“How was your vacation?” Or, “Have you gone on vacation yet?” That seems to be the topic of the day every summer but especially this summer as we finally break the grip of the coronavirus pandemic. The news is filled with reports of record numbers of people traveling at last. And, the important question is always the destination; where you’re going. Today, we have the privilege of hearing Jesus present three rather intriguing parables. These parables teach us about the kingdom of God – our ultimate destination. Let’s take a moment to explore their meaning. In the parable about the weeds among the wheat, Jesus reminds us that in the present age, God allows his children to live alongside the children of the evil one until the day of judgment. We can all probably nod and think to ourselves that yes, this is good because God is love and God loves all people, including those people represented by the weeds, and he wills the salvation of all. So it’s good for him to give people more time for conversion, more time to turn away from sin so that, at the end of time, they will not be thrown into the fiery furnace where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth; what a graphic description of hell!
We should reflect 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 challenged by our battle against evil. Wouldn’t it be so much easier if God would just remove all the evil in our world so we, who are good, could thrive? That’s what the slaves in today’s gospel account were thinking as they suggested pulling out the weeds. Of course, there are two serious flaws to that way of thinking. First of all, if we are honest with ourselves, we are all a combination of both good and evil. Although we work hard to be good and bear good fruit, each one of us struggles with the evil within us. We need God, like the wise farmer, to tend and care for us as we work hard to make the good thrive and the evil wither within us.
Second, God permits evil in the world so that we can purify ourselves as we, with God’s help, overcome the evil within and without us as we grow in virtue so that we will bear the fruit of building God’s kingdom here on earth and prepare to enter his eternal kingdom in heaven. 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. And, we receive God’s mercy, forgiveness and strength every time we celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation, admitting the evil within us and begging for and receiving God’s grace so we can grow in virtue. As Peter Kreeft, in his very pragmatic book on moral theology entitled Making Choices wrote, there would be no virtue if there were no evil. We grow in virtue only as we face and overcome evil.
So what are the implications of God’s goodness and patience for us in our lives? If we are the wheat in the parable – and we all want to be that, don’t we – we must grow and bear fruit. Like the wheat, we, too, must persevere in giving good and abundant fruit.
How can we persevere? How can we resist the urge to lash out, to lose our patience, to get back at those who have harmed us, to forget about those around us in need? Just as the wheat needs nutrients from the soil and rays from the sun to grow and produce fruit, we also need nutrients to grow and produce good fruit in our spiritual lives. And the great news is that the Lord offers these necessary goods to us freely and abundantly.
We know what these nutrients are; I already mentioned two of them a few moments ago: the sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation. What greater and more powerful gift to strengthen us in charity than the Lord himself, present in the Eucharist? That’s why it’s important to receive our Lord in Holy Communion regularly. We also benefit from the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Besides providing us with the forgiveness of our sins – something we all need, of course – the sacrament of reconciliation – like all sacraments – provides us with God’s grace, the gift of his presence in our lives. This sacramental grace strengthens us to resist sin, to avoid getting angry and impatient with those who annoy us, to be more generous in care of those in need. With God’s grace, we can look at everyone we meet every day as God does: with love. And, of course, there is prayer. As Paul reminds us in today’s second reading, even at those times when we don’t know what or how to pray, the Holy Spirit can pray for us, intercede for us – for what we truly need.
As we prepare to give thanks and praise to the Lord for all he has done for us, as we prepare to receive him, let us do so aware of our need for the help this sacrament offers us to persevere in bearing good fruit. Unlike the power that we so often experience among our fellow men, the power of God is measured by his mercy and love. And, he allows the evil within and without us to exist so that we can, with the power of his love, overcome the evil and, when we fail, receive his merciful assistance so that we can repent and turn back to his loving embrace. Remember, God’s kingdom is already in our midst. The two other parables that we just heard about the mustard seed and the yeast teach us about the growth of the Kingdom of God. We are the mustard seed and the yeast who can help the kingdom of God grow and flourish. 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! At our baptism, each of us is called to be that good seed and to root out all the weeds we find – both within and without – to bring God’s kingdom to its fullness. We are called to be the mustard seed and the yeast. 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!”