Uprooting The Wheat Along with The Weeds

“He proposed another parable to them. “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds[b] all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came to him and said, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.” (Matthew 13:24-30)
 
We are reminded of the “weeds” that coexist with the “wheat” in this life every time we access the news media. A natural, reflexive response to evil is to “uproot” that which hinders the good work of a given culture or society. The hard “no” from the master in the parable was undoubtedly hard to hear in response to an honest calculation. In effect, the servants were told to let the weeds continue to grow, potentially reducing the yield of the crop substantially. The master, of course, made a calculation based on a wisdom and perspective that was not available to his subjects. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains God’s providence, and the limitations of the “human mind” in the following:
 
“Though human reason is, strictly speaking, truly capable by its own natural power and light of attaining to a true and certain knowledge of the one personal God, who watches over and controls the world by his providence, and of the natural law written in our hearts by the Creator; yet there are many obstacles which prevent reason from the effective and fruitful use of this inborn faculty. For the truths that concern the relations between God and man wholly transcend the visible order of things, and, if they are translated into human action and influence it, they call for self-surrender and abnegation. The human mind, in its turn, is hampered in the attaining of such truths, not only by the impact of the senses and the imagination, but also by disordered appetites which are the consequences of original sin. So it happens that men in such matters easily persuade themselves that what they would not like to be true is false or at least doubtful.” (CCC 37)
 
“Truths that concern the relations between God and man” transcend human reasoning, and are not easily appropriated in natural, temporal terms. Seeking divine assistance to negotiate life in a world where good and evil coexist is necessary. Prayer, sometimes referred to as a conversation with God, will truly guide us on our journey to everlasting life in Heaven.