People living in the holy land would have been familiar with the dangers of weeds growing up around the wheat and how difficult it is to tell the difference between them until they bloomed. The wheat of course represents good and weeds, evil. As Christians, we need to tell the difference between them especially in a world that makes them seem the same.
The devil’s strongest tool against us is the lie. He uses deception to cloud our perception and convince us that we are not responsible for our actions. That somehow, we can do everything alone and without God. As Christians, understanding good and evil, and taking responsibility for our choices is all about discovering the Truth that is God. God is not a figment of our imagination. He is real and a separate person from us. God is equally merciful and just. We can never be afraid to face the truth even if it makes us feel ashamed, or embarrassed. Because Truth is of God.
Our children are not self-aware. They learn from us the importance of living the virtuous life and how to recognize what is good and evil by the Ten Commandments and the precepts of the Church. These are objective truths, which are guideposts in living the Truth in our lives. The Church teaches us Truth objectively. Missing Mass is a mortal sin and must be brought to confession before I am forgiven or before I can receive Holy Communion.
I cannot excuse myself, nor can I forgive myself. I can only ask Christ through the priest. This helps me accept the consequences of my actions and brings me to real reconciliation, not with myself but with God.
You might ask me, “Father, isn’t there any gray area here?” Confession is where the Church, or Jesus in the person of the priest judges how the Truth applies to your circumstance. I missed Mass because of the flu, or I needed to take my child to the hospital. That’s subjective reality being weighed against objective truth. There is no ‘my truth.’ There is only God.
Brothers and sisters, The Spirit comes to the aid of our weaknesses. He helps us make strong, right decisions even if they seem embarrassing, or not popular. That is why we need to understand that we cannot do this alone. We need his help. We need to hear the human voice of the priest say, your sins are forgiven, go in peace.
Our faith is like a fragile mustard seed, and so is our children’s. We need to be nourished and well cared for, as Wisdom taught us today, “You taught Your people that those who are just must be kind; and you gave your children good ground for hope that you would permit repentance of their sins.”
Depend on God for help. Be aware of good and evil through the commandments and the precepts of the Church. Accept the forgiveness of the Church, for it is Jesus touching you and bringing you home.