宗本笃十六世曾说：“世界因天主的耐心得救，却因人的急躁而毁灭。”（本笃十六世，《教宗任职典礼弥撒讲道》，2005年4月24日）仆人的热心值得肯定，可是一旦操之过急，便容易矫枉过正，最后连麦子也受到伤害。

天主的耐心始终与正义同行。莠子终究要在收割时与麦子分开（玛13:30、40-43），所以福音要求我们正视暴力、不义、滥权和各种伤害。我们有责任保护弱小、制止恶行、纠正错误，并维护应有的公道。与此同时，纠正的目标应当指向悔改和救恩。我们可以按照福音分辨行为的善恶，人的最终归宿则在天主手中（参阅玛7:1-5；格前4:5）。慈悲若离开真理，容易沦为姑息；真理若失去慈悲，也会变得冷酷无情。天主的正义与慈悲彼此相合：祂审判邪恶，使受害者的眼泪得到回应；祂耐心等待，给罪人留下回头的机会。正如先知所说，天主愿意恶人离开他的道路而获得生命（参阅则33:11）。

这个比喻也帮助我们认识教会。教会的圣洁来自基督和圣神，教会成员却仍在悔改和成圣的道路上。梵蒂冈第二届大公会议教导我们，教会把罪人拥抱在自己怀中；她是圣洁的，同时常须净化，不断实行补赎和更新（《教会宪章》8）。《天主教教理》进一步指出，直到世界终结，“罪恶的莠子仍会同福音的好麦子混在每一个人心中”（《天主教教理》827）。这项教义要求教会勇于正视自身的罪过，保护受害者，清除丑闻，承担应有的责任；同时也提醒我们，教会是一所培育罪人成圣的学校，而非一座只准完美者进入的殿堂。其实，麦子和莠子也生长在每个人的心里：爱天主时可能夹杂骄傲，服务时可能寻求称赞，信德中也会掺杂恐惧。与其整天挑剔别人，不如先让天主圣言照亮自己的内心。认清自己的软弱以后，我们对别人自然会多一分体谅，少一分苛刻。

芥菜子和酵母的比喻进一步说明，天主在等待期间一直默默工作。天国好像一粒微小的芥菜子，后来却长成大树（玛13:31-32）。一句真诚的安慰、一次无人知晓的宽恕、一项忠实完成的小责任，在人眼中也许微不足道，在天主手中却能结出意想不到的果实。天国又像酵母，在面团里面慢慢发挥作用，直到全团发起（玛13:33）。天主的恩宠也这样进入人的内心，逐渐医治我们的创伤，净化我们的欲望，提升我们的自由，使我们能够参与天主的生命（参阅《天主教教理》1996-2001）。恩宠的工作往往润物无声，生命的改变也很少一蹴而就。天主尊重人成长的过程，祂耐心陪伴，一步一步引领人走向成熟。

第二篇读经告诉我们：“圣神扶助我们的软弱”（罗8:26）。当痛苦使我们无话可说，当内心一片混乱，连自己需要什么都说不清楚时，圣神仍在我们心中“以无可言喻的叹息”代为转求（罗8:26-27）。所以，田地表面纵然杂乱，圣神仍在深处耕耘；芥菜子虽然微小，天国的生命已经萌芽；酵母藏在面团里，整个面团已经开始改变。教宗方济各解释这个比喻时指出，主人首先关心的是保护和挽救麦子。基督徒应当拒绝邪恶，同时对犯罪的人保持耐心，因为基督来到人间，正是为了寻找迷失者，引领罪人走向救恩（方济各，《三钟经讲话》，2020年7月19日）。

今天的福音邀请我们既正视莠子，更用心栽培麦子。我们要抵抗邪恶、纠正错误，也要认真悔改；与此同时，还要鼓励善良、扶助软弱者、以爱德宣讲真理，并信赖圣神在人心中隐而不显的工作。判断别人以前，可以先想想天主曾怎样耐心地对待我们；准备放弃一个人时，也该记起天主曾多少次给我们回头的机会。撒好种子的人子，也是那一粒落在地里死去的麦子（若12:24）。在十字架上，邪恶看似得胜；借着基督的死亡与复活，十字架反倒成为邪恶败亡的地方。让我们祈求分辨的恩宠，使我们明辨善恶；祈求耐心的恩宠，使我们珍惜天主仍在引导和塑造的人；也祈求希望的恩宠，使我们坚信历史始终掌握在天主手中。希望我们在最后收割到来时，成为扎根于基督、接受恩宠转化的成熟麦子，能在天父的国里“像太阳一般发射光辉”（玛13:43）。

Scripture Reflection in English

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time — Year A

Today we celebrate the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. In the Gospel, Jesus gives us three parables about the Kingdom of Heaven: the wheat and the weeds, the mustard seed, and the yeast (Mt 13:24–43). Each one reveals a different aspect of the Kingdom. God’s reign has already entered the world and continues to grow, though its work is often quiet and hidden, like a seed buried in the earth or yeast mixed into flour. The parable of the wheat and the weeds address a question that has troubled the human heart for generations: if God is good, why do evil and suffering remain in the world? The master sows good seed, yet weeds later appear among the wheat. When the servants ask where they came from, he replies, “An enemy has done this” (Mt 13:27–28). His answer makes the origin of evil clear. Everything God created was originally good; evil entered through the misuse of created freedom and has distorted God’s good work.

The first reading proclaims: “There is no god besides you who have the care of all” (Wis 12:13). God alone is the Creator and Lord of history. The devil is a creature whose power is limited and whose final defeat is certain (cf. CCC 391–395). The presence of weeds reveals that creation and human freedom have been wounded by sin, while the field itself remains under God’s authority. Evil is real and possesses terrible destructive power, yet it is neither the source of the world nor the master of history’s destiny. God created the world, continues to hold it in his hands, and will bring his saving plan to fulfillment. This conviction allows us to face darkness without surrendering to despair. Evil should be taken seriously, but it should never be granted a power that belongs to God alone.

When the servants learn that an enemy has sown the weeds, they immediately ask, “Do you want us to go and pull them up?” The master replies, “No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest” (Mt 13:28–30). The master clearly recognizes the danger posed by the weeds, yet his greater concern is the growth of the wheat. The servants want the field cleared immediately; the master is mindful of every stalk that has not yet reached maturity. We often judge people according to what we see at a particular moment and quickly assume that their story is finished. God sees the whole course of a person’s life, including what grace, freedom, repentance, and time may still bring forth. The Book of Wisdom says that although God is “master of might,” he judges “with clemency” and governs “with much lenience” (Wis 12:16–18). His mercy reveals the serenity of true power. He has no need to prove his authority through violence or revenge. Pope Benedict XVI expressed this mystery memorably: “The world is redeemed by the patience of God. It is destroyed by the impatience of man” (Benedict XVI, Homily for the Inauguration of the Pontificate, 24 April 2005). The servants’ zeal is understandable, but zeal without patience can become destructive and uproot the very good it hopes to defend.

God’s patience always walks together with justice. At the harvest, the weeds will be separated from the wheat (Mt 13:30, 40–43). The Gospel therefore calls us to confront violence, injustice, abuse of power, and every form of harm. We have a duty to protect the vulnerable, restrain evil, correct wrongdoing, and uphold justice. At the same time, Christian correction should always seek repentance and salvation. We may discern the moral character of an action according to the Gospel, while the final destiny of a human soul remains in God’s hands (cf. Mt 7:1–5; 1 Cor 4:5). Mercy separated from truth easily becomes indulgence; truth separated from mercy can become cold and cruel. In God, justice and mercy work in perfect harmony. He judges evil so that the suffering of victims will receive an answer, and he waits patiently so that sinners may still return. As the prophet declares, God desires the wicked to turn from their ways and live (cf. Ez 33:11).

This parable also helps us understand the mystery of the Church. The Church’s holiness comes from Christ and the Holy Spirit, while her members remain on the path of repentance and sanctification. The Second Vatican Council teaches that the Church embraces sinners within her and is therefore “at once holy and always in need of purification,” continually following the path of penance and renewal (*Lumen Gentium*, 8). The Catechism further explains that until the end of time, “the weeds of sin will still be mixed with the good wheat of the Gospel” in everyone (CCC 827). This teaching calls the Church to face her own sins honestly, protect victims, confront scandal, and accept responsibility. It also reminds us that the Church is a community in which sinners are formed for holiness, rather than a sanctuary reserved for those who have already reached perfection. Wheat and weeds grow within every human heart. Love for God may be mixed with pride, service with a desire for praise, and faith with fear. Instead of spending our lives examining the faults of others, we should first allow the Word of God to illuminate our own hearts. Awareness of our weakness will make us more understanding and less severe toward others.

The parables of the mustard seed and the yeast reveal that God remains quietly at work during this time of waiting. The Kingdom is like a tiny mustard seed that eventually grows into a large plant (Mt 13:31–32). A sincere word of encouragement, an act of forgiveness known only to God, or a small duty faithfully completed may appear insignificant, yet in God’s hands it can bear fruit beyond anything we imagined. The Kingdom is also like yeast working within the dough until the whole batch is leavened (Mt 13:33). Grace enters the human heart in a similar way, gradually healing our wounds, purifying our desires, and elevating our freedom so that we may share in the life of God (cf. CCC 1996–2001). Grace usually works quietly, and the transformation of a human life rarely happens all at once. God respects the process of growth. He accompanies us patiently and leads us step by step toward maturity.

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Fr. (Joseph) Guozhang Ruan was born and ordained in China. After serving in parish ministry in the Diocese of Mindong, Fujian, he pursued advanced studies in moral theology in Rome, earning a doctorate from the Pontifical Lateran University. Since coming to the United States in 2004, he has served in several parishes in the Archdiocese of New York. He is currently the Director of the Chinese Apostolate for the Archdiocese of New York and Parochial Vicar of Holy Rosary Church on Staten Island. His ministry focuses on serving Chinese Catholics, promoting evangelization, and fostering greater understanding between the Church in China and the universal Church.

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