Our Father is indeed merciful and patient, loving and forgiving, He stays faithful to His Covenant and waits patiently for us to return. The psalmist is so convinced of God’s mercy and love that he becomes a willing servant and seeks God for strength to go through the trials to do His will. This is the response that we are invited to follow.
The first reading of today reminds us that our God is merciful. Being the one and only God (Wisdom 12: 13), He is a just and righteous God. He cares for all, including those who show unbelief and oppress others. Instead of using His power to punish, He chooses to show justice by degrees and gives them space to repent (Wisdom 12 : 9 -10). His mercy is also evident throughout the generations. When the Israelites forgot about how God had liberated them from slavery and back-slided from Him time after time, God still shows His mercy and forgiveness. Even today, our Father continues to show mercy in our lives; although we have often forgotten about Him as we continue to meet the demands of the world.
In His intense love, He sent His son (John 3:16), to teach us the way and the truth through His obedience and faithfulness. When Jesus ascended, the Holy Spirit was sent so that we can continue with His work in the world. Knowing that we are weak and need inspiration, God sent His Spirit to intercede for us and guide us in doing His will. In the second reading, in Roman 8 : 26 -27, St Paul assures us that the Holy Spirit will help us to express our desires in our inadequacy, yearning, desires and fears to God through prayer.
In the parable of the weeds among the wheat, Our Father does not want to risk destroying any stalk of wheat when uprooting the weeds that are toxic. Instead, in His mercy, He gives every sinner a chance to repent, and the opportunity to turn back to Him. He withholds His judgement until the sinner’s life expires (CCC827, 1036-37). By asking the servant not to separate the weed and wheat, Jesus is telling His disciples not to exercise their own judgement and exclude the sinners from the Kingdom of God. Instead, they are to show patience through the preaching of repentance. How is this applicable to our perspective of the Church? The community of the faithful, the “weeds of sin will still be mixed with the good wheat of the Gospel until the end of time” (CCC 827). Since God’s mercy has been shown to the ‘weeds’, we should also accept such members in our church, not forgetting that our Father continues to be patient with us and invites us to love as Jesus did. However, to prevent the “weeds” from choking the “wheat”, these “weeds” should not be left unchecked. With constant reformation, positive action and the quest to be holy, we can look forward to the renewal of their and our lives.
Since we understand the intended will of our Father, how do we begin? As in the parable of the mustard seed, we take small steps to live up to God’s teachings. By doing so, we can see the expansion of God’s reign in our church. Just like the parable of the mustard seed, the parable of the yeast also illustrates that a small amount of yeast will cause a much larger dough to rise. By embracing hospitality and working with the spirit, such movements will have a tremendous effect in our church. The yeast that represents the power of God will make it possible for the community to see and feel God’s presence in everything that we do. To move forward as a loving and vibrant community, is something worth celebrating. There is nothing to be afraid of. Make the choice to take the leap of faith and become instruments to proclaim the good news.
By Benedict & Veronica