Care and caution with the Weeds and the Wheat.

When I was young one of our schoolyard crazes was this unusual design called yin and yang. This traditional Taoist design enthralled us all. For a long time we drew talked of and philosophised about the good and evil that were intertwined. In the end we would all come to the conclusion, through our Christian lens, that in every good there is some evil and in every evil there is some good.

The reason that made sense to us young Catholic men was that it resonated with our deep faith. It resonated with the parable of the wheat and darnel. We know that the world is not perfect, and that in the midst of good there are things that are not right, just as in the midst of great evil there are bright moments.

To maintain our balance, we need to be aware of the movements on our lives and society. In most things the solution is not a simple one, as it is, for instance, in the case of abortion or euthanasia. These are simple open and shut issues for people, like us Catholics, who respect life.  In the issues we confront each day, most of us tend towards pontificating and declaring our position to be correct. This is natural, but not necessarily correct. Just because I hold a position to be correct, even if I am supported by a multitude of people, it does not make that position correct. The truth is most often to be found somewhere between the extremes of opinion.

The parable of the wheat and darnel, however, takes us further than the yin and yang concept. The parable takes us to the plane of making judgements. The wheat and weeds are left together until the end because there is no way of harmlessly separating them before harvest. We are called to live out our own vocation, honestly and with integrity whilst respecting the ways of others who do not agree with us. This requires patience that is best delivered through an active prayer life.

The mood of our town at the moment gives us the opportunity to practice and show the way in this matter. During the week I was told of an argument that almost turned into a physical fight at a workplace because staff had differing opinions over the gas hub at Price’s Point. The question of the hub is an important one for our town, and one in which we Christians, whatever side of the fence we are on, can show leadership through our diligence, our dignity and our patience. The worst outcome in this debate is not whether the gas hub is built or not, but if hurt and division split families and relationships in our community. The best outcome is if we manage to keep families and relationships in our town together. This is a task for us as church.

When you stand in the middle of a young wheat field, it is hard to see what plants are wheat and what plants are darnel.  That is why in the parable the farmer waits until the end to separate them. God asks us to exercise caution, tolerance and care as we move forward calmly, and leave judgements to God.

Homily 16th July 2011 OLQP Broome