Saints of God…
…the Lord be with you!
The Gospel for this Sunday is long (Matthew 13:24-43) and contains three parables describing the Kingdom of Heaven, plus an explanation of the first parable. I’m going to focus on the first parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field…his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat.” This raises the question for me as to how I view the world, my neighbors, and myself.
As Catholics, and Franciscans as well, we should see the world as fundamentally good. Original sin has damaged that goodness but has not destroyed that “original goodness” in the world, in our neighbors, and in ourselves. Yes, bad things, sinful things, wicked things, are done, thought, and said, BUT there is more good in the world, our neighbors, and ourselves than sin. Grace is always at work. In the words of 20th century Catholic theologian Karl Rahner, we live in a “world of grace”. While Grace may be thwarted, denied, rejected, in the end, Grace is Triumphant.
In the first reading from the Book of Wisdom (12:13, 16-19) the sage writes, “For you (God) show your might when the perfection of your power is disbelieved…but though you are a master of might, you judge with clemency, and with much lenience you govern us.” Thank God we have a lenient God, who expects “those who are just must be kind…and that you would permit repentance” when we are not.
The growth of the “wheat of faith” is not reliant on our will alone. In the second reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans (8: 26-27) he writes, “The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness…and (he) intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will.” As we yield more and more to the Holy Spirit, the weeds of sin and doubt will diminish, our faith will grow and put forth an abundance of charity.
We are more Saint than sinner. Not because of anything we have done, but because of all that God is doing in the field of our lives and our world.
– Fr. Steve
