Tuesday, July 26, 2022

Homily for Tuesday, 17th Week of Ordinary Time

Homily for Tuesday
17th Week of Ordinary Time

July 26, 2022
Matt 13: 36-43
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

(by Domenico Fetti)

Most of us would probably be happy to zap people whom we perceived to be evil.  Jesus’ parable of the wheat and the weeds—darnel—which we heard on Saturday (Matt 13:24-30) tells us that God is far more patient than most of us.  Than all of us, really.

Today the evangelist offers an allegorical interpretation of the parable, and we, his readers now, interpret the interpretation.  The Son of Man, final judge of humanity, is content to wait for the harvest of souls, when it’ll be clear who’s good and who’s evil—who’s only appeared to be one or the other, but whose heart and secret deeds the Son of Man knows; who was evil but became good, or vice versa.

Not only are good people and evil intermixed thruout society, but good and evil are jumbled up in each individual, even in us, even in the saints.  God patiently gives us a full growing season to make our identity clear.

The parable states plainly that there will be a final judgment.  It’s not Jesus’ only parable on that subject.

The Son of Man has planted the seed of righteousness in our hearts.  We pray that the seed will grow and flourish in spite of any evil that threatens it—from our own concupiscence or from evils around us.  We pray that we’ll persevere to become shining stars in the firmament of God’s kingdom, to be saints.

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