Thursday, July 23 : Gregory Palamas

The Master’s servants, in other words, God’s angels noticed that there were weeds in the field, that is to say that the ungodly and the wicked were mingled with the good and lived with them, even in the Church of Christ. They said to the Lord: “Do you want us to go out and pull up the weeds?” – in other words: “that we remove these people from the earth by causing them to die”… With time, by living with the pious and righteous, many of the ungodly and the sinners come to repent and are converted. They enter the school of piety and of virtue and stop being weeds, becoming wheat instead. Thus there was a risk that the angels would uproot the wheat in them by pulling out the weeds, if they seized these people by force before they were able to repent. In addition, there were often people of good will among the children and the descendants of the wicked. That is why he who knows everything before it happens did not allow them to pull up the weeds before the fixed time… Thus, those who want to be saved from punishment at the end and who want to inherit the eternal kingdom of God must not be weeds, but rather wheat. They should abstain from every empty or malicious word and exercise the virtues that are contrary to their vices, that they might bring forth the fruit of penance. For thus they will become worthy of the heavenly granary and will be called sons of the Father on high, and filled with joy and shining with divine glory, they will enter as heirs into his kingdom.
maronite readings – rosary,team