Parables show kingdom of heaven in each of us

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 Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Wisdom 12:13,16-19

Romans 8:26-27

Matthew 13:24-43

Want to know what the kingdom of heaven within you is like? Study the three parables Jesus uses to describe it! He gives us the parable of the wheat and the weeds, the parable of the mustard seed and the parable of the yeast.

Let us begin with the parable of the wheat and the weeds.

Who needs weeds in a field of wheat? I don't.

I would like a world without abortion, artificial contraception, divorce, same-sex unions, pedophilia, internet pornography, euthanasia, terrorism, alcoholism, drug addiction and evil spirits. It seems that it would make life so much simpler and easier!

However, if my world had none of the above, I might be headed for hell without even knowing it! If there is nothing to remind me of the consequences of my choices as I go along, why would I choose difficult decisions when I could simply choose the pleasures of sin instead!

God uses all of the above obstacles in order to drive us to explore His kingdom of heaven as a refuge from evil and a refuge from the Evil One! We all need to be challenged by the "weeds" of life!

Let us take the case of demonic possession. Why would a good God permit someone to experience demonic possession? God never wills that any one individual become possessed. However, the Church teaches us that sometimes God permits someone to become possessed so that the possessed one, and members of his family, will come closer to Jesus, and thus be saved.

There is no natural medicine that will cure one of demonic possession. There are no psychiatric skills that will free one from demonic possession. Jesus alone can free one from demonic possession. This takes prayer, fasting, frequentation of the Sacraments of the Reconciliation and the Holy Eucharist, together with a person appointed by the Church to perform the public rite of exorcism.

Why does God permit home infestations by the evil one? Again, these experiences can motivate family members to seek refuge in their faith, to help their faith come alive, and again to become aware that the Evil One is behind such practices as Ouija boards, divination and séances.

Often when people's faith grows cold, out of curiosity they begin to seek secret knowledge which is beyond ordinary human powers. Satan is only too willing to give them the experiences they are seeking. Deliverance from evil spirits can only come from Jesus!

It is a common experience that individuals, once delivered from evil spirits in their lives, become very devout in the practice of their faith! They discover the power of the Scriptures, the sacraments and the need for daily prayer.

These individuals also become very much aware of the influence of evil spirits tempting them daily! Engaging in this daily spiritual warfare with evil spirits makes individuals so appreciative of Christ in their lives.

These individuals want to remain close to Jesus.

Remember, Jesus drove seven demons out of Mary Magdalene. She never, ever wanted to be far from her Savior again. She was at the foot of the Cross on Good Friday, and she was the first one at the tomb on Resurrection morning!

Dealing with evil spirits is often a wakeup call in the lives of Christians. The oppression by evil spirits makes it very clear that the ultimate choices are either heaven or hell, and the time for choosing is now!

St. Paul, in today's second reading, tells us: "The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groaning. And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the holy ones according to God's will."

The Holy Spirit helps us to see the influence of evil spirits in our lives.

The weeds in our midst make it very clear that without Jesus, hell is our future of choice!

In the second parable, Jesus uses the image of a very tiny mustard seed as a symbol of the kingdom of heaven. This tiny seed grows into a plant about three feet tall. That is quite an expansion. It is not the size of our faith that counts as much as the infinity of the God into whom we place our faith. Since He is infinitely powerful and loving, it is easy to trust Him in small things.

As we exercise our faith more and more, we gain greater confidence in His willingness to help us. In fact, often we realize that He wishes to give us far more than we are willing to ask for. The down and out, helpless alcoholic knows how important it is to place his faith in a higher power, whom we call God.

Mother Teresa's ministry to the dying in Calcutta is an excellent example. She tells us that if she had never picked up that first person she met dying, her ministry would never have gotten started. When she responded to that first dying person, something happened inside of her, and a worldwide ministry to the dying was born.

In the final parable, Our Lord tells us that the kingdom of heaven is like the yeast that is added to flour dough. It permeates the entire dough with tiny bubbles of gas which caused the whole loaf to rise.

For example, a small child might develop a special devotion to the Rosary, or to the Sacred Heart. Later in life this practice permeates the individual's entire adult life!

In these three parables, Jesus gives us insights into the kingdom of heaven within each one of us. When we do God's will, we are living in the kingdom, and the kingdom is living within us. Daily we have the opportunity to allow our God to invest Himself more fully in us.

The more fully we allow Him to invest Himself in us, the more confident we can be, even if things around us fall apart. He is our center, and He will hold us together! The kingdom begins with small invitations.