Word to the Wise
Tuesday, July 27, 2021 - Tuesday in the 17th Week in Ordinary Time
[Exod 33:7-11; 34:5b-9, 28 and Matt 13:36-43,1026]"He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom. The weeds are the children of the Evil One, and the enemy who sows them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his Kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. [Matthew]
I have a fair amount of experience with weeds since I attempt to be a gardener. Everything I have in my garden is grown from seed. I don't buy any plants. In the beginning, it can be hard to determine if what I see is a good seed sprouting or a weed sprouting. And sometimes the weeds are so close to the intended plant that to pull one up may mean disturbing the other. But there will come a moment when I have to act and pull up the weeds to protect the plants I want. On Thursday of last week, the first part of Jesus' parable of the "wheat and the weeds" was read. Today, Jesus gives an explanation of the parable. Jesus sows good seed. The devil sows the weed seed. The children of the kingdom of God have to accept the fact that evil exists but not every evil can be rooted out right away. Some folks have to be left to the judgment of God.
The Gospel of Matthew has a broad theme of call/response. We are free to accept or reject the kingdom Jesus preaches, but our decision will always have consequences. There WILL be an ultimate judgment. Read Matthew 25:31-45, the Final Judgment scene, painted so frighteningly by MIchelangelo in the Sistine chapel in the Vatican. Jesus preaches forgiveness as an essential element of Christian life, and we must forgive evildoers, but they will be held accountable for their conduct if they do not repent.
This may seem harsh but it is more like "tough love." Hell is not something we should wish for anyone, no matter how evil they are, but evildoers will still have to answer for their evil. God's mercy is available to the end, but only if we accept it. The choice is ours and so are the consequences. AMEN