312. Sixteenth Saturday of Ordinary Time

Meditations no. 290 (unofficial computer-aided translation)

Importance of being docile in spiritual direction.

In the parable of the weeds sown among the wheat, our Lord shows us the figure of the householder, the master of the field, conversing with his servants about the weeds that have suddenly appeared in the middle of the good grain. The servants of the householder came and said to him, “Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds?” He said to them, “An enemy has done this.” The servants said to him, “Then do you want us to go and gather them?” But he said, “No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest.

The servants’ sleep was what gave the enemy the opportunity to sow the weeds; and, although at first they had been negligent, they are now sincerely determined to undo the damage. They immediately tell the householder what has happened and suggest possible solutions. The householder doesn’t get angry with them, nor does he scold them for their carelessness.

God isn’t upset by our shortcomings, always provided we are ready to make amends and, like those servants, are sufficiently humble to accept guidance and correction. My daughters and sons, we have to think about our beautiful Mother the Work; and you have to think about your brothers and sisters and all those souls whose holiness depends on your fidelity. My children, whenever you think about your spiritual responsibilities, you should draw a great sense of strength from your vocation. Love the spiritual direction the Work gives you - for us it is a right and a duty - and don’t try to resist having your wounds attended to.

We begin again, as often as we have to, happily and optimistically. Let us always strive to fulfil our duties, even the very smallest, thinking only about the welfare of others. This is an essential part of the way God has willed for us to seek holiness.

Docility is an essential component of spiritual direction: it is the means whereby all interior problems can be resolved. Tell our Lord, our Father said, that you want to do everything you can. And when you see that you haven’t managed to do so, that you have fallen asleep - a sad business, that sleep! - then it’s time to make an act of contrition: Domine, tu omnia nosti, tu scis quia amo te! Lord, you know everything, you know that I love you. I let myself go all too often! But our collapse is due, not to lack of love, but to the limitations of human nature. And so we ought to tell him at once: from now on, quia tu es, Deus, fortitudo mea (for you are the God in whom I take refuge), with you I will be strong.

Just wanting to be docile is not enough; we have to learn how, and acquire the right dispositions.

It is not enough just to want to be docile. As with any virtue, docility is something we have to learn. The Holy Spirit tells us so: learn to do good. That’s why people cannot be docile if they are stubborn or obstinate and incapable of accepting any new ideas. Unless they vanquish their pride they are incapable of being docile. In order to learn, we have to accept that there are still things we don’t know, and that we need somebody to teach them to us.

So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. The parables are such a divine way of teaching! Transparently clear, to simple souls; unintelligible, to the complicated and stubborn. That’s why the Pharisees couldn’t understand them. The sower, the field, the enemy, the cockle… Draw closer to Christ, and ask him to explain the parable to you: edissere nobis parabolam! (explain to us the parable) - in the intimacy of your prayer.

What marvellous readiness to learn, one sees in the servants of the parable! They tell the master what has happened, and ask for an explanation. An enemy has done this, they are told, and at once they realize that it has been their fault. But they are ready to undo the harm, and so they ask if they should go out at once and gather up the weeds. The householder tells them not to, and they accept his decision unquestioningly.

Asking for clarification is one of the signs of wanting to be docile. It is natural that we should wish to know the reasoning behind something we have been asked or told to do, so that we can understand it better and acquire the habit of correct thinking. We should also take the initiative to ask whether or not certain things ought to be done, so that we can be guided, and our good dispositions properly channelled. And when we ask, we should always be ready to carry out what we are requested to do.

Total acceptance of the Directors’ decisions, in matters to do with one’s own spiritual life and apostolate.

Have I always been deeply sincere with my Directors? Have I combined humility with personal responsibility and a capacity for initiative, and made my own the advice I have received for my spiritual life and apostolate? This question, which we ask ourselves every week, is the touchstone of docility. Accepting unhesitatingly what we are asked to do in matters directly related to the spiritual life and apostolate, when we ourselves have ideas of our own - and especially when we think we are experts in the matter - may perhaps be difficult, but it is safer and more effective, because we realize that the Director has the overall picture and is better equipped to guide.

The servants in the parable gave the impression of having a fairly clear idea of what they ought to do. They were experienced labourers and well-versed in their work; perhaps they were quite confident that they could tell the weeds from the wheat the very moment the ear began to appear. It was also natural for them to think that it would be better to root out the evil at the start, to let the wheat grow more easily. Nevertheless, the master of the field told them not to, but to let the weeds grow along with the wheat. When the harvest came the weeds would be gathered into bundles and burned, and the wheat would be gathered into the barn.

Docility of this sort, which we are now considering in the light of the parable, is something our Father wishes us to have at all times. Don’t be too quick to trust your own judgement Just as precious metal is put to the test - it needs a touchstone - so too we have to see whether our judgement, both in human and in supernatural matters, is pure gold or not, by taking into account the opinion of others, especially those who have the grace to help us. That’s why we always have to be ready to change our mistaken opinions. It’s not humiliating to have to do so, but a good and noble thing and very much part of our supernatural education.

We have to possess a prudent measure of distrust of our own judgement, so that we can take on board things that contradict our own preconceived ideas. Your boat -your talents, your hopes, your achievements - is worth nothing whatsoever, unless you leave it in Christ’s hands, allowing him the freedom to come aboard. Make sure you don’t turn it into an idol. In your boat by yourself, if you try to do without the Master, you are - supernaturally speaking - making straight for shipwreck. Only if you allow, and seek, his presence and captaincy, will you be safe from the storms and setbacks of life. Place everything in God’s hands. Let your thoughts, the brave adventures you have imagined, your lofty human ambitions, your noble loves, pass through the heart of Christ Otherwise, sooner or later, they will all sink to the bottom together with your selfishness.

That is why we have to be humble before God and before your Directors, who represent God. Willingly give up your own opinion, and open wide the doors of your heart to welcome the teachings you are given.

The docility God asks of us is the submission of souls who are in love, and not just external compliance with what we’re told. Obey with your lips, your heart and your mind. It is not a man who is being obeyed, but God. If we preserve this supernatural outlook, those weeds won’t become an incurable menace in our lives, but one more motive for struggle and vigilance.

Let us turn to our Lady now, and say to her: O Mother, ask our Lord to make us humble, docile and simple, so that we may collaborate effectively with his generous sowing, and his field may produce wholesome wheat to feed the whole world.