July 19, 2020: 16th Sunday A

July 19, 2020: 16th Sunday A

As children we were taught not to judge others. We were told, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” “There’s a story behind every person,” and “There’s a reason why they’re the way they are.” One mother took her children to the homeless shelter where she volunteered in order to give her children a wide variety of life experiences. One day her son sat down next to a homeless lady named Cathy during lunchtime. Her son asked Cathy where she slept at night, what she did when it rained in the middle of the night, and where she gets her meals. Over the month, her son grew to understand Cathy listening with empathy and compassion. Cathy had a reputation in the shelter for being raw and rough on the edges, yet the young boy enjoyed her company and found her to be a good person. 

As Christians we believe that each person is created in the image and likeness of God, endowed with a spiritual and immortal soul. God has given each person both intellect and free will. Intellect allows a person to understand the order of things established by God. Free will allows a person to direct herself toward what is true and good. From the moment the person is born, she is destined for eternal happiness. Yet humanity also bears the wound of Adam and Eve who abused their freedom with the enticement from the Evil One.   

All of us desire the good, yet we are also inclined to evil and subject to error. In a sense, we are divided within ourselves and our life history bears witness to the dramatic struggle between good and evil, between light and darkness. The image of weeds intertwined at the root of wheat describes well our human struggle between good and evil and how enmeshed our virtues are with our vices. In the Parable of Weeds and the Wheat, Jesus likened the kingdom of God to a farmer who goes and sows seeds of wheat in his field. Yet at night, the enemy comes to the field and spreads darnel seeds, a poisonous plant which looks remarkably similar to wheat. Only at the harvest time can wheat and darnel be distinguished and separated. 

By becoming one of us through the Incarnation, Our Lord entered into the reality of human condition--that at times is beautiful, trustworthy, humble, and generous; at other times ugly, betraying, selfish, and greedy. Jesus wants us to come to him as we are, with our good desires and evil tendencies, to seek light and salvation. During the time when Jesus preached, people of all backgrounds came to him with their troubles. Fishermen complained to him about their lack of success in the catch of fish; Mary Magdalene was forcibly brought to Jesus for her shame of sinfulness. The lepers brought their leprosy; the blind, their blindness; the crippled, their useless limbs; a mother, her anxiety about the future of her two sons; Peter brought his impatient and impetuous personality. They all recognized that they were destined for goodness and greatness, yet they were held back or enslaved by something. They needed a savior to save them from themselves; to free them so that they could accomplish the purpose for which they were placed on earth. 

What shadows and darkness do we bring to Jesus today? Sometimes we don’t even recognize the part of our personality or inclinations that cast darkness or hurt our loved ones. Like the poisonous darnel root that is wrapped tightly to the wheat, our shadow side cannot be distinguished easily from our goodness until Our Lord shines his light of love upon us. We may encounter this divine light during a retreat, during a particularly humbling moment, or when we face a crisis. St. John of the Cross used the image of dust floating in the air to illustrate our impure inclinations and vices. In a dark room, we are not aware that dust particles are floating around. When the sunlight shines through the room, we are aware of how much the room is filled with the dust by the sunlight reflected off of the dust particles in the air. 

What do we do when we become aware of such imperfections? We cannot expect memories of past hurts, habitual vices, selfishness, and greed to simply disappear in an instant. Our Lord’s instruction is helpful here, “Let [weeds and wheat] grow together until harvest; then at harvest time...collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.” There needs to be much patience as we strive for holiness. St. Paul was quite aware of his own shortcomings that he would rather not put up with. He prayed to God that He would take away these “thorns,” yet the answer he received from Jesus was, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor 12:9) St. Paul learned how to live with his shortcomings with hope. He wrote to the Christian community in Rome, “Brothers and sisters: 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 groanings.” 

Everyday, we can bring to our Heavenly Father through the Holy Spirit both the wheat and the weeds of our life. We bring before Him the boss we can’t stand, the distressing conflict between us and our spouse or family member, and the anger or the lust that we experience in our heart. When we learn to see our weeds among our wheat in the light of God’s divine mercy, we can understand why Our Lord said to his disciples, “ “Stop judging, that you may not be judged… Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?” This is not an excuse for someone to stay quagmired in their vices and sinful habits. Rather, it is a call from Jesus to pray and sacrifice for someone whose hidden dust needs to be shined in the light of God’s love. As Mother Teresa succinctly advised, “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” May we strive daily for holiness with hope that at our judgment day before Christ, our Merciful Judge will say to us, “Good and faithful servant, you trusted in My Grace more than in your weakness.”