16th Sunday-Year A

Wisdom 12:13, 16-19

Psalm 86

Romans 8:26-27

Matthew 13:24-43

 

God Can Turn the Weed into Wheat so Don’t Give UP

Beloved in Christ, we thank God for another opportunity to worship and adore him, listen to him, and dine with him on the altar. Our readings today remind us that we live in a broken world, but all is not lost. We have a savior, and if we listen to him and live as he teaches us, we can overcome sin and evil and help establish the kingdom of God here on earth. 

 

Our first reading from the book of Wisdom was written about 100 years before Christ. The author is struggling with the question of sin and evil in the world. The author saw how his people, the Jews, were suffering persecution from Assyria and other nations. Even though they tried to follow God's law, it seemed that their enemies, who did not care about God, rather had good things happening to them. So the author is struggling with the question: “Why is God allowing this evil to go on?” He finally came to the conclusion that God does not destroy the evil person because he loves all and wants all to be saved. So he is patient and gives grace so that people can repent and all be saved. This is what our responsorial psalm affirms. The psalmist explains God’s nature as loving and forgiving, slow to anger, and rich in mercy. Our Lord Jesus in the gospel tells the parable of the wheat and the weed and explains that God does not destroy the weed but gives it time to grow until harvest time. 

 

Why does God do that? Why does he not destroy sinners? Because it is against God’s nature to destroy. God’s nature is to save. For God, the weed can turn into wheat. From our human perspective, this may seem impossible and may not make sense. When you are mowing your lawn, you pull out the weed because you don’t ever see the weed turning into any beautiful green grass, right? But with God and human beings, it is a different story. God can turn the weed into wheat. That is what the second reading tells us. God is working every day in our hearts through the Power of the Holy Spirit to save us. I am so grateful that God does not destroy sinners but gives us time to grow and change. When I reflect on this gospel, I see that sometimes I am wheat, but most of the time, I am the weed. I think all human beings are like that. There are times we are wheat and times when we are the weed. Thanks be to God that he gives us time to grow and turn the weed in us into wheat.

 

My brothers and Sisters, Christ is telling you today, don’t give up on yourself because of your past sins or mistakes. The question of life is not whether or not God wants all to be saved. He has made that very clear in Mt. 18:14. He wants all to be saved. The question rather is whether all will accept God’s offer of salvation. You and I need to make that personal decision to either accept or reject God’s gift of salvation. Let’s resolve today not to take God’s love and mercy for granted. 

 

Our gospel is a strong reminder that the world is not a perfect place. We offend people, and people offend us, especially those who are close to us. It is your husband who will offend you. It is your wife who will offend you. Your children and grandchildren will offend you. Your parents will offend you. Your priests will offend you. Your friends will offend you. Your co-workers will offend you. When these people offend you, it hurts so badly; and you will find it most difficult to forgive them because you have poured out your love for them. Don’t give up on your family, your friends, or anyone who has offended you. Don’t write anyone off because God is not done. With his grace, the weed can turn into wheat! We Christians are called NOT to escape from the world but to live in it and help transform it with the love and grace of God! We can help build a better world if we respond to evil with Christian love. May God give us the grace to live in the light and shine with the joy and the love of the Lord!