Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” He said to them in reply, “An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and there is something greater than Jonah here. At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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There’s a story retold from the French Revolution about a group of Christians imprisoned in a dungeon.
For a brief moment each day, the sun rose to a certain angle, causing a ray of light to penetrate their cell. As the light came in, one of the prisoners was hoisted onto another’s shoulders, where he opened his bible and proclaimed what he read.
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I wonder what verses they heard. Perhaps one of the following:
“For I know well the plans I have for you, says the Lord.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
“Come to me all you who are heavy burdened and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
“Whoever hears my word and believes in him who sent me has eternal life.” (John 5:24)
“This is my Body…this is my Blood…do this in memory of me.” (Luke 22:19)
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At the darkest moment of their lives, these Christians turned to the Word of God, and believed.
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In today’s Gospel, Jesus condemns the scribes and Pharisees for their hardened hearts. They’ve seen him heal people and cast out demons; they’ve heard him preach. Yet his Word is not enough for them. They want more and more “signs.”
“But no [other] sign will be given it, except Jonah the prophet,” Jesus says. Meaning, they should repent and believe like their ancestors.
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At times we’re all tempted to want more proof that God is real. But the words he speaks in the Gospels, along with the countless prayers he’s already answered, should be enough to assure us that God is alive … and in touch.
Like those Christians huddled in a dungeon, may we hear the Word of God and receive it for what it is: “A lamp for our feet, a light for our path” (Psalm 119).
Each in our own way, repent and believe in the Gospel.
Jesus proposed another parable to the crowds, saying: “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; 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.”‘”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Rome, often referred to as the Eternal City, is a place filled with history, art, and intrigue. It captures the Catholic imagination in a way that almost no other city does.
Perhaps no place does this better than the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel.
It’s been the subject of conspiracy novels; the site where popes are elected in secrecy; where tourists squeeze together – twisting, turning, staring up in awe at the marvelous frescoes, the most famous being Michelangelo’s Divine Judgment.
The Divine Judgment is a massive mural spanning over 45 feet along the entire back wall of the chapel, depicting the final battle between good and evil.
Angels rescue souls, lifting them up into heaven, while demons drag others down into eternal fire. It’s a harrowing scene drawing its inspiration from today’s Gospel.
“Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire,” Jesus says, “so will it be at the end of the age.”
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There are over 300 figures in this magnificent fresco. Located near the center is the face of Michelangelo himself.
Nearly slipping out of his skin, Michelangelo is being held up by an angel as he dangles between heaven and hell – giving the impression that his soul is being weighed in a balance.
Michelangelo reminds himself – and the viewer – that he, too, is an imperfect believer.
His soul is filled with a combination of weeds and wheat; sin and grace; doubt and faith. God alone is his judge. And God alone can save him.
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Like Michelangelo, aren’t we all a combination of weeds and wheat; sin and grace; doubt and faith?
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There are parts of us that are undeniably good. The faith, hope, and love present in this community is inspiring. Some days, it feels like we’re writing a story on parish renewal together. I’d call it, “How to energize a Catholic community in 21st century America.”
And yet, individually and collectively, none of us is perfect.
Like Michelangelo, at times I see weeds within myself which the Lord desires to uproot. By “weeds” I mean thoughts, feelings, or actions that prevent me from growing closer to Jesus and to my neighbor.
Where do these weeds come from? Who sows these seeds?
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The Gospel tells us that these weeds are sown by the Evil One while we are “asleep.”
In the bible, being “asleep” is often used as a metaphor for letting your guard down. When we are not careful with who or what we listen to, what we participate in, or how we treat others, then the weeds begin creeping in.
Why don’t we uproot them right away? What makes it so difficult to stop their growth?
Initially, weeds and wheat look similar. If a farmer tries thinning out his field too soon, then he may uproot wheat along with weeds in the process.
It’s a good image for how evil seeps into our lives; often it masquerades as something good. Only after we tolerate its growth, do we see just how damaging it is and how difficult it is to prune it out.
Think about teenagers. Sometimes they’ll do things to fit in with their peers – things like gaming, drinking, or drugs.
Suddenly, an action becomes a habit and that habit takes over their life. What seemed like a good or harmless intention, like simple curiosity or trying to fit in, was really a weed being planted while their guard was down.
The same idea can be true as we age. We permit people, ideas, or decisions into our lives that turn out to be destructive, squeezing grace out of us.
What might be some of the weeds present in my own life? Using biblical imagery, when do I let my guard down and fall “asleep”?
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The good news is that God is patient with us. He withholds his judgment until the end, allowing sufficient time for continual conversion and personal growth.
This means that we should not only be patient with ourselves, but also with others, because Jesus never gave his Church the power to curse or to condemn; only to forgive and to bless.
Can I think of a person whom God is inviting me to pray for? Someone who seems to have more weeds than wheat at this point in their life?
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Rome is a city filled with intrigue.
Perhaps no place captures the Catholic imagination better than Michelangelo’s epic painting of the Divine Judgment in the Sistine Chapel because it captures the essence of the human story.
We’re often a combination of weeds and wheat; sin and grace; doubt and faith. We oscillate between the things of heaven and earth. We need God to save us.
May the Holy Spirit, “who comes to the aid of our weakness,” intercede for us today.
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Image credits: (1) Wurttenberg und Mompelgard altarpiece (2) Cappella Sestina, Vatican, Michelangelo (3) The Collector
Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath.” He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry, how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering, which neither he nor his companions but only the priests could lawfully eat? Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests serving in the temple violate the sabbath and are innocent? I say to you, something greater than the temple is here. If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned these innocent men. For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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In Jesus’ day, strict adherents to Jewish Law followed more than 600 man-made rules. (A small change from the 10 Commandments first given to Moses by God!)
Many of these rules applied to the Sabbath – in particular, what was and wasn’t permitted –reaching down into the granular.
For example, it was not only forbidden to “work” on the Sabbath; you could not even think about work.
Try doing that for a day – not even thinking about returning emails, phone calls, or text messages. At least for me, turning off my brain for that long seems impossible, though it would be welcome.
While the intention was to set boundaries around a day devoted entirely to the Lord, some followed the Law not out of love, but out of fear that God would punish them if they didn’t.
Is fear really the best foundation for encountering our Creator?
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In today’s Gospel, the disciples have violated the Sabbath by “working,” plucking grains of wheat to feed their empty stomachs.
But the Lord defends them against the charge of the Pharisees, because the Pharisees prized legal perfection over satisfying basic human needs.
Perhaps there’s a lesson in that for us today.
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Many religions are built upon a foundation of rules. Do this… don’t do that. While they can be helpful guidelines towards encountering the Divine, such rules must always lead us further along the path of love.
(Trying not to think about how hungry you are out of fear of breaking a man-made rule isn’t one of them).
Furthermore, it seems the Lord permits the breaking of rules if doing so eases human suffering.
Charity will always be the supreme, unbreakable law.
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Image credits: (1) Cornell Law School (2) Learn Religions (3) M. Wiley Wilson, WordPress
