Taring the Church apart

Sermon for the fifth Sunday after Epiphany

Our Lord speaks two parables

in succession.

First He tells us

that the Kingdom of God

is like the sower

sowing seed 

which falls on different types

of soil.

Then He tells us

that the Kingdom of God

is like a man sowing seed

whose field is corrupted

by his enemy sowing tares.

The same question occurs

in both parables:

Where are we?

[PAUSE]

If we are the seed,

then we have no choice

as to which soil we fall in,

nor have we any choice

as to whether

we are wheat or tare.

It doesn't matter

how much we reach out to God,

if we were sown a tare,

then a tare we will always be,

destined for the fire. 

But Our Lord came to us

with a human will and a divine will,

which means our ability

to choose 

and to shape our paths in this world,

is something 

that is part of what it is 

to be human.

We are not sown as wheat or tares.

We are sown as we are,

created by God from the dust of the earth

lovable even in our sinfulness

redeemable by His grace

and sanctifiable by the image of Him

Who creates us

and who gives us a hand 

in our own creation

to become who we are meant to be

in Him,

or,

if we choose, 

apart from Him.

[PAUSE]

The Kingdom of God 

is within us.

Jesus doesn't say

that the Kingdom of God

is within each one of us

as individuals, 

but rather among us 

as His Church.

The ground in which

the Sower sows the seed

of His Gospel 

is His Church.

We, collectively,

as a Church

are the soil.

Even soil 

from the rocky ground

can be transplanted 

into the good soil.

Even the soil

choked by thorns and thistles 

can be weeded

and made good.

Even the hardness of paths

can be broken

to release the good soil underneath

to receive the seed.

[PAUSE]

And, into the Church,

the enemy sows his weeds.

And we only know that they are weeds 

when they come to fruition. 

This is how we have spotted

the great heresies. 

Our Lord tells us

that we shall know

those who distort His message

by the fruit of their words:

words which cause division,

words which cause sin,

words which condone sin,

words which mask

the image of God in other people

which spread hatred,

resentment,

grudgebearing,

greed, gluttony and lust. 

But we will not be able

to root them out,

not without harming 

the good work of the Church. 

And it is God that will root out

the wheat and the tares.

His angels will cut out

all that is sown in hatred

leaving that which is truly Good.

We can be sure of that, 

especially when scandals rock the Church. 

[PAUSE]

We have to remember 

that the Church cannot be

deflected from 

the right teaching of God,

nor the preaching of His true Gospel. 

That's the good seed

sown from the beginning.

When we are rocked

by the failures 

of bishops, priests and deacons 

or the deliberate leading astray

by charismatic individuals,

of failures of pastoral care 

or even,

Lord preserve us,

of the abuse of innocents

by the clergy,

we must cling to the teaching

of Christ

that He has sown good seed

in His Church

and it is growing.

This can be very difficult to see, 

but thes these are the words of Christ

and Christ is always true.

When we commit ourselves 

to a Church that contains tares

we commit ourselves to a Church 

that contains Christ nonetheless. 

He says that,

if we endure to the end, 

then we shall be saved. 

[PAUSE]

When we see nothing 

but tares around us,

perhaps it is we who are being called

to grow the good seed

no matter how daunting the task.

Even in our smallness

our faith can grow

the greatest of all trees.