Divine Antidote. Saturday July 27th. Sixteenth Week In Ordinary Time.

Divine Antidote Sat.July.27 Weekday (16) What Kind of Seed Are You?. You Must Be Vigilant And Diligent In God's Service. (Jer.7:1-11, Ps.84:3.4.5-6.8a, Matt.13:24-30). How did evil come into the world?. This had been the question of so many who still wonder what brought evil since everything God created is good (Gen.1:31). God gave man freedom to make choices/decisions, but man failed to use this freedom responsibly, and so the saying, "Freedom without responsibility is license." God did not create evil. Rather, evil came to be as a result of deprivation of good. In the parable of a man who sowed good seed, Jesus said, " while men were sleeping, the enemy came and sowed the weed." This implies that our goodness, which is implanted in us as children of God, can also be corrupted if we are sleeping. One may ask what kind of sleeping is that?. When we fail To be spiritually alert and sensitive, when we become ignorant of the devices of the devil, when we fail to amend our ways, when we run after miracles from one church to another, when we fail to execute justice or oppress and suppress the rights of the helpless as Jeremiah pointed out in the first reading and also when we fail to occupy our garden (Hearts) with goodness then the enemy comes in to occupy it with weeds (evils) because an idle mind is the devils workshop. A spirit filled Christian produces a harvest of love,joy, peace, patience...(Gal.5:22-23) but one who is occupied with the things of the flesh can only but produce the very opposite. And so, God demands a heart that is docile and willing to work with Him. Some lessons from the parable are; 1. *No Condemnation*. The servants of the householder already condemned the weed from the wheat. So they put forward a suggestion to remove the weed from the wheat since they are not "useful." But the householder refused to grant this. Jesus is this householder who sees some usefulness in sinners like us and has given us opportunities to become useful by turning away from sins. Hence, no Condemnation to any in Christ Jesus (Rom.8:1). 2. Patience (1Cor.13:4). The householder was patient until harvest time in dealing with the weeds. Now, love is patient, as given in the above text, Christ chose the path of love to redeem us, but this love is patient to bear with us in our failings and weaknesses. 3. Purpose . You can attest to the fact that not all weeds are useless. Some are used for medicinal purposes, some to obstruct wind or water erosion and other purposes. The "weeds" are unwanted, but they have their own purpose and usefulness. Most of the saints we celebrate today are rightly qualified as "weeds" before grace found them. The likes of St. Paul, St Augustine, St Mary Magdalene and others. God can still make you useful regardless of the "weed" you are, make yourself available, and be opened to His saving grace. Abide daily by His word, which is able to save your soul (James.1:21), then you will be able to abide in His place of dwelling, which is lovely. 👏 Implant in my heart, Lord, your very words, which are living and active, that I may produce fruits of good deeds pleasing to you. Amen Good morning Beloved~ God cares for you ✍️Sr Eucharia Chinecherem Okorie NES #sreucharia #divineantidote #everyone #follower #fyp #catholicfaith #reflection #religious #dailyreading