Reflection on the 16th Sunday in ordinary time. Year A

Reflection on the 16th Sunday in ordinary time, Year A

When I was growing up my mother would often tell me that if I do good, work hard, and be nice to everyone, whatever I wish in my life, it would happen. I believe that’s what most of us believe. The slaves in today’s parable are not different from us. In today’s Gospel, the slaves knew that the master sowed good seeds in his field. But they are so surprised when they discover the weeds in the field. They want to know what happened and who is responsible. The master says “an enemy has done this.” He does not say more. He does not name the enemy. He does not instruct his workers to find and punish the enemy. The slaves ask the master, but what about those weeds? What do we do about them? “Don’t you want us to pull up the weeds? The master responds, No, for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them.”

Why then did the farm owner restrain them from pulling out the weeds? We can think of two reasons. First, the master knew that the wheat would survive in spite of the presence of the weeds. The weeds might inconvenience the wheat temporarily but they would not choke them to death or take over the farm. Secondly, he knew how difficult it is to distinguish between the wheat and the weeds. They look so much alike. They are the same color, the same size and the leaves look similar to wheat. One can be easily mistaken for the other. Only at harvest time could they be distinguished by their fruits. If we set out to pull out the weeds, we might be pulling up the good wheat with the weeds. If it were possible to distinguish with accuracy the weeds from the wheat the master would not have prevented them. But he prevented them for this one reason, “lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them” (Matthew 13:29).

Jesus applies this story of weeds and wheat to people.  The reality, according to Jesus, is that our lives and our world are a field in which good and evil, life and death, joys and sorrows, that which we want and that which we don’t want to grow and live side by side. The wheat and the weeds stand together in our world and in each of our lives. Jesus wants the wicked to live a full life in the hope they will repent and become wheat.  He wants to show us that God’s ways are radically different from ours. He’s telling us, “That’s how patient God is with sinners.”

Remember the ‘good thief’ who was crucified with Jesus?  Was he a weed or was he wheat?  We probably would have guessed that he was a big, bad weed and we would have been wrong.  At the last hour, he became wheat.  Did you know that Adolph Hitler had been an altar boy?  Would we have thought of him as a weed when he was serving mass? The disciples to whom Jesus addresses this parable include Judas who will betray Jesus, Peter, who will deny him, Thomas, who will doubt him and James and John, who cherish personal ambitions. In the end, only Judas is (apparently) lost, showing us that many “weeds” can become high yielding wheat.

What can we learn from today’s Gospel? Each one of us is a combination of wheat and weeds.    Jesus shows more interest in growth than extermination. He is willing to wait and to be patient. If we are his followers we too will wait and be patient amongst the weeds of our life. We need to practice patience with ourselves. Our faith in Jesus Christ teaches us that everything that happens in our life be it, joy, happiness, sorrow, and sadness happens for a reason. So as the followers of Jesus Christ, we must practice patience.

A King had a male servant who, in all circumstances always said to him; My king, do not be discouraged, and be patient because whatever happens in our life, happens for a reason. One day, they went hunting and a wild animal attacked the king, the servant managed to kill the animal but couldn't prevent his king from losing a finger. So the king said; if God was good, I would not have been attacked and lost one finger. The servant replied, 'whatever happens in our life happens for a reason, be patient’. The king was not happy with the response so he arrested his servant. As he was going to the prison, he told the king again, everything happens for a reason, God is Good & Perfect. Another day, the king left alone for another hunt and was captured by some people who use human beings for sacrifice. On the altar, the people found out that the king didn't have one finger in place, he was released because he was considered not "complete" to be offered to the gods. On his return to the palace, he ordered the release of his servant and said; My friend, God was really good to me. I was almost killed but for lack of a single finger, I was let go. But I have a question; If God is so good, if everything happens for a reason, why did He allow me to put you in prison? His servant replied; My king, if I had not been put in prison, I would have gone with you, and I would have been killed and sacrificed, because I have no missing finger. Everything God does is perfect, He is never wrong, whatever happens in our life, happens for a reason. God is always faithful, and we just need to trust in Him.

Today’s Gospel teaches us that the only person with the right to judge is God. It is God alone who can discern the good and the bad; it is God alone who can see the life of a person. It is God alone who can judge whether a person is a weed or wheat. Rather than judging others, let us recognize the little weeds in our own soul and weed them out as quickly as we can.

Today’s Gospel invites us to know what God expects from us. God wants us to take a good look into the field of our own lives to see what is growing there. Let us work with Him to pull out the “weeds” in our own personalities.  Then we need to start treating the so-called “evil ones” as Christ did. Why did he not weed out Judas who betrayed him, or Peter, who denied him? Jesus saw the “weeds” in their lives, but he saw also saw the wheat. He knew that with encouragement the wheat could prevail. And often it did. “Even the most honest man has stolen something in his life, but this doesn’t mean that all people are thieves.” (Dostoyevsky)