In today’s Gospel, our Lord explains the parable of the weeds in the field to His disciples. There are many important points in this parable to reflect on. First, Christ speaks of how He and the devil are both sowers of seed. He sows the good seed, while the devil sows the weeds. This is worth discerning in your own life.
Are you open to Christ sowing seeds in your heart, or more open to the devil? What habits make you open to either Christ or the devil? Do you have a daily prayer life? Do you make time for silence to hear God’s voice? Do you frequent the Sacraments and try to avoid sin? Do you read scripture or other spiritual books regularly? What media do you watch? Is it in line with the faith, or does it show things that would weaken your conscience? Are you habitually falling into grave sin? Are you taking steps to overcome that sin and to rip out the weeds the devil has sown? These are helpful questions to take to prayer to determine whether you are living a life more open to God’s seed or the devil’s.
Resist Temptation
Second, I think it is important to recognise that the devil is real and active in the world. Our Lord warns us about him in this parable and many times throughout scripture. We don’t need to be overly anxious about the devil, but we need to make sure we are resisting temptation and not giving him openings in our lives.
Some of the most effective ways to keep the devil away are: stay out of mortal sin, go to confession regularly, stay in the Church, maintain the correct authority structure within your family, and stay away from all occult or superstitious activity. Memorising scripture is another helpful way to resist the devil.
These verses from 1 Peter are worth memorising and reflecting on: “Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for [someone] to devour. Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that your fellow believers throughout the world undergo the same sufferings. The God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory through Christ [Jesus] will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you after you have suffered a little.” (1 Peter 5:8-10).
What It Looks Like
Lastly, it is important to recognise what temptation from the devil often looks like. He normally is not going to get someone who is living a holy life to commit an extremely grievous sin out of nowhere. The temptations will often start with small things that seem like they don’t matter and then slowly lead you closer and closer to Hell. “Delay your prayer a few minutes and look at this.” “You’re tired, why don’t you just skip praying today?” “This movie isn’t that bad; there’s only one or two bad scenes.” “Look up more movies like that one; you really enjoyed it.” Be vigilant, stay close to Christ, and trust that He will give you the graces you need to have Him be the sower of seeds in your heart!
