In Matthew 13:30 Jesus says, “Let the wheat and the weeds both grow together until harvest. Then I will tell the harvest workers to pull up the weeds first, tie them in bundles and burn them, and then to gather in the wheat and put it in my barn”.
 

Many people know about this parable of the wheat and the weeds, and how the enemy came and sewed weeds among the wheat in the dark of night.
 

In the Gospel passage, Jesus will tell the harvest workers, which are His angels, to pull up the weeds first. The angels of the Lord will work long and hard to discern and divide good people from evil people, like manually weeding a large wheat field on a hot day. But, what would happen if the weeds in the field were to turn into wheat on their own?
 

That may seem absurd, but consider for a moment what Jesus has promised us – mercy, forgiveness, redemption and healing. That means, we can be pretty bad people; committing sins, hurting others, stealing, raping, murdering, exploiting children and trafficking humans, and worse, but still be forgiven for our true repentance.
 

We are not only forgiven when we repent, but we are also cleansed, blessed and given mission. Just as Saul became Paul, so too can we be changed from a sinner into a blessed evangelical missionary, or some other form of mission and ministry in accord with the Mission and Ministry of Jesus.
 

Jesus tells us that the weeds are under threat of fire and condemnation. This sounds like hell, and the barn, which Jesus speaks of, is heaven. So, how can a condemned weed become a redeemed wheat?
 

Jesus says, “Let the wheat and the weeds both grow together until harvest”. What if, before the harvest, the weeds started growing a different way, a better way – maybe it’s not too late. What if the weed could see that the wheat is good? What if the weed realized it’s not good like the wheat, but it could be.
 

So, a person lives most of their life doing wrong, evil things and hurting others. Then, sees a better way and wants to grow in that better way, how do they do it? The obvious answer is to stop doing evil, wrong things which hurt others. That’s easy to suggest, but not so easy to accomplish, by oneself.
 

The not so obvious answer is – learn about God’s Love and Mercy. Bishop Robert Barron tells everyone; Love is willing the good of the other, as other. What does that mean?
 

Learning the answer to that question will change weeds into wheat. Let’s all learn what it means to love the other person as just a person and not a weed.
 

We’re all weeds and we’re all wheat at different stages of our lives and in various circumstances. The glory of God is – that we can change through true redemption and His forgiveness. We can learn from the Love and Mercy of God and become better each day as we grow in our fields.
 

We can grow from weeds into wheat. Then, when the harvest arrives, we can grow in mercy and love, the Love of God, all gathered together in His barn.