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An enemy sows tares. Public domain.
July 12 2020
Deacon Faiva Po'oi
Catholic San Francisco
In the first reading for the 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time, we hear about a wise man reflecting on the power of God’s mercy and forgiveness. In the second reading, St. Paul promises us that we are not alone, for the Spirit of God helps us in our weakness. In this Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 13, Jesus speaks in parables, and he speaks several of them. The parables tell us how to live in an imperfect world. We may be surrounded by lies and hate. We may be threatened by violence and death. But if we cultivate the fragile plants of truth and love, if we seek the goals of peace and life, perhaps our world will eventually become a garden rather than a jungle.
Many years ago, two stories that made the evening news stood in sharp contrast to each other. One news item reported on the burning of predominantly black American churches in the southern part of the United States. Over a period of a few months, more than 30 places of worship had been damaged or totally destroyed. Most of the fires appeared to have been deliberately set. Most of us cannot imagine the kind of hatred that would evoke this kind of senseless violence. Sadly, however, it does exist.
The other story focused on the site of one of those burnings. Located in Humboldt, Tennessee, the church had been reduced to a pile of little more than charred rubble. Yet, according to the pastor of that church: “There is a rose blooming under those ashes. We just can’t see it yet.” And then the rose started to become visible. People of all races and religions came together to rebuild the church. The reporter signed off by saying: “An act of hatred was transformed into a gesture of love and friendship.”
Both of these stories are about real people who approached life from very different directions. Some of them chose to burn and destroy. Others chose to build and to help restore.
One of the parables Jesus tells us is a story about a man who had sown seeds of wheat in his field. But while he slept, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat. The wheat and weeds grew together. As the crop grew, the weeds became visible, and the man’s servants wanted to pull up the weeds. The owner of the field, however, rejected this proposed plan. The weeds and the wheat must grow together until harvest time.
We are imperfect people living in an imperfect world. We may wish that it were otherwise, but it is not. A realistic approach is to accept evil as a fact of life. We need to come to terms with that reality.
Like the servants in our story, most of us would prefer to simply get rid of the problem, and yet, this attitude overlooks the reality that we, ourselves, are part of the problem. Suppose God should indeed decide to uproot all of the evil in his creation. Could any of us hope to be spared?
Jesus was the ultimate realist. He saw life as it is and did not sugar-coat any of the ugly facts. It was obvious to him that this world is not what it ought to be. His Father had planted a wheat field, and yet, his plan had somehow been corrupted, He sent his son, Jesus, to save us!
Jesus never doubted the power or the reality of evil. But nothing, not even a cross, could permanently thwart the will of his Father. You and I can share the same faith. We live in a crazy mixed-up-world, yet it is still God’s world. He is still in control. Confident of this, we can face life as it is, knowing that someday life will become what it ought to be. Until that day comes, may we establish our hearts in the unshakeable faith of Christ.
Deacon Faiva Po'oi serves at St. Timothy Parish, San Mateo.