IMITATE GOD'S PATIENCE AND AWAIT THE HARVEST WITH HOPE

Vatican City, 20 July 2014 (VIS) – “In a field where the master sows the grain, one night an enemy sowed tares among them, a plant whose name in Hebrew has the same root as 'Satan' and refers to the concept of division. The following morning the servants wanted to remove the weed, but the master stopped them, 'Lest while you gather up the tares, you root up also the wheat with them'”. The Holy Father commented on this parable on Sunday morning, as he appeared at the window of his study to pray the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square. “The parable of the good seed and the tares takes on the problem of evil in the world”, explained the Pope, “and highlights God's patience”.

“The teaching of the parable is twofold. First, it says that the evil in the world does not come from God, but from His enemy, the devil. This enemy is astute; he has sown evil amidst the good, so that it is impossible for man to clearly separate the two; but God, in the end, will do so”. The Holy Father went on to consider the second theme: “the constrast between the impatience of the servants and the patient waiting of the master of the field, who represents God”. He remarked that often we are hasty to judge, classify and sort the good from the bad, and emphasised that God, on the other hand, knows how to wait. “He looks at the 'field' of each person's life with patience and mercy. He sees, far better than we do, the dirt and the evil, but He also sees the seeds of good and waits confidently for them to mature. God is patient, He knows how to wait”.

“The attitude of the master is that of hope, based on the certainty that evil has neither the first nor the last word. And, thanks to God's patient hope, that same weed may in time become good grain. But beware: evangelical patience is not indifference to evil; one must not confuse good and evil! Faced with the weeds in the world, the Lord's disciple is called to imitate God's patience, to nurture hope with the support of an unshakeable faith in the final victory of good, of God. In the end, we will all be judged by the same yardstick with which we ourselves have judged: the mercy we have shown to others will be used also with us. Let us ask Our Lady, our Mother, to help us to grow in patience, hope and mercy”.