The gospel today speaks to us about a parable of a garden, the sower of good seeds and weeds in and amongst his crops. An invasion of “weeds,” those things that I had not intended to plant nor want in my garden. I am sure we all have planted things—flowers and vegetables—that have been invaded by the weeds of the garden. It is a part of life.

With social media, 24/7 news coverage and the ever-present internet, it may seem like the “weeds” are more plentiful today—or is it that we are just inundated by the never-end cycle of ‘Pete-and-repeat?”

The parable of the sower today asks us to recognize the role of Christ in our lives, and that our faith calls us to forgiveness and reconciliation. The weeds are allowed to grow along with the intended seedlings in the garden and that in the end the Lord Himself will give the weeds opportunities, if you will, to convert to good fruits— leave the weedy life behind and become a child of God. That is our hope and that must be our prayer.

What then is our role then in the life of the garden? Do we just let the weeds do their thing—while we strive to live the good life, it does not seem so fair? Is all my effort at living a righteous life worth it if the other weeds can just do as the like and then “get into the Kingdom?” Well, the meaning of today’s gospel reading is not about the “bad weeds” getting into Heaven after a life of dissipation, rather, it is about converting to the Way, the Truth, and the Life of Christ. It is in the conversion from weeds and seeds-and good fruit-that the Kingdom of Love is open to them. Moreover, our role in God’s harvest is to help plant, water and till the garden of faith for other people by the way, in which we each live our lives of faith. We are the examples and the guides to the Christian faith. In the celebration of the Mass, in Eucharistic prayer two, there is a phrase that states, “…thank you for counting us worthy to be in Your Presence and Minister to you,” that we serve God in the ways we serve each other. We serve God in the ways we lead others to Him—our children, our spouses, neighbors and strangers.

Sometimes it may seem that our Catholic faith is very highbrow and always comprised of a deep theological point, but more times than not it is simple, straightforward and very commonsense. It is about love, mercy and forgiveness; it is about seeking the excellence of the other—even when they do not wish to seek it for themselves.

So as hard as it may be, let the weeds grow, and let God do His work in His time. While it may be tempting to rip the weeds up, our role is to point out the untruths with His Truth, correct the myths and misinformation while always seeking the excellence of the other, to lead by example and to pray that all shall see His Way. “Preach often and sometimes use words,” as St. Francis of Assisi said.