Consequence of evil

The presence of evil and the consequence of evil action are topics which come to mind as we reflect on the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today. The passage from the Gospel of Matthew is Jesus explanation of the parable of the weeds and the wheat. The children of the evil one are identified as the seeds which grow up as weeds. The field is the world where we can see the presence of weeds which take from the good resources of the earth and do not return value. The view of the world with good and evil existing together should be a reminder to look within at the weeds which may be taking our resources and diverting our attention to living which does not give back life to others. The snap shot view of this field is informative as is the snap shot of the destruction of Israel in the text from the Prophet Jeremiah. Evil has consequence. The misunderstanding is that this consequence is only an issue at the judgement. The misuse of our resources which the Collect prayer today, directed at the celebration of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, seeks help from God in fighting the good fight on earth against evil and the rejection of the invitation of God to intimacy. The reaper at the end of time presents an eternal consequence for sin. The mercy and forgiveness of God will defeat the evil and bring restoration as indicated today by the hope of Jeremiah and the psalmist.