trained professionals

Wisdom 12:13,16-19; Matthew 13:24-43

"And you gave your children good ground for hope that you would permit repentance for their sins." Wisdom 12:19

"He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom . The weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels, Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The SOn of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evil doers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous shall shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father." Matthew 13:24-43

Some years back I was driving a white chevy Lumina, 4 door Sedan. I purchased it used with about 80000 miles on it and I drove it until it had 200000 miles on it. For the most part it was a very reliable car. I never anything seriously wrong with it except for a a water pump here and a battery there.

However, at about miles 170000, the AC decided to stop blowing cold air. This occurred roughly around mid July. For the first two weeks, I just drove around with my window down. I thought I would just offer it up. However, August happened. And AUgust in Texas is hot. The heat was turned up and the black I wear just absorbs all of it.

So I had had enough. I reached my breaking point.

I called my brother in law who works in Halletsville. I asked him if he would check out my AC. HE said he would So I met him in Halletsville at the shop.

Now from the moment I talked him to the time I arrived at the shop I had another conversation with a friend who informed me that all I needed to do was to go to Wal-mart and buy a canister of freon and just put it in my AC and it would act like a boost and all would be well.

SO I made my way to Halletsville Wal-mart and found my instant fix of freon and drove over to the shop and called my brother in law. He said he would be there in a minute or so so instead of waiting I decided to take matters into my own hands. I opened the hood and started to look around and
I found something that looked a lot like the AC unit. I even found a hole that looked like the place one would put the freon in it.

So I took the canister and put the nozzle in the hole and was just about to squeeze the trigger to let in the freon when my brother in law grabbed my hand. He asked me what I was doing and I informed him of my mechanical prowess and how I was about to download or upload this freon boost into my AC unit.

He looked at me and simply said,"well, I think you got the wrong hole." It turns out the hole I thought was for the AC was actually for the fuel intake. He quickly informed me that it wasn't a good idea to add freon to the fuel intake.

Then he pulled out his rap from his pocket and wiped off the air filter pan and pointed my attention to the sign on the air filter and asked me to read it.

So I looked in that direction and read the following warning sign written on the air filter pan, "WARNING: Only Trained Professional should do car repairs."


Only Trained Professional!
I laughed and he laughed. He told me the following. "Look Fr, you don't see me preaching on on Sunday. I don't try to do you job, perhaps you shouldn't try to do mine."

Our society is filled with trained professionals. We have specialized professionals for every part of the body:heart, brain, internal, skin, ear, nose, throat, feet, hands, you name it we got it.

We have trained professionals to build bridges and highways. We have trained professionals to teach, to counsel, to drive us around.

For the most part we generally let the professionals do with what the professionals are trained to do, except for one area.

We all like to think we have the upper hand when it comes to judging those around us. like the servants in the parable,w e all want to start uprooting the weeds in our life.

We want to write people off, dismiss them, get rid them.

Yet, Jesus tells us as he explains the parable that in the end he will send his angels and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin, and all evil doers.


Jesus has Trained Professionals to do the job, which means we do not have to. What a blessing for us.

Judging or condemning is not our specialty. Now this isn't to say that we should not be critical. We should. We should be critical, we should correct and admonish people who are in error. This is necessary; this is how conversion occurs. But to condemn and dismiss and uproot, well this we are not trained for.


The problem with judgement is that our vision is always limited. We only see what happened yesterday and perhaps what happens right now, but we do not search the heart. God alone is the one whose vision takes in all time: yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He alone knows where things come from and where the are headed.

He alone is the one that can truly identify the weeds. His eye is trained to tell the difference. Our eyes cannot. A weeds to us may be a wheat plant to God, in time. Besides, we classify weeds general as those things that interfere with our plans. But this isn't always about our plans.

A noxious weeds to us maybe a saint in the making to God.


God's patience invites us to be patient as well.

In the end, we all will depend on mercy as the first reading reminds us, "the ground of hope is that you permit repentance for sins."

This statement is for all of us.

Our task is to reap the benefits of mercy and to pass that benefit on to others. Only then is the kingdom truly found.

Our training is not in judgment but in mercy, and what a training we have received. Go, as Jesus states, "I desire mercy not sacrifice."