Saturday 16th week in ordinary time
"Mt 13:24-30"
"A man sowed good seed in his field; but while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the householder came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds?' He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?' But he said, 'No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest.'"
Why is there so much evil in the world? The answer is given by Jesus, the "enemy has done this." Then, why doesn't God pull it out? Because since the sin of our First Parents, good and evil grow together. You can't pull out evil without risking the removal of goodness too, because they are intertwined. The best things in life are a mixture of good and suffering. The way to happiness is paved with difficulties. Why does your father take you to the dentist if he knows that you are going to suffer? Because the result will be a great improvement in your teeth. Why does God allow us to suffer? For the very same reason.
Lovers suffer. Parents suffer for their children and spouses for their beloved and friends for their friends because they love. We can't do what Buttercup in the film 'The Princess Bride' did: she chose not to love so that she didn't have to suffer any more. A heart that doesn't love is already 'dead'. A heart that doesn't beat for anyone doesn't beat at all. But love gives power to persevere, to savour the bitter with the sweet. Saints are saints because they never gave up. St Teresa of Avila explained that those who want to be saints "must have a great and very determined determination to persevere until reaching the end, come what may, happen what may, whatever work is involved, whatever criticism arises, whether they arrive or whether they die on the road, or even if they don't have courage for the trials that are met, or if the whole world collapses." And St JosemarÃa wrote, "What is the secret of perseverance? Love. Fall in Love, and you will not leave Him." Mary, Virgin Most Faithful, help me to persevere.
