The field is the world; the good seed are the people of the kingdom; the weeds are those who follow the evil one.
The enemy who sows the weeds is the devil; the harvest is the end of time, and the workers are the angels.

Just as the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of time. The Son of Man will send
his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom all that is scandalous and all who do evil. And these will be thrown
into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the just will shine, like the sun, in the
kingdom of their Father. If you have ears, then hear.

Reflection:

On this feast of Saints Joachim and Anne and in the context of the parable of the seeds and weeds, it is fitting to reflect on
the vocation of parenting. If little Mary was born with the good seed of faith in her soul, it fell to the task of Joachim and Anne to
nourish it, protect it, and tend to its growth and flowering. Weeds would always be present around us, in the world; for the world is
a mixed place. However, the focus and energies of parents shall be on the seed of faith that a child naturally carries as grace,
and nurture it as long as they can. Does this always mean that every child thus attended to will produce good fruits? The ultimate
result is something we leave to God to judge and to harvest, at the end of times. “The family is … the domestic church. In it parents
should, by their word and example, be the first preachers of the faith to their children” (Lumen Gentium, 11).

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