There is one question that we all have to struggle with in life and is certainly on the minds of us all today as we continue to cower before the sickening and deadly power of COVID-19 and our nation continues to struggle with the issue of racism following the death of George Floyd. The question is: why is there evil in the world? If God is an all-good God, why would he allow us to struggle so much in our lives against seemingly evil forces? Today, especially, we ask: why does even nature seem to be against us? These are age-old questions with no quick and easy answer. But, today’s readings give us some very helpful insights into why our good God would allow for evil in the world.
One of the very important lessons we learn as we study the Bible is that, although we humans often limit our love to those who love us or those we know and love ourselves, God’s love is showered upon all of his creation. In today’s first reading, we hear from the Book of Wisdom that God’s might is the source of justice and that he has mastery over all things. We hear that God judges with clemency and governs us with much lenience. Aware of our struggle with evil, God gives us, his children, good ground for hope because he permits repentance for our sins. And, our Lord taught us that God’s love extends to all people, good and bad alike.
In today’s Gospel reading, we hear Jesus use another farming parable to demonstrate God’s love, mercy and lenience. This is a story about a farmer sowing wheat which grows beside weeds sown by the enemy. Weeds are just as much part of the natural world as are beautiful and productive plants. Any of us who have weeded our gardens knows that. The servants of the farmer – whom Jesus later reveals to be God – ask whether they should pull out the weeds. The servants are concerned that, as the wheat begins to bear fruit, the weeds will choke it out. They offer to pull up the weeds, thus removing them from the field.
But the wise farmer tells his servants to allow the weeds to grow. He knows that if they pull out the weeds, they will damage some of the wheat, as well. So, though the farmer could clean up the field, making it easier for the wheat to continue to bear good fruit, he understands that, in this world, good and evil coexist and the good will not prevail by removing the evil but by growing stronger despite the draining presence of evil.
We should reflect carefully on this parable and its lesson because it applies to each one of us. While we struggle to be good we find ourselves constantly being drained by our battle against evil. Wouldn’t it be so much easier if we could just remove all the evil in our world so that we, who strive to be good, could just thrive? Of course, there are two serious flaws to that thinking. First of all, if we remove evil – which, as you know, is merely the absence or misdirection of good – then there would be no real free choice between God, who is all good, and the devil, whose job it is to misdirect us away from God. Facing and overcoming evil helps us to grow in virtue: wisdom, justice, temperance, courage and especially as we heard in our opening prayer, faith, hope and love. As the popular Catholic theologian Peter Kreeft wrote so well in his very pragmatic book on moral theology, entitled Making Choices, there would be no virtue if there were no evil. We grow in virtue only as we face and overcome evil. And, virtue leads us to God.
Second, God permits evil to continue in the world so that we can purify ourselves as we learn to rely more on God and humbly submit to his plan for the universe and, with God’s help, overcome the evil within and without us so that we can bear the fruit of building God’s kingdom here on earth. And, we all need God’s help. That’s why we gather together in worship and praise of God here at Mass, where we receive the nourishment of God’s Word and the Eucharist, both of which strengthen us in our battle against evil. This evening, we rejoice as some among us will receive the fullness of that nourishment for the first time as they receive their first Holy Communion. We also rejoice as one among us will receive another sacrament – baptism – and two will receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit as they are confirmed.
Unlike the oppressive power that we so often experience among our fellow men, the power of God is measured by his love and mercy. And, he allows the evil within and without us to exist so that we can, with the power of his love and growth in virtue, overcome evil. And, when we fail, we receive his merciful assistance so that we can repent and turn back to his powerful, merciful, loving embrace. As we heard so clearly in this evening’s second reading, we even have the Spirit of God who comes to our aid in our weakness and intercedes for us. Remember, God’s kingdom is already in our midst; Jesus preached that so clearly and brought it about through his Paschal sacrifice – that’s what we celebrate every time we gather around this altar! Each of us is called – by our baptism – to be that good seed and to outgrow all the weeds we find – both within and without – to bring God’s kingdom to its fullness. Let’s continue to grow and flourish in the midst of the weeds as we pray, “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven!”