The Common Vetch

"Ground that has absorbed the rain falling upon it repeatedly and brings forth crops useful to those for whom it is cultivated receives a blessing from God" - Hebrews 6:7

This past weekend's Gospel spoke of the wheat and the weeds.  Let the weeds grow with the wheat until the harvest and then pull the weeds.  An alternate translation of the Gospel did not use the Greek word for "weeds" but rather used a word for "tares."  What is a tare?  Tare is another name for the 'common vetch'.  This is a plant that was considered a weed in the southeastern Europe and middle eastern region especially during Egyptian dynasties.  The thing about a tare is that when it first sprouts up, it is almost indistinguishable from wheat.  So with this in mind, how can one know wheat and weeds?  God tells us that it isn't until the harvest that we can know the difference.  The letter to the Hebrews speaks of absorbing the rain falling.  Jesus said that he was the living water come down.  This passage has led me to reflect that God calls us to frequent the Sacraments.  When we actively receive this grace, our lives experience this love poured out for us in a way that draws us deeper into holiness and virtue.  If Jesus truly is the living water, should we not deny our thirst?