The parable of the wheat and weeds is a picture of the Kingdom and also of the Church which is trying to be part of it. For the early Church, more distressing in many ways than persecution from outside were betrayal and shortcomings on the inside. There was a strong temptation immediately to get rid of such people. But wiser heads prevailed. Wait. Let God be the judge and, in any case, people can change. The sinner of today may be the saint of tomorrow. This has been a problem all through the history of the Church and today is no exception. Today's parable reminds us of something very important, namely, that the Church is and always will be a Church of sinners and for sinners. Our Church is, as Paul puts it, a vessel of clay, leaking and easily broken. And more, each one of us is a mixture of wheat and weeds. Even the saints had their flaws. Today's parable is a call for tolerance, patience, compassion and understanding while not compromising on the vision that comes to us from Jesus.