The Enemy comes when you Think Everything is Fine

GOSPEL THOUGHTS

16^th Week – Sunday

Gospel –Matthew 13: 24-43

 

The Enemy comes when you Think Everything is Fine

Jesus Says "While everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the Wheat and Went Away".

1) Enemy is active at all time.

•  It is clear that the Enemy or the Satan or the Sin is active at all time and they don't take rest.
• Only we think about Holiday. But there is no concept of Holiday for Satan, sin and enemy. 24×7 they are active.
• They enemy is more active when we think everything is fine. When we have such a thought we are least prepared. So Satan or enemy or Sin takes that opportunity and attack in a terrible way
• When we are not prepared it is easy for the enemy to attack. So they enemy waits all the time to attack us, but especially when we are least prepared they are attack us more.  

2) Enemy in the Modern Times

• In our modern times the Enemy or the Satan or Sin has become so active and powerful through the modern gadgets.
• On the one hand these modern gadgets have succeeded in putting the majority of the population into ‘sleep mode’ in the area of spirituality that's why the enemy has taken the advantage of the situation.
• At the same time the modern media or social media has made us to remain in ‘active mode’ with regard to the worldly things and we become slaves to these things very easily
• Modern enemy so called the ‘Media’ is very attractive in its presentation. The Satan has become so colorful, attractive and creative. Such an enemy enters into our life without our knowledge and we become slaves to its allurements
• The Modern Fast food culture, dress style, hair style, thinking pattern and all other areas of life have been influenced by this media. So the enemy or the Satan or the sin is attacking us in a most attracting way through the media and weeds are sown in the midst of wheat  
• Today we need to be alert and cautious about mobiles, internet, Whatsaap, Facebook, advertisement, junk food, and dress. Since we take laxity in these things the enemy has taken advantage to sow weeds in our lives.

3) No Holiday for Spiritual things

• As Christians there should not be Holiday for Prayer and Spiritual things. The moment we give Holiday to the Spiritual things in our lives, we go into the sleep mode, where Satan or sin becomes very Active.
• Discipline yourselves, keep alert, Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour- 1 Peter 5:8
• Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial;^[a] the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Matthew 26:41

4) Difficulty of identifying the enemy and weeds

• The parable makes it very clear that the enemy who sow the weeds is not known. He came in the night and sows the weeds and disappeared. You can’t identify him in any way
• Even the weeds are not able to find in the initial stage. No one knew that there are weeds among the wheat. Only in the later stage when it started to grow it became visible.
• This is the specialty of sin or Satan or the enemy.  Before we become aware of his deeds enemy takes control of our life. This is the most dangerous in our life
• Enemy or Satan or the devil enters into our life in the guise of doing good. But it enters into our life only to destroy us
• The evil becomes so one with the good, and it is very difficult to uproot it easily. Weeds could not be taken out easily because they became so one with wheat. So need to be careful.

5) Evil has the capacity to compete with the Good, but no capacity to destroy good

• As we know the wheat was sown first and weeds were sown later. Even then they grew together.
• Both had same growth. Both produced fruits at the same time. Both took the same time to yield their fruit
• In other words evil was able to compete with the ‘Good’. So it is very clear that evil is also powerful and we need to be careful about it.
• In the beginning of the parable good seeds were sown first and weeds were later. Towards the end we see the evil is collected first for the destruction and then good is collected for the preservation. Finally it shows the evil has no existence of its own. Finally, only the good or wheat remained and weeds were destroyed So we need to be alert to do only Good.

6) The growth of the weeds

• Once it takes its place among the wheat it starts growing
• Nothing could stop the growth of the weeds
• Even though there were so many grains of wheat, it could not succeed in curtailing the growth of the weeds  
• So it is very clear once the sin starts growing in our life it is very difficult to control. Therefore we need to be alert to not to entertain the sin in our lives

7) Every plant of wheat was preserved

• The master did not wish to destroy even a single wheat in the pretext of destroying the weeds.
• Neither the weeds was able to destroy any of the wheat in the field. Wheat was able to produce the fruit in spite of the trouble of the enemy. Finally all the wheat was preserved and weeds were destroyed.
• God does not want to destroy the good ones in the pretext of destroying the evil one. God destroys only the evil and preserves the Good
• It is also clear that evil has no power to destroy the good. As long as we do well and we are good, no enemy or no devil or no sin will be able to destroy our lives

God bless you and your family. Praying for you and your dear ones.

Fr Maxim D’Souza

Jeppu Seminary

Mangalore