The Gospel for the memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is taken from Matthew 13:24. 30 Jesus proposed a parable to the 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 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. And 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. Many of us have paused and questioned, why?

Why is there evil in the world? It’s because it’s God’s plan. And what we realize is that the work that we have is a way of exposing illusions, the half truths, the lies in evil. And we have to grow together with those that are evil. And one of the things it seems to me this reading is so clearly trying to say is everything ultimately will be exposed. That which produces good, abundant fruit and heals and helps and feeds people will be shown.

And those who have not produced anything of any worth for anyone else will be shown, and they will be destroyed. And those who gave life to others will flourish. Please ponder these reflections, and at the end of the music I will close with a prayer. Foreign closing Prayer Father, at times we can become impatient and worried and afraid when we see evil all around us. People lying, people not being who they claim to be, keep us from fear when that happens. Because what’s happening is evil is being exposed, which is a way in which it is destroyed.

Help us to trust in your power. It always overcomes evil, and we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.