Saturday July 27, 2024

“Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?” (Matthew 13:27)

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Good News Reflection for:

Saturday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time
July 27, 2024

Today’s Readings:

Jeremiah 7:1-11
Psalm 84:3-6a, 8, 11
Matthew 13:24-30
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/072724.cfm
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/daily-mass-reading-podcast-july-27-2024

Are you waiting on God for a decision?

Often, people who send in prayer requests or seek my wisdom on a decision they’re facing say, “I want to know God’s will before I take any action.” But this is not actually as holy as it sounds. I discovered this myself because I easily fall into the same trap. That’s why I wrote a note to myself about it (see image on right).

It’s right, of course, to seek God’s will first and foremost in everything. We should always ask him to guide us into the correct or best (when there’s more than one right way to go) decision. Otherwise we sow weeds, like we read about in today’s Gospel passage, and then we wonder where the weeds came from.

However, if we wait for certainty about his will, we get trapped in the paralysis of indecisiveness. Rarely does God provide foolproof certainty. He prefers that we walk by faith, trusting his nearness and his concern for us.

I’d rather receive a definitive Word of Knowledge or vision or audible voice — wouldn’t you? But he is more interested in our willingness to take a step forward and proceed with whatever decision a well-formed conscience would recommend. If our judgment is wrong, he will be there for us. We learn more from mistakes than from easy successes. If we knock on the wrong door of opportunity, he will keep it closed, and if the door opens (note: doors don’t open until after we knock), we had better cross the threshold and learn from whatever we enter into, because God didn’t keep this one closed.

Making important decisions is difficult, because decisions bring responsibility. So we buy more time by waiting for clarity. When we do this, we hide from taking ownership of the decision to act, putting the blame on God (“He has not revealed his will yet”). We off-load responsibility to someone else (God’s the best “someone else”, which makes our procrastination feel good), hoping that he will make the decision for us. And maybe it won’t need to be made at all!

But…

That’s not our calling. Our calling is to do our best using the gifts and talents that God has given us, applying what we’ve learned from the experiences and lessons of life and faith. Doing our best starts with seeking God and asking for his help in making good decisions. But it’s fruitless if we stop there. Doing our best also means taking action while trusting God to stop us if we start proceeding in a wrong direction.

Saint Augustine said, “On earth, we are wayfarers, always on the go. This means that we have to keep on moving forward. Therefore, be always unhappy about what you are if you want to reach what you are not. If you are pleased with what you are, you have stopped already. If you say: ‘It is enough,’ you are lost. Keep on walking, moving forward, trying for the goal. Don’t try to stop on the way, or to go back, or to deviate from it.”

© by Terry A. Modica, Good News Ministries

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