Let my eyes stream with tears
day and night, without rest,
Over the great destruction which overwhelms
the virgin daughter of my people,
over her incurable wound. Jer. 14:17
The words of the prophet speak perhaps much clearer than any other words in our times of the grave situations that require us, as Christians, to be ever more active making a difference. More than at any other time we must stand up against evil and do the good.
In our times, more than ever we are likely to encounter realities that give meaning to the prophet’s words. As violence and war escalate, there seems to be an increasing likelihood that before too long a common lament will pour forth, “Let my eyes stream…without rest, over the great destruction which overwhelms…my people.” Nothing good can come from violence. No good can come from that which tears apart. However, God wills otherwise for us, thus we must strive always to cooperate with his plan.
Not only is it the violence of war that marks our times as lamentable, but it is anything else that stands against God’s peace by its expression against the dignity of the human person—it’s the violence and power of words to demean or mock others, even when there may be powerful reasons to disagree with them. The situation of life is such that weeds have been planted alongside the good seed.
In a previous post I mentioned that I dare think of the judgment awaiting those who choose to sow bad seed on good ground, but in today’s gospel the sowers are identified. It is Jesus—the Son of Man—who sows the good seed. As the Body of Christ, the Church continues also to sow the good seed: the work of sowing should include all of us. One of the messages of Catholicism I like best is its emphasis on the cooperative nature of salvation. For us, it’s part of preparing for the harvest, which we along with the angels are called as laborers. We have a duty to be peacemakers, sowing the good seeds of faith and love.
Contrarily, there exists the produce of the bad seed—the weeds. They are children of the evil one, the Devil, who is ever busy sowing his bad, deceptive, progeniture. It’s true, there are individuals who busy themselves doing seemingly nothing other than planting bad seed. Sadly, they are most often unknowing, deceived, partners in evil. They thrive upon the spectacle of tearing down and tearing apart what the Lord of the Harvest has planted. The enemy will not be satisfied until the earth is a wasteland, but he will not prevail in the end. Often it can be hard to have hope, but still we must keep our faith in God's promises strong.
God desires that we share what we have received that is good. Perhaps for this reason, above all others, it upsets me when I find things done and said in the name of Christianity that are obviously nothing more than weeds choking the garden. All the more reason to be ever mindful that we are to present the Christian faith in the Spirit of love. We must band together with others who know that the true meaning of our faith is about binding wounds, healing, and bringing together what has been separated. I believe this also means rejecting outright any claim that good can come from even the intimation of harm.
In the discourse from today’s gospel the Lord issues a stern warning. It is the warning that the weeds of this life will someday be cleared away and burned. Woe to those who live a life opposed to the simple goodness that God asks us to share. The clearing and burning is a great image to reflect upon. I remember as a child, while living in rural areas, seeing fields being cleared and burned. I remember well how I had an intuition then of God's purifying fire. The warning is stern. It is especially grave to teach others to sin—to teach others a way opposed to the way of love, even if it is done unknowingly, out of a false sense of doing what is right. Whenever we are dealing with other human beings we must be mindful always to be certain that what we offer comes from the heart of love.
It is incumbent on us to be peacemakers. We are to share the good that we know—share the mercy and the grace. We must take a stand even when we know that it will bring derision. We must never be afraid to rebuke hateful, violent, or callous intentions.
There’s no way not to let the woes of the world affect us in some manner, especially in times when it seems that the spirit of barbarism is showing up everywhere; however, we must keep in mind the most important aspects of the faith in Jesus Christ. It’s about being Christ for others. It’s about sharing the love, the healing, the understanding, and the patience that is our salvation. Basically, our faith comes down to one word: love, for such is the stuff that Christianity is made of.
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