Before the birth of Jesus, the people of Israel waited for the Messiah, expecting Him to establish a kingdom made up only of the righteous, where the wicked would be destroyed. This way of thinking even appeared during Jesus’ ministry. When the Samaritans rejected Him, His disciples asked if they should call down fire from heaven to destroy them. But Jesus refused. He never came to destroy sinners; instead, He welcomed them, forgave them, and invited them into God’s family. He was not the Messiah many expected. Even after His death and resurrection, evil was still present in the world.<\/p>\n
Today, we often think in the same way. We divide people into the good and the bad, friends and enemies, those who deserve mercy and those who deserve punishment. When conflicts arise in our families, workplaces, neighborhoods, or even in the Church, we may be quick to judge others and ask God to punish them. Like the disciples who wanted to bring down fire on the Samaritans, we sometimes want immediate justice instead of patient mercy.<\/p>\n
The readings today remind us that God acts differently. The first reading teaches that God uses His power not to destroy but to save. His strength is shown in mercy, patience, and compassion, and He invites us to treat others in the same way. In the Gospel, Jesus teaches through the parable that good and evil will continue to exist together until the end of time. Rather than focusing on the faults of others, He asks us to recognize the weeds growing in our own hearts and allow His grace to transform us. One day, God’s love and justice will overcome all evil.<\/p>\n
The separation between good and evil will indeed come, but not today, not tomorrow, and not according to our timetable. The line between good and evil is not drawn between one person and another, or between one nation and another. It runs through every human heart. Each of us struggles with both virtue and weakness. This is why God is patient with us, giving us time to repent, to grow, and to bear good fruit. As Saint Paul reminds us, the Holy Spirit prays within us and intercedes for us according to God’s will. Let us trust that God hears this prayer and continue to open our hearts so that His grace may gradually remove every trace of evil within us and make us faithful witnesses of His love.<\/p>\n
Scripture Readings:<\/strong> Before the birth of Jesus, the people of Israel waited for the Messiah, expecting Him to establish a kingdom made up only of the righteous, where the wicked would be destroyed. This way of thinking even appeared during Jesus’ ministry. When the Samaritans rejected Him, His disciples asked if they should call down fire from heaven to destroy them. But […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-weekly-homilies"],"yoast_head":"\n
Wis 12:13, 16\u201319 \u2022 Ps 86 \u2022 Rom 8:26\u201327 \u2022 Mt 13:24\u201343<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"