Jeremiah 7:1-11 / Matthew 13:24-30
In some countries, corruption is widespread and rampant, and it usually affects government departments and agencies.
As it is, corruption taints the reputation of the government, and the government departments and agencies end up with a bad name.
But what if the department or agency involved in corruption is the law enforcement department or agency, ie. the police force.
In other words, what if the police station has become the robbers' den?
That is what the Lord was saying in the 1st reading, that His people were committing sin upon sin, and yet they come to the Temple and saying, and expecting, the Lord to protect them.
The people don't seem to realize that God and sin cannot be dwelling in the same place; they are mutually exclusive and they can't co-exist.
And they even have the cheek to say: Now we are safe - safe to go on committing all these abominations.
We will certainly wonder how they can get so spiritually corrupted and yet not aware of it.
Yet in the gospel parable, we may get a hint from Jesus as to how this has happened - The enemy has planted darnel among the wheat when everybody was asleep.
Let us be alert and vigilant because the enemy is prowling around and trying to sow seeds of evil in our hearts.
Let us stand up against him, strong in faith, and let us also ask the Lord to purify our hearts of all sin and evil corruption.