Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Wisdom 12:13, 16-19
Romans 8:26-27
Matthew 13:24-43 or 13:24-30
My sister Delphine was always wary of those she did not know. She frequently counseled me to eye everyone with suspicion until they proved themselves worthy of my trust. My mom, on the other hand, told me to believe in everyone until they proved themselves untrustworthy. I suspect that each of them was a little bit right. Like others, I have made mistakes when I trusted and I have made mistakes when I did not. Like others, my greatest mistakes might have been in judging at all.
Today’s Gospel is a lesson in patience and openness. Like the weeds and the grain that grow together, relationships—even in the Church—cannot be evaluated until they mature. Every baptized Christian is filled with promise. But, the Church grows slowly and must be nurtured. And so it is with the Kingdom of God.
The parable of the weeds and the wheat is one of several judgment parables that are uniquely Matthean. Eight of these parables are found only in Matthew’s Gospel.
In the parable we hear today, the wheat represents the faithful and the weeds stand for those who refuse Jesus’ teaching. It is essential for us to remember that we do not know one from the other. Surely, there are sinners in the community but it is God’s business to decide who belongs to his kingdom. Jesus assures us that the harvest will be successful and it is not for us to judge. God will separate the faithful from the unfaithful. Even those who might view themselves as choked by the weeds of a sinful life are reminded that God cares for all. The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans tells us that the Spirit will give us the words of prayer and aid us in our weakness. There seems to be the chance that the weed that chokes will release the wheat and allow it to grow to fruition.
The first reading from the Book of Wisdom tells us that our God is just and lenient. It is clear from the reading that it is God’s mastery over all things that is the source of his mercy. He asks us to temper justice with mercy and gives us reason to hope for mercy from Him.
We are a sinful people aware of our failings. Yet, we are assured that the Father’s justice has its source in his strength. This is strength worth imitating. Responding to the needs of others—even those who have hurt or defiled us—is not a mark of weakness, but of courage and vision.
We approach the altar with a prayer for openness and mercy in our dealings with others.
