Be the Good Seed

XVI Sunday “A” Matthew 13:24-30 Jesus proposed another parable to the crowds, saying: "The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came to him and said, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?' He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' His slaves said to him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' He replied, 'No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, "First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn."' You know I think that we worry about the weeds too much. Like the servants in the parable, we always focus on the weeds, we give them too much attention. We want to get out there right away and begin pulling them up, destroying them and tossing them into the fire. Jesus in the Gospel today cautions us. He tells us, “Don’t worry about the weeds. Let them be, just worry about the good wheat.” He is challenging us to focus on being good seed and not worry about the weeds around us. For some reason the world in which we live always focuses on the weeds. The weeds always get more press than the wheat. I think of the clergy sex abuse, and not to minimize the terrible sins committed, but we always hear about the bad priests and rarely about the good priests. In the US about 4% of all priests have been accused, that means that there are 96% that are good. The same is true for doctors and teachers and coaches, boy scout leaders and volunteers. But we focus on the weed not on the good seed. I think that a lot of the problem has to do with the media. They always give press to the problems. I don’t know if they still put this in the San Francisco Chronicle, but this used to have this section with a world map and an arrow pointing out problems in the world. An earthquake India, a Forest Fire in Canada, a heat wave… everywhere. Wouldn’t it be nice if one day they would have an article saying, “Today the weather was just perfect in Peoria. The temperature was 75 and the sun was bright. There was rain but during the night, so it didn’t rain on anyone’s parade. There was a soft breeze the day through.” No, I doubt it. In the world we prefer to focus on the negative. The bad news gets the press, the good news none. The weed gets all the attention, and no one focuses on the wheat. Jesus is gently reminding us, “Don’t worry about the weeds. Don’t worry about the evil people in the world today. Pay attention to the good seed.” More importantly Jesus is saying. “Be the good seed. Be the wheat and the leaven in the world today.” The story is only a parable. Obviously, we are not good seed producing wheat and the evil people are not weeds. No, the truth is that there is weed in all of us. There is good seed in all of us. I really don’t think that there is anyone who is 100% evil, and there might be a few examples of people who are really genuinely good, but still, I think all of us have a little weeding to do. So, if this weed is in all of us, what are we supposed to do? I think that Jesus is challenging us to focus on the good ourselves, to try and be the best that we can be. The other thing that is different between us and the parable is that people can change. Weed is weed and wheat is wheat, but good people can become better and evil people can become good. I don’t know if you saw it up here but in June there was a huge controversy in Los Angeles over the Dodgers. The Dodgers had decided to honor a group called the sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. They aren’t a real group of sisters; they aren’t even women. They do good work, but they also mock our faith. Now when they were honored people got very angry and very critical and rightfully so, but I wonder what Jesus would have done. I think that Jesus would have said, “Don’t worry about them.” Let them be and in the end, we’ll take care of them. I think that Jesus would have said, “Don’t worry about those who criticize the truth, just be as good a person as you can possible be.” I think that rather than criticize them what Jesus would have done would be to sit down and talk to them. To try to learn their story, to walk with them. The best way to deal with those who mock our faith is not to criticize them and organize rallies. It isn’t to pull them out like weeds and try to get rid of them. No, the best way to deal with your critics is to not give them something to criticize. To be the very best Catholic Christian that you can be. To be a person who gives fruit 30, 60 and 100-fold. The thing is, if we work on being the good wheat, if we work on being a leaven in the society, I believe that we have the possibility of changing others for the good of transforming the society. Obviously, there is weed in the world. There is evil and there are people who sow hatred and destruction. We can’t be naïve, but I think we don’t need to give them all the attention they get. We can begin focusing on the good, we can begin by being good people ourselves. So don’t worry about the weeds, lets worry about ourselves and be the best seed that we can possibly be.