July 19, 2020. 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time Mt 13, 24-43
When we look back at the beginnings of the Church, it is not strange to us what we see, but in the first years of Christianity you could not imagine what it would be like in the 21st century. What began with a small group of Galilean fishermen, today there are billions who live that same hope: the kingdom of God. The mustard seed has become a tree, and the little yeast has fermented all the dough. It is the great inner strength of the Kingdom, which has been growing without violence, without spectacle, with firmness.
But along with those first seeds that Jesus planted, others “planted by the enemy” have also grown. And now we see that we are both wheat and weeds. That among us there are good and bad. And there are circumstances in which we ask ourselves why God does not act. When children die in the bombing of a beach or a plane full of innocents is shot down, we think that God should not allow it. We may even think it’s unfair.
But this is not God’s way. God has patience and believes in man. He always gives him a vote of confidence, a second chance. Like he did with the prodigal son, he always waits for him to return. We can’t lose sight of the fact that in the heart of each of us there are also some weeds. That we are neither perfect nor immaculate. But God has patience with us. It is not for us to judge or condemn, however obvious the trials may be. It is up to us to fight to exercise leaven, salt and light, in our own environment. With the testimony of our life. And with the same patience that God has.
Juan Ramón Gómez Pascual, cmf
