Bishop Robert Barron provides a thoughtful commentary on this parable. “God sows his good seed, his word, his love and compassion, but his project is met with opposition. Thus, Jesus told the parable of the wheat and the weeds, which indicates that evil always insinuates itself into the very fabric of the good. In classical theology, we speak of evil as a privatio boni, a “privation of the good,” meaning that evil is always and everywhere parasitic on the good. Just as a parasite is living off of the healthy body (and thereby weakening it), so moral evil lives off of the good soul, the good society, the good Church (and thereby weakens them). What is the result? That it is exceptionally difficult to extricate the evil from the good without damaging the good” (Word On Fire Bible: The Gospels).

Conversion is hard, a real crucible, and never a one-and-done process. That is why we “do” the Twelve Steps repeatedly throughout our lives, because it is “exceptionally difficult to extricate the evil from the good without damaging the good.” We must persevere in recovery, in working with sponsors and sponsees, in examining our conscience, in making and living amends, and always in prayer. When we trust more completely, share more vulnerably, and love more selflessly, we are like a patient who undergoes repeated surgeries to remove a cancer, painful events in which our bodies are temporarily damaged and permanently scarred, but thereby healed and made well.

Conversion in recovery will often feel like “two steps forward and one step back,” the weeds among the wheat. It can be frustrating, prone as we are to black and white thinking and all-or-nothing expectations! Saint Paul said very eloquently that we will always struggle with doing the evil we hate, and not doing the good we desire (cf. Romans 7:15-19). Be humble! Do not lose heart! The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous beautifully reassures, “We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection.” Be encouraged by the great Doctor of the Church, Saint Teresa of Avila, who exclaimed, “God withholds himself from no one who perseveres” (The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus). Trustingly embrace Saint Mother Teresa’s wisdom that God does not expect our self-perfection, only our faithfulness to Him (The Joy of Loving: A Guide to Daily Living). And always—no matter what—begin again and again in seeking to follow Saint Benedict’s guiding principle: “Prefer nothing whatever to Christ” (Rule).

Reflection Questions

• What are the weeds among the wheat in your life and your recovery currently? How did you react to doing the evil you hate before recovery, and how do you respond now?
• Describe what going two steps forward and one step back looks like in your recovery journey. What helps you to get back to the daily task to love and to be loved in weeding the garden of your soul?

Daily Mass Readings

First Reading: Exodus 24:3-8
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 50:1b-2, 5-6, 14-15
Gospel: Matthew 13:24-30

Reflection by Pete S.