Jesus said, “The farmhands asked, ‘Should we weed out the thistles?’ He said, ‘No, if you weed the thistles, you’ll pull up the wheat, too. Let them grow together until harvest time. Then I’ll instruct the harvesters to pull up the thistles and tie them in bundles for the fire, then gather the wheat and put it in the shed.’” (Matthew 13: 28 – 30)

This week, Jesus tells a challenging story. When weeds appear among the wheat, the servants are quick to ask, “Do you want us to go and pull them up?” The response is surprising. The master says no. Let both grow together until the harvest.

For those who work in Catholic schools, this teaching is deeply uncomfortable.

Our instinct is often to fix, correct, remove, and resolve. We see the student who disrupts the class, the child who struggles to belong, the teenager making poor choices, the colleague who frustrates us, or the situation that seems to threaten the culture we are trying so hard to build. We want clear answers and immediate change.

But Jesus invites a different way.

A Catholic school is not a place where only the already polished and successful are welcomed. It is a place where growth happens. It is a place where every person is still becoming. The wheat and the weeds remind us that human beings are complex. No student is defined by their worst moment. No colleague is reduced to their weaknesses. No person is beyond the reach of grace.

This does not mean ignoring harmful behaviour or lowering expectations. It means recognising that transformation takes time. It means responding to people with the conviction that God is still working in them, often in ways we cannot yet see.

Teachers and support staff carry an extraordinary responsibility. Every day, we influence how young people understand themselves. We can become people who quickly label, judge, and separate, or we can become people who notice potential, encourage growth, and create space for redemption.

The challenge is not simply to teach students what is right. The challenge is to see them as God sees them.

In a world that is increasingly impatient with failure, Catholic educators are called to be witnesses of patience. In a culture that often wants people cancelled, dismissed, or defined by mistakes, we are called to model mercy, accountability, and hope.

The question for us is confronting. When we look at the people entrusted to our care, do we see weeds to remove or wheat still growing?

The harvest belongs to God. Our task is to nurture, guide, challenge, and believe.