Following is the prepared text from Bishop Olmsted’s homily for the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

July 19, 2020

“Do you want us to go and pull up the weeds? ‘No’! He replied.”  This abrupt “NO!” in the parable of the weeds catches us off guard. Why not rejoice at the offer to eradicate weeds? Knowing that each of Jesus’ parables teaches us about the Kingdom of God, we need to ask how does this “NO” add depth and breadth to our understanding of God’s kingdom?

The first thing we learn from this parable is the Master’s incredible patience with weeds. “Do not pull up the weeds”, He says, “Let them grow together until the harvest” (Mt 13:29).

Now, it is not that the Master is enamored with weeds. He knows well their capacity to choke the wheat and prevent a good harvest, and He knows where the weeds came from: “An enemy has done this!”, He says. Still, we want to ask Him: “But why, Lord? why do you allow bad things to happen to good people? Why allow evil to prosper?” With this parable, Jesus wants to ask us: Who made you the judge of which plants are weeds and which ones wheat? Or the judge of which persons are children of God and which are not?

Remember Ananias of Damascus? The disciple whom the Risen Lord called to baptize Saul of Tarsus? Ananias’ conversation with Jesus must have gone something like this: “Lord, do you not know who Saul of Tarsus is? He has come to Damascus to arrest all of us who are followers of yours, and to take us back in chains to Jerusalem. Are you sure you want me to baptize him?” “Go anyway,” Jesus said, “Saul is my chosen instrument.” Saul looked much more dangerous than a weed to Ananias. Still, out of obedience he went and baptized Saul. And the rest is history! Christ transformed Saul from the greatest persecutor of Christians to the most energetic of the Apostles.

Think, too, of Mary Magdalene: when Jesus first met her, did she resemble the wheat or the weeds? What about Matthew the tax collector?

In our First Reading today, the Book of Wisdom teaches (12:19), “You gave your children good ground for hope that you would permit repentance for their sins.” In our Second Reading, St. Paul says (Rom 8:26), “The Spirit comes to our aid in our weakness… for we do not know how to pray as we ought.”

When Padre Junipero Serra arrived in the New World, before he even got to his first mission, he suffered a wound in his leg that would never heal. Even though he must have asked the Lord many times for healing, the Lord never healed the open wound that kept him awake at night and constantly seemed to hinder his missionary work. Yet, in his weakness, the Lord was strong. Padre Serra’s open wound made it clear to everyone that, like St. Paul, Padre Serra preached Christ Crucified, not himself. And Jesus healed thousands of indigenous people through Padre Serra’s priestly ministry. Perhaps his open wound spoke more eloquently than his words, convincing them of his ability to understand their suffering, and of his desire to put their needs ahead of his own.

“The Spirit comes to our aid in our weakness.” He comes to our aid in whatever we suffer. So, dear sons and daughters in Christ, if you are in hospital today, joining us by TV, the Lord is near you now! If you are suffering from an incurable illness or from a deeply troubled relationship, if you cannot find words to reach out to the Lord, do not be troubled or dismayed. Listen again to God’s word from Paul’s Letter to the Romans:

“…for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because He intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will.”

The Holy Spirit unites His voice to our groanings, and He brings them to the merciful heart of our heavenly Father. So, be not afraid. Do not lose heart.

Find hope, too, in Our Lady of Sorrows, as did the Indians at San Gabriel mission near Los Angeles, the mission church which suffered from the dreadful fire this past weekend. San Gabriel was the 5^th mission founded by Padre Junipero Serra; but the first one at which he was unable personally to be present at its beginning. So, along with the Friars whom he sent, he entrusted a beautiful image of Our Lady of Sorrows. However, the first conversation with the native people of that location got off on a rocky start that almost erupted in violence. Just as tensions were increasing, one of the friars pulled from the sleeve of his Franciscan habit the painting of Our Lady of Sorrows. As he unrolled and showed it to the Indians, they were astonished by our Lady’s beautiful face, and many fell to their knees and wept. Their fears were replaced with reverence and wonder. As the Friars explained that Mary is the Mother of God, who always prays on behalf of all who believe in her divine Son, they begged the Friars to stay with them and tell them more about Mary, Jesus and the Gospel.

Last summer, when, on pilgrimage at San Gabriel Mission, I saw this painting of Our Lady of Sorrows for the first time and was deeply moved. At once, I understood why it brought many to believe in the mercy of God. Let me explain what I saw: Our Lady of Sorrows is looking straight up at her Beloved Son in heaven and tears are flowing copiously down her face. As I gazed on her face, I found myself saying, “There is no way that Jesus could say “NO” to His Blessed Mother.” Whatever she was telling Him about the sufferings of His sisters and brothers at San Gabriel Mission, whatever healing she was asking from Him, there is no way that He would refuse her! And that is still true today! When you and I go to Jesus through Mary, with whatever weighs on our hearts, He hears us. He fulfills at once His promise: “Ask and you shall receive; Seek and you will find; Knock and the door will be opened to you.”

During His mission of earth, Jesus did not stop the prince of darkness from having his hour; He could have but did not. He allowed the betrayal of Judas Iscariot; He allowed His own arrest by the Roman soldiers; and He allowed His suffering and death on the Cross. At the time, this looked like the triumph of darkness, but in fact it was the victory of love, the triumph of mercy.

This parable, then, is alive with meaning for you and me. By allowing the weeds to remain among the wheat, by allowing the enemy to do his work in the same vineyard as the Kingdom of God, Christ prepares us for even greater battles and far, far greater victories of grace.

When we pray for a cure of the novel coronavirus but there is no end in sight; when we pray for harmony in our families, yet division and discord surround us; when we feel weighed down with sorrow and suffering, let us keep in mind the advice of Psalm 37:

“Do not fret because of the wicked; do not envy those who do evil, for they wither quickly like grass and fade like the green of the fields….    Be still before the Lord and wait in patience; do not fret at the man who prospers… Calm your anger and forget your rage, do not fret, it only leads to evil.”

While we wish God would change our world and our own bad habits over night, He teaches us much more by working at His own pace, by showing His patience abundant mercy. No matter what happens each day, with St. Faustina, let us say, “Jesus I trust in you.”