16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, (Year A) July 23, 2023
Readings: Wisdom 12:13, 16-19; Romans 8:26-27; Matthew 13:24-30
The Bastard Wheat
There is a parable about Good and Evil. One day, good and evil met upon the shore of the sea. They said to each other, “Let us disrobe and bathe in the sea.” After they bathed in the sea for some time, evil came to the shore and clothed itself with the garment of Good and walked away. Later, Good came out of the shore and found that evil had taken away its clothes. Feeling ashamed to go naked, Good garmented itself with the clothes of evil. To this day, both Good and evil walk around in their disguised clothes. Only some who know the face of good and evil can identify their true nature despite the garments.
The readings today confront us with the problem of evil in the world. We are not in doubt of its presence. We see it every day. We read about it in history books and witness it in our streets, at home, in Church, our neighborhood, and in the world. How do we explain the manifestation of evil all around us? A young man entered the grocery store, spat into bottles of iced tea, and laughed. A young woman spits on food items in another grocery store, licks butter, and scoops ice cream into her mouth; we read and watch the news of people who go into school, Church, and mall and shoot at people at random, killing as many as the bullets can reach; there is absolute disregard for life and property, people commit atrocities that abound in social media. What about the man who put fire on a dog’s tail and delights in the pains inflicted on it? Or those who lie about their neighbors with reckless abandon. Or taking the lives of unborn children in the womb, setting a house on fire, and watching with glee as the occupants suffocate and die, or intentionally manipulating figures to look good after mismanagement and misappropriation of funds. Don’t you sometimes feel like Bob Marley and the Wailers, who in 1973 sang, “Stop that train, I’m leaving.” No wonder many people want to escape the world and move to Mars. It makes us question the effectiveness of the Gospel and the labors of missionaries and religious leaders worldwide. Has Christianity failed? G.K. Chesterton would say, no, Christianity hasn’t failed; it just has never been tried. If enough people lived the Gospel message in its fullness, the difference would be clear for all to see.
The parable of the weed and the wheat reminds us of the need for saints and sinners to coexist. After all, God created both saints and sinners out of love. The weed or darnel was so indistinguishable from wheat at its early growth stage that it was called bastard wheat. One may uproot the wheat in an attempt to uproot the weed; hence, the farmer must wait patiently till harvest time. The wheat and the weed must be allowed to grow together till the end. The first reading from the book of Wisdom tells us, “You (God) taught your people, by these deeds, that those who are just must be kind; and you gave your children good ground for hope that you would permit repentance for their sins.” No matter how bad the world may be, there is still hope for those with faith. In the second reading, Paul urges us to ask the Spirit for prayer assistance. We are weak; on our own, we can do nothing good. For that reason, “The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groaning. And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit because he intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will.”
The readings teach us that the world has hostile power competing with the power to do Good. The power of evil always seeks to destroy the Good in us. Evil can disguise and fool us like the (darnel) weed. They looked exactly alike in shape and size. There is only a slight color variation. But when eaten, the darnel is poisonous. We often do evil because of its seeming instant satisfaction. That is what St. Paul meant when he said, “For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want.” (Rom. 7:19). Like Paul, we must trust in the mercy of God, to overcome our weaknesses. We must be on our guard so that evil may not overpower us. Because it is not always easy to distinguish those who wish us good from those who seek to destroy us. It’s not written on our faces the intentions of our hearts.
In the parable, the servants asked the Master, ‘Did you not sow good seed in your field?’ Where have the weeds come from?” He answered, ‘An enemy had done this.’” Who is your enemy? Who is ready to plant the lousy seed on your farm? They are those who laugh with and eat with you and who you confide in, but they will tell your business to the whole world. They will block your promotion and makeup stories about you. They are your trusted friends who tell you how much they care for you. But they are just waiting for you to fall asleep for them to plant weed among your wheat. They intend to destroy you. They will come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inside are ravenous wolves. Why do they hate you? Because they are jealous of your achievements, your children, and everything you are and own. They come to you as friends to easily access your life and know where to hit and destroy you. They are in Church, in your office, and your neighborhood. Beware of them! They may appear to be your friend, but they are devil-incarnate, and those you think are your enemies may be those who care about you.
The parable also teaches us that judgment belongs to God, yet he is slow to anger but rich in mercy. This is how the first reading puts it, “But though you are master of might, you judge with clemency, and with much lenience you govern us; for power, whenever you will, attends you.” In the end, evil will be overcome. There is a seed of destruction in every demon. It has a day of reckoning and will sooner than later destroy itself. On judgment day, a day of harvest, the weed will be gathered and burnt. It doesn’t matter how long evil triumphs; one day, it will end, and the children of light will shine like the stars of heaven. The parable warns us against judging people. It is wrong to be quick in judging and condemning people without knowing the facts about them. It is wrong to judge someone by one single act or stage in life. We must give people the benefit of doubt. Judgment cannot come until the end of our lives. In the end, the judgment of God will come on all sinners. Swift and jungle justice is not the solution for human beings. Man can have a change of mind and heart at any time. All judgments must be left in God’s domain, for if you, O Lord, should mark our guilt, Lord, who can stand? (Ps. 129:3) Let us pray that the Holy Spirit may aid us as we pursue a life of holiness and justice and recognize the hidden enemies of our lives. Amen.
Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP.
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