Friday, July 21, 2017

Living with unavoidable evil

“LET them grow together until harvest.” That was the
answer of the master in one of the parables about the kingdom of
heaven. (cfr Mt 13,24-43) He was telling the servants to let the weeds
sown by his enemy to grow together with the wheat. Pulling the weed
out would just endanger the wheat, he reasoned out.
  
            This parable is an image of how our life now, with all its
good and bad elements, is already the beginning of the kingdom of
heaven. We have to learn how to live in this condition, where evil is
unavoidable, without getting confused and lost.
  
            The parable can tell us many things. For one, it seems to
tell us that we should be patient and tolerant of everybody,
especially of those who are clearly in error and are causing us some
trouble. In spite of how they are, they are still our brothers and
sisters, all children of God who have strayed from the right path and
are in need of help actually.
  
            In other words, we have to learn how to bear with
everyone. We have to broaden our mind and heart to be able to
accommodate everyone in our heart, including those who are so
different from us in some respects, and those who are precisely giving
us trouble, being clearly in error and are making offense. We have to
learn to suffer, since suffering is an unavoidable consequence of
evil.
  
            In all this, we should never lose our peace and concern
for everyone. In fact, those who have strayed, we have to seek out,
just like what the shepherd did in the parable of the lost sheep (cfr.
Mt 18,12-14)
  
            That is part of the charity as described by Christ. “Love
your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” he said. (Mt 5,44)
“If any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other
also…”
  
            We have to be ready for these situations. That is why we
need to be both tough and magnanimous, willing to go through the
hardships if only to live the charity as Christ has commanded us to
live.
  
            It is not that we start considering evil as good. No, not
at all. We should do all to avoid it. More than that, we should try to
drown evil with an abundance of good. And if possible, we should
convert evil into something good. If we are persistent and inventive
enough, I think we can find ways to do that.



            Remember the story of Joseph, the son of Jacob, who was
cruelly sold by his own brothers but ended up becoming a leading man
in Egypt. (Gen 37 ff). When that dramatic moment came when he revealed
himself to his brothers, with magnanimity he forgave them and promised
to support them.
   
            “You meant evil against me,” he told his brothers, “but
God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be
kept alive.” (Gen 50,20)
  
            By being God-like, we can turn evil things into something
that is good for all. We should try our best not to be dominated and
scandalized by evil. In another parable, Christ mentioned that the
kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three
measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened. (Mt 13,33)
  
            With this parable he tells very clearly that a little act
of goodness can have a tremendous leavening power to turn something
flat into something filled with goodness. We should just focus on
doing good, even if the circumstances around are unfavorable or even
hostile.
  
            We should not respond to evil with evil. It will only lead
to destruction to all parties involved. Rather as St. Paul said: “Do
not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Rom 12,21)


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