SIXTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Wisdom 12: 13, 16-19
Romans 8:26-27
Matthew 13:24-43
Last week we talked about planting seeds. This week we are talking about pulling weeds. They go together. Planting is much easier than weeding. I don’t think anybody likes pulling weeds, including God. The theme that unites the first reading and the Gospel today is God’s patience and our impatience. We instinctively divide ourselves into good and wicked, friends and enemies. The consequence of such distinction is usually intolerance and a desire to solve immediately whatever tension arises. Some ask God to intervene, judge and punish others. The readings today tell us that God does not do things like that.
The background of the first reading is the situation of the Jews living outside of Israel about 50 years before Christ. Some of them owned profitable businesses but majority were in difficulty. They wondered why it was that they who observed the law of God were constantly humiliated and oppressed while the pagans who led corrupt lives prospered and enjoyed life. Why won’t God intervene and put some order in the world? Why such injustice? Their fathers had told them how Yahweh did great things for them in the past. Why is He not doing them now? If He is good and almighty, why is there evil everywhere? Do we not often ask these questions today?
The author of the book of Wisdom replies to all these nagging questions – God is great but He does not use His power to bring down evil because He is gentle and forbearing with everyone. He is the Lord of all, both the just and unjust. He does not reserve His love for the few who are good but for all – good and bad. Men who have power often use it to put others down and force them into submission and respect, but God is not like that. He does not use His power to destroy bad people like the Jews and we too would like to see Him do, but uses His power to love and inspire sinners to repent. This is a very important lesson for us. We Christians see ourselves as good and others evil. Have we never wished that God should punish the wicked? How often do we interpret the sickness and misfortune of another as punishment from God?
Exactly the same thing is playing out in the Gospel today. One of the reasons why it was difficult for the Jews to believe Jesus was the believe that the coming of the Messiah would be the start of a kingdom in which there would be only good people. Isaiah 61: 1-2 which Jesus read out at the beginning of His public ministry says, “the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, He has anointed me to bring the good news to the poor “to proclaim the vengeance of our God.” Speaking about the messiah in Matthew 3, 2 John the Baptist said, “His winnowing fan is in His hand, He will clear the threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn; but the chaff He will put in a fire that will never go out.” But Jesus came, He not only did not destroy sinners, He welcomed them and accepted invitations to share meals with them. He kept company with the good and the bad. He was not the messiah anyone expected.
More than 50 years after the death of Christ there is still evil everywhere even in the Church. Jewish converts are scandalized. They began to ask, what kind of kingdom did Jesus begin if it cannot destroy evil once and for all. Matthew responds by recalling the Lord’s parable of the weeds and wheat. The answer reveals the attitude of God towards the evil that exists in the world, in the church and even in our very hearts. Separation of weed and wheat will surely come and evil will be destroyed but not immediately. God is patient with us. If God were to share His omnipotence with us, we would soon show Him how to separate evil from good. The dividing line separating the good and evil is not to be found between individuals or groups or between one nation and another, it is in the heart of every person. There is good and evil in all of us. Even the worst person has side by side with weeds, some good. Why burn it?
It reminds us of the words of Jesus in Luke 6: 42 – “you hypocrites, first take the log out of your own eye and then you will see clearly to take out the speak that is in your brother’s eye.” The point here is that it is important to identify your weed. As long as we are not yet perfect, as long as the seed, that is the word of God has not reached its full potential in us, there is a weed hindering it. Is your weed, impatience, is it gossiping, is it lust, is it love of money, is it lying? What is that vice that has so enslaved you that even when you go to confession, within one week you are already swimming in sin again. Just as different weeds require different approach, the same way, overcoming our vices or bad habit requires a different approach. There are some vices that when they get hold of you, it will not be enough to go to confession to overcome them, you need counseling. And when you succeed in removing your weed, you need to apply something that will prevent it from coming again: you need the holy Spirit.
The other two parables could be seen as twin parables. They illustrate the same point –A mustard seed that is very tiny grows into a big shrub and a very little yeast causes a large quantity of dough to rise. The good among us, no matter how small, can transform the Church and our society. Both invite us to be optimistic. Don’t become pessimistic because there is evil in the world, don’t become pessimistic because there is evil in the church, don’t become pessimistic because there is corruption in our country. don’t give up hope. Commit yourself to be the change you want to see in others.
Happy Sunday
Fr Chidi Onwuka M.Ss.Cc
Beautiful homily thanks Fr