Daily Mass Gospel Reflection- Parasitic Weeds

Word on Fire Ministry ^ | 7.23.22 | Bishop Robert Barron

[MurphsLaw]

Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Matthew 13:24–30

Friends, our Gospel today is the parable of the wheat and the weeds.
God sows his good seed, his word, his love and compassion, but his project is met with opposition.
And the evil is such that it insinuates itself
right into the very fabric of the good.

In classical theology, we speak of evil as a privatio boni,
a privation of the good, meaning that evil is always and everywhere parasitic on the good.
Just as a parasite is living off of a healthy body (and thereby weakening it),
so moral evil lives off of the good soul,
the good society, the good Church (and thereby weakens them).

What is the result?
That it is exceptionally difficult to extricate the evil from the good without damaging the good.
That’s why it is extremely difficult—
and often counterproductive—
to go after these evils with a crusading spirit.

To be sure, there are certain evils that simply have to be addressed—
right now, no questions, no hesitations.
But there are other evils (and they really are evil) that are best left alone for the time being,
lest more damage is done in the process of extricating them.

[MurphsLaw]

+++Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds.
"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.+++