Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (2)

Human extremism (baby w/ bath water), utopianism, careful judgment

roots we do not see

a lot of education to even be able to tell apart

not against judgment, but utopian judgment

pluck not to make a prestine field, but pluck ONLY to bring most wheat IN THE END

To see God face to face

this is to die

too much for us

think saints mere taste of it:

Aquinas straw

Beauty itself, truth itself, the eternal

grasp that be like that

cross over from this life to the next

life constant change, bits of ugliness, falsehoods, nothing steady

flowing stream carrying with it good and bad

eternal God, no ugliness, no lack of truth, no change,

like a rock, and a stream breaks on a rock

to see it, stream must break,

life end

God face to face we would die

don’t expect this life happy

we expect beauty, truth, happiness,ours here and now

but impossible because change

to see God face to face is to die

Christ here teaches us non utopian

happiness not here and now

life is about growth b4 harvest

here crusade

not victory feasts

here romance

not marriage

here farming

not harvest festival

mistake expecting harvest too early

we want all happiness

get too impatient and so want it now

has pulling up all weeds of sufferings and evils,

end up uprooting life everlasting with it

tossing the baby with bathwater

Root out evil sure, God teaches us to

But he warns NOT if risks harvest

be very very careful when you fight evil

how foolish the farmer who loses his harvest because he roots out weeds before the harvest

only when such weeds choke the wheat or contaminate the field would he pull them, for then the weeds risks the harvest, but then alone

which why you have excommunication and punishment in NT

But take care you arent punishing, purifying, or healing for this life at the cost of the eternal!

For we should not expect to see the face of God (our happiness) this side of the grave in its eternal fulness

Somethings not wrong if aren’t perfectly happy in this life

we should expect growing pains before the harvest

How do we expect it too early?

anxiety politics

when uproot evils in our life immorally

all findings that we are in some way valley of tears and shocked by it

Stoic

of course once we recognize that [with providence, and eternal life], paradoxically be much happier even now as the stoics rightly recognized

happiest life that you can have this side of grave, and its not even close.

but even it involves growing pains

crosses

Conclusion

Expect weeds in this life as part of life

Pull them out if there is no risk to the harvest of eternal life, otherwise be patient

don’t expect the harvest to be now

don’t expect perfect happiness in life

Instead foster the growth of virtue in self and others for the time of harvest.

Notes

Me

Ends do not justify means

do not throw baby out with bathwater

The Kingdom ugly like this

Surprised bad plants ‘didnt u sow good seed’?

Evil is always parasitical so have to be careful in eliminating it

Barron: some earthly good require evil

obviously allow excommunication (many scripture talks of uprooting heresy and sinners)

but no ultimate condemnations,

all punishing aimed at producing more wheat, not final retribution (which is for God)

Our war is not with flesh and blood

First collect the evil

maybe how good grows: constant collecting and purifying of evil (most councils)

Zeezaneeon

prob "darnel” a weed that look just like wheat

evolved along with human wheat cultivation

causes poisoning eyes and speech

Roman law forbid enemies sowing it in rival crops

leaven + mustard tree:

you are this little rag tag gang, but soon encompass world

Commentators

Erasmo

diabolis-throw accross

2 competing fathers, how will we grow up?

Augustine:

sleep refers to death of apostles

zizanion refers to heretics or all workers of iniquity

those who want to uproot it are earthly faithful

devil cant do open warfare against God, so has to appear as angel of light (sow what looks good)

lesson: not to be hasty against those in midst appear bad

used this to originally oppose anti-heresy laws, but changed mind later.

Chrysostom

more particularly describes heretics

Not to preserve zizanion from punishment, but to help good wheat

forbids killing heretics, but not silencing them

(perhaps why civil not church auth carried out such executions)

leaven mixed in is like nothing, but transforms world

Jerome

idleness of church leaders leads to sowing of heresy

beware of haste in tearing out a brother who is contaminated, room for repentance, etc

other teaching contradicts this if means never put away evil in midst

[me: similar to pluck plank out b4 brothers speck]

3 meassures: F, S, HS