SIXTEENTH SUNDAY OF YEAR "A"

 

SIXTEENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR

Cycle “A”: Mt. 13, 24 – 43

There was a very sad period in the history of the Catholic Church. A large group of people broke away from the mother church and formed their own. They were conscious of the evil in the Catholic Church and despaired of its ever getting better. So instead of reforming the Church from within they left it. They called themselves the Reformers, and they took today’s parable of the wheat and weeds quite literally. They believed that they were the wheat and the rest of the people weeds that were destined for hell fire. That mentality has reached us, though softened from its original rigour. So the worry is that we have no idea in what category we have been included. We may be wheat  -  we may be darnel.

Let me assure you that such theology has no place in the Catholic understanding of salvation. Jesus Christ won and offers salvation for all, not some selected elect. Jesus has planted the good seed of divine life in the heart of every human being without exception. To everyone God offers the grace of repentance. Let me quote St. Augustine: “God has not lost his power but requires repentance of you. It may be that they who today are weeds may tomorrow become good wheat.” Furthermore, we do not know the full picture. The type of weed Jesus refers to in his parable is very hard to distinguish from wheat until they both bear fruit. Likewise, we cannot judge accurately the state of someone’s heart; we are not qualified to judge and uproot, like the servants of the landowner. It is easier and more comforting to our self-righteousness to condemn the sinner out of hand. We make ourselves the standard and want to fashion others in our own image. Parents with their growing children, teachers with the youth in their charge, priests with their parishioners. It is so difficult to allow others to bloom where they are planted. We forget that it is only the strong who can be patient and forgive.

 This same shortsightedness carries over into our own personal lives. Here, too, we want instant holiness and perfection. This attitude stems basically from a secret pride and the unconscious conviction that we can do it ourselves. This can lead to discouragement or cynicism. All of us have so much to learn of wisdom, long-suffering, compassion and love from our patient God.

 Even when we ourselves fail and fall, God gives us time. Come the end of all time, of course, we may find ourselves to be darnel and thereby damned. Such a possibility is due to our free will. But if ever do find ourselves locked in hell we can be sure that the doors will be bolted from the inside; it will have been our own choice. And certainly God won’t have predestined us to be there. In fact, he will have done his utmost to prevent it. God doesn’t want us for darnel; he wills us all to be wheat.

Now Jesus reminds us that God has determined a time for judgement, and justice will be done. This gives us hope that we don’t live in a moral vacuum; our efforts to work for good are not futile, for good will eventually triumph. Nor are we to be passive in the face of evil. The fruit we have to bear as wheat is our efforts to evangelise and overcome evil by good so that others repent and choose the good seed as we once did.

If we look more closely at Jesus’ words we will see that this parable is more about mercy than judgement  -  or perhaps about mercy in judgement. The landowner’s response to the information that darnel has been sown alongside his wheat is merely to wait and see. Come the harvest, the darnel can be dealt with, but for now for some time see how the good seed weathers and responds to challenges. God gives us time: time to battle with the weeds of sin and temptation and indifference that we find sown in our lives and in our world, time to spring forth -  through his grace and goodness  -  into life and yield a rich harvest of ourselves and others.

Throughout the centuries Christian men and women have laboured hard to change the face of the earth, to liberate slaves, protect children and the aged, to change the status of women, bring relief to the sick and suffering, work for peace. Yes, these people were the famous leaven in the bread. So what do I do to protect human life today, to change the atmosphere of hostility and corruption into one of Gospel peace and considerateness? You might want to reflect on the words of Abraham Lincoln: “To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.” Will I stand up and be counted with the Christians who preceded me and who battled enormous odds for the rights of women, the sick, the aged, the children, or shall I cop out and whisper, “The project is too big for me; count me out?”

Even if you read the Gospel with one eye closed, you must realise your Jesus Christ was the leader of the struggle from the beginning and still is. We’ll stand and fight with him.

PRAYER (Martin Israel)

Let the healing grace of your love, O Lord,

So transform me,

That I may play my part in the transfiguration of the world,

from a place of suffering, death and corruption

to a realm of infinite light, joy and love.

Make me so obedient to your Spirit

that my life may become a living prayer

and a witness to your unfailing presence.