Word to the Wise
Sunday, July 20, 2008 - Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
[Wisdom 12:13, 16-19; Romans 8:26-27; Matthew 13:24-43]Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from? He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' His slaves said to him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' He replied, 'No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, "First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn."
As someone who gardens for a hobby, I know the frustration of finding things growing in the midst of my "crop" that I didn't intend to plant! A "weed" is often whatever the grower doesn't want in his garden! Sometimes, I recognize the "weed" as a useful herb (I get lots of "volunteer" dill plants and I leave them alone) and other times I see the intruder as a threat to my irises or my herbs or my pepper plants. That's when I do my best to remove them. And, sometimes in the process of removing the intruder, I manage to pull up some of my intended crop! It's very frustrating! When Jesus' parable is applied on the level of human community, the question can be very delicate indeed. Which person is "wheat" and which person is "weed?" As the Master indicates, sometimes it is not possible to tell them apart or they may be so close to one another that removing one means removing the other! Indeed, the servants are not given the right to make that decision. I think of this parable when I reflect on the "excommunication enthusiasts" who want various bishops to excommunicate various politicians for various political or moral opinions. I think of this parable when I recall how various parishioners wanted me to remove various other parishioners from various positions because of personality or ideological conflicts. Sometimes I think such enthusiasts are not so much interested in the issue as they are in being powerful enough to pull the weeds whenever they feel like it. I have often had to say that such approaches cause more harm than good unless the "offending" person or persons are truly a danger, and one must ask who is a danger to whom in the first place. Jesus rebuked the disciples on occasion for wanting to punish those who "were not of our company." Crabgrass in my iris bed may be in the wrong place from my point of view, but in itself, it is a perfectly respectable plant! We can benefit mightily from a reflection on deciding not only which plant is "wheat" and which plant is "weed," but also on whether of not it is our right to do any weeding! Jesus seems to urge patience. Can his advice be anything but good? AMEN
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