The parable of the wheat and the tares has lost none of its relevance: many Christians have fallen asleep and have allowed the enemy to sow the bad seed with complete impunity. Errors have arisen regarding almost all the truths of faith and morals. How vigilant we must be, with ourselves and with those who in some way depend on us, regarding those publications, television programs, readings, etc., which are a true sowing of error and bad doctrine! How we must care for the means through which we receive our formation and sound doctrine!
It is necessary to watch day and night, and not be caught by surprise; to watch in order to be faithful to all the demands of the Christian vocation, so as not to give room to error, which soon leads to barrenness and estrangement from God. Vigilance over our own hearts—without false excuses of age or experience—and over those persons whom God has entrusted to us.The Havoc of Error and Ignorance
Error and ignorance have caused great havoc. The Prophet Hosea, looking at his people and seeing them far from the happiness to which they were called, wrote: “My people perish for lack of knowledge.” How many do we see who are mired in sadness, sin, grief, and the greatest disorientation, for lack of God's truth! Many people allow themselves to be carried away by fashions and by ideas imposed by a few who hold positions of great influence, or they find themselves dazzled by false reasoning, almost always with the complicity of base passions.
The enemy of God and of souls has used every possible human means. Thus, we see how some news stories are distorted, how others are silenced, how devastating ideas about marriage are propagated through far-reaching television series, or how they try to ridicule the value of chastity and celibacy, advocate for abortion or euthanasia, or sow distrust toward the sacraments and present a pagan view of life, as if Christ had not come to redeem us and remind us that Heaven awaits us. And this is done with incredible constancy and determination. The enemy never rests.
Sowing the Good Seed
We, who want to follow in the footsteps of the Master, are not going to sit idly by, as if things were irreparable and nothing could be remedied anymore. History can be given a different direction because it is not predetermined to evil, and God has given us freedom so that we may know how to lead it to Him. This is everyone's task: every Christian, wherever they may be, is called to the mission of lifting men out of their ignorance and errors.
Although there are professions that can exert a greater influence on public life, we can and must all sow good seed with friendliness, kindness, and opportuneness—within our own family, among friends, among co-workers or fellow students, in the environment in which we move. We do this by courageously showing the beauty of truth; unmasking error; providing others with the appropriate means of formation, such as recollection retreats, study circles, and spiritual direction; recommending a good book with doctrinal content; and encouraging others through our own example to behave as good Christians. Many will feel strengthened by our serene and firm conduct and will be able to face that avalanche of bad doctrine we see around us; they themselves will become beacons of light for others walking in darkness. And we will see how, in so many cases, those words of Tertullian regarding the pagan world that rejected the doctrine of Jesus Christ are fulfilled: “They cease to hate, who cease to be ignorant.”
We must make the most of the thousand opportunities that ordinary life presents to us to sow the good seed of Christ: during a trip, when reading the newspaper, when chatting with neighbors, regarding the education of children, when participating in a professional association, when casting a vote in an election... On many occasions, these opportunities will arise spontaneously, as part of life; at other times, with the help of grace and human gracefulness, we will know how to bring them about. Thus we serve Christ; we are His voice in the world.
HCD