EXPECT WEEDS
The title of my homily for this 16th Sunday in
Ordinary Time (A) is, “Expect Weeds.”
I knew a couple who had a perfect front lawn – not a
blade of grass was out of place. It could have been a great green for the 18th
Hole at Augusta.
Their house was perfect – inside and out.
Once inside, everything was just right, neat, and always clean. There wasn’t a nick in any piece of furniture – nor a speck of
dust on any knickknack.
Then they had children: 4 boys to be exact.
I noticed early on they had one of those folding fences – at the
entrance to their living room. That wooden squeezing fence was a reminder to
their boys that this room was out of bounds territory.
Then one day that wall was left open.
Mom and dad had calmed down.
They had learned to relax about nicks in the
furniture as well as footballs and water guns left next to the legs of a chair in a
living room. In fact, that room, finally became what it was called to be: "A living room"- a room lived in by all the family.
If you get that story, you get this homily.
TODAY’S GOSPEL - MATTHEW 13: 24-43
Today’s gospel tells the story of the wheat and the
weeds.
Do you get this story?
Being a slob – I love this gospel.
Being a priest – and being myself – I know everyone has
weeds, mistakes, sins in their story.
Expect weeds.
Let him or her without weeds or dust, cut or mess, cast
the first sneer. [Cf. John 8:7]
So as the parable goes: "A man sowed wheat seed in his field.”
That was during the day.
Then at night while
everyone was sleeping, as Jesus tells the story, an enemy came and sowed weeds
all through the wheat.
I never thought of weeds having seeds. I just thought weeds happened - sneaking into the picture in the night.
If you can't picture that, can you picture hackers out there in the middle of the night planting
viruses in computers – just for the heck of it – as a game - just to prove they can
do it – or to gain money or information or they are nosy or what have you? How
many people have turned on their computers in the morning and said, “Oh no!” and felt just like the guy in the gospel and said, "An enemy has done this."
Seeing both wheat and weeds growing together in the field his servants
ran to tell the farmer to tell him what happened.
Then they asked him if they should pluck out
the weeds.
"Nope," said the farmer – "you might uproot the wheat as
well. Let them both grow till harvest time – and then I’ll say to the
harvesters, 'First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but
gather the wheat into my barns.'”
As I read that I said to myself, "Easy for him to say that…."
The gospel also talks about leaven and about the mustard
plants – but today let me concentrate on the wheat and the weeds.
Last week I preached on the human reality that we are
part of all that we have met. This week
I want to continue on that theme – and say that all of us are like a field that
has both wheat and weeds.
I’ve heard that even the neatest person there is – always
has some bottom drawer, some closet, some spot that is quite messy – a place
they don’t want anyone to know about.
I love to say: show me the trunk of your car and I’ll
tell you who you are.
Some people are neater than others. Some people have less
weeds than others. Some people have more.
You’ve heard this gospel. You know it’s message.
HOMEWORK: RELEASE YOUR INNER ARTIST
For homework, even though it’s summer time, get out a
piece of paper and a box of crayons and draw yourself as a front lawn, or a
garden, or a field.
What do you look like? What do you want growing in your
garden or field? What does it look like now? Do you admit to any weeds? Do you
picture yourself as the perfect garden? Do you have any weeds growing up next
to your white picket fence? Are there any weeds growing in the cracks of the
sidewalk leading up to your front door?
Draw a picture of your soul? What do you see in yourself? Have you ever
made a mistake? What does your inner
room look like – that real self Jesus tells us to enter into every once in a
while. It’s that place where only you see? Is it ever opened? Is it neat or
messy? Is the furniture filled with dust? [Cf. Matthew 6:6]
Wheat or weeds? Which is more me? Or am I both? What are
the percentages: 75-25? 50-50? 63-33?
A Servant in Shakespeare’s King Richard the Second, Act
3, Scene 3, line 44, says,
“our sea-walled garden, the
whole land
Is full of weeds; her fairest
flowers choked up,
Her fruit-trees all unpruned,
her hedges ruin’d,
Her knots disorder’d, and her wholesome herbs
Swarming with caterpillars.”
Now if you drew that scene with your crayons – would that
be the real you?
Ooooooh…. Oooooh. What would it feel like if the garden
or field or front lawn of your soul was full of weeds – with unpruned trees,
hedges ruined, and crawly, crawly caterpillars crawling and eating away at your
best herbs?
Walk around St. Mary’s Gardens – right outside our church
– and compare it to yourself – your soul – your inner you.
Pause………. What am I preaching about today?
THREE BOTTOM
LINES
Three bottom lines: I’m asking myself and all of us three
questions today:
First of all: what am I really like? Come on. Be honest. We have at least one
weed in our cracks.
Secondly: Do I accept myself as having weeds – along with
my wheat?
Thirdly: how much?
Jesus is talking about end times – like the final
judgment – like at death.
I’m thinking it’s a good idea to do some doodling on what I’m really like –
like today – like this weekend – like right now.
The obvious goal is to be more wheat than weeds – to move towards becoming bread, Eucharist, food for others.
Of course for the Christian - the goal of life to say to the world
every day: “This is my body, this is my blood, I’m giving my life to you.”
Take me – eat me up – benefit from me.
However, if I’m honest, I have my weeds. I might have
even inhaled it – gone to pot – but please Lord, I’m trying – weeds and all –
to be a nice lawn, field, meal for others.
CONCLUSION
I don't know how to end this homily, so let me turn today’s three readings into three short prayers:
First reading:
Lord, I’m not you.
You are you.
You are my Redeemer.
Don’t condemn me.
Forgive me.
Attend to me –
so I can do your good
deeds today.
Second reading:
Lord, send your Spirit into me.
You
search hearts.
You know me.
You know I don’t know
how to put all this into words
–
but please understand
and interpret my groanings
and my grumblings.
Realize these are
my messy attempts at prayer.
Gospel reading:
Lord, to be honest,
I’m a field of wheat and weeds.
Help me to grow
more wheat than weeds.
Then, when I am ready,
leaven this mass of
wheat dough - the better me.
Help me to become
a great
loaf of bread so
I can share myself and be
in communion with others.
And Lord, please,
don't forget to provide me
with good mustard.
Hot dog! Amen. O Lord. Amen.
