Faith, Hope, and Love

We are surrounded in our world by many different types of people. We have rich and poor, many different kinds of races and cultures. We also have those who have been dismissed by our society, broken laws, or committed crimes. We are so quick in our human thinking to place people in categories that we think each person deserves. We judge those who may not fit our idea of a person deserving the rewards of this life and the ultimate reward that we strive for, Heaven. Praise be to God that this decision belongs to Christ and Christ alone. We want instant justice for any wrongdoing removing it immediately, unlike Christ implores patience. In his complete and total love for us, He holds onto hope. Hope that maybe someone might have a change of heart and find the love he has for them.  While preaching on this very Gospel, Pope Francis said this:

The servants’ intention is to eliminate evil immediately, that is, evil people. But the master is wiser, he sees farther. … Certainly, evil must be rejected, but those who do evil are people with whom it is necessary to be patient. This does not mean that type of hypocritical tolerance that hides ambiguity; but rather, justice tempered by mercy. If Jesus came to seek sinners more than the righteous, to cure the sick first before the healthy (cf. Mt 9:12-13), then our actions too as his disciples should be focused not on suppressing the wicked, but on saving them. Patience lies here.

We also need to be aware that Christ offers the same love and hope for each one of us. Like today’s Gospel parable, we need to remember that each of us is not without sin. We are the field the weeds of sin have grown into. As you and I have sinned, we have weeds growing up alongside the good in us. Would we like that failed part of us to be uprooted, potentially rooting out the good as well? No. Instead, God lets us develop, without destruction, steadily forgiving our weeds through the sacrifice of his beloved Son. Through faith our responsibility is to hold tight to Christ, allowing him to save us, allowing him to remove our weeds of sinfulness, and allowing all of us to be a bountiful harvest for the field owner, our Heavenly Father.

May Jesus live in our hearts forever.
Deacon Chris