Truth or consequence

The story is told about a woman on a roulette table who was told by a man behind her back: “Bet your age.” Wanting to impress him, she put her bet on number 21. When the number 30 came up as the winning number, she collapsed. Why? Because 30 was her real age.

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In today’s Gospel (Matthew 13:24-43), Jesus tells us the parable of the wheat and the weeds. We can choose to be good or to be bad in this world, to be truthful or to lie, but there will be a final reckoning in the end. The good will be rewarded, and the bad will be punished.

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Remember the game “Truth or Consequence”? If you choose “truth,” you can be asked any question regarding yourself. If you choose not to tell the truth and choose “consequence” instead, you will be given a punishment. Yes, there is a consequence to all choices we make.

But in real life, how come that those who do not tell the truth and who do evil continue to thrive and go unpunished, so it seems! The Lord tells us today that there will be a final judgment when the bad will be thrown into the fiery furnace “where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth,” and when the righteous “will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of the Father.”

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But why does God allow the wheat and the weeds to grow together and coexist for now? As it were, God gives the bad the chance to be good. He is ever patient, understanding, and merciful. God also gives the good to learn to be patient and understanding to others.

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“For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked” (Psalm 73:3). We are reminded not to envy those who prosper by evil ways, let us not be dismayed doing good, even if it seems all is so unfair, for now.

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Instead of comparing ourselves to each other, let us continue to be like the little mustard seed that eventually becomes a full-grown bush where “the birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.” Yes, if others are not “good” let us continue to be, and to do good anyway.

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Instead of being proud, let us become the lowly hidden yeast that makes the leavened dough rise. In other words, let us not be judgmental or impatient with others. We are not perfect. Within our very selves, there are good seeds and weeds.

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The Lord tells us all today to decide to choose the path of goodness in a world that is so set on the path of evil. We accept our weakness, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, we continue to pray in humility for the grace and the strength to continue to keep trying to be and to do good.

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Sharing with you Mother Teresa’s advice: “People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered, forgive them anyway; If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives, be kind anyway; … If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you, be honest and frank anyway; … If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous, be happy anyway; The good you do today, people will often forgotten tomorrow, do good anyway; Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough, give the world the best you’ve got anyway; You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God, it was never between you and them anyway.”

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Think about this: There are saints whose bodies remain incorrupt after they die, and there are people who are still alive and are already corrupt.

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A moment with the Lord:Lord, we are weak. Please help us to do good, and avoid evil. Amen.

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