Sometimes I just want to wander around aimlessly by the shore. But we live too far away from the water for me to be able to do that. So It’s 4:43 a.m. and I am still up, I was reading from one of my books, and it got me to thinking about self. Are we who we present ourselves to be? Do we stand for something greater than ourselves? Do we remember the person we are at all times? Have I failed in some way to be that person I was meant to be to all of my friends and fellows?

Am I the man I am supposed to be? The Gospel from today is Matthew 13:24-43

The Parable of the Weeds

Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

” ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.
“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

” ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ “

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.”

He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:
“I will open my mouth in parables,
I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”

He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons 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.

“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

This Gospel comes to us at the right time. Are we sowers of good seed? I’ve been reading from a history of John Paul II – The Power and the Glory, Inside the Dark Heart of John Paul II … I have read most of this text which is quite large. The text that I have been reading through the chapter titled “Beyond Belief.” So many men are called to the ministry, and many of them have sinned the greatest sin. Against themselves, against children and against God.

We have heard in recent days that His Holiness Benedict XVI has apologized for the sins of the priests of the church.

“Until the 1980’s, John Paul II and many of his cardinals and Bishops, including [Then: Cardinal Ratzinger,] chose to ignore centuries of sexual abuse by priests. There is undeniably a direct unbroken line which stretches back over centuries from the present scandals of paedophile priests back to the first millenium.” pg. 273

Our writer goes on the tell us that Cardinal Ratzinger the head of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the faith warned his people of the severe penalty that would be handed down if these cases of abuse went to trial in the civil arena. Pope Benedict was complicit in keeping these secrets from the light of day under the Highest Secrecy that the Vatican could keep up. And now as Pope Benedict, he must find his way through these issues where he was so complicit over the 25 years that John Paul II was Pope.

John Paul II was of the thought that the priesthood was an exalted position and that nothing could go wrong in the eyes of a priest [his priests]. John Paul II protected men and kept secrets.

“The Roman Catholic Church looked after its own, and offending clerics could not be brought before civil courts unless specific permission was obtained to do so.” pg. 270

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The world is watching Lambeth and those who sit outside the meeting are wondering what is going on inside, as +Gene Robinson and many others were not invited to join the conference.

Taken from +Gene’s Blog: Canterbury Tales from the Fringe.

Never have I felt more in need of your prayers. As I write this, the opening service of the Lambeth Conference is going on at Canterbury Cathedral. I am a few miles away — but it feels like a much further difference. I am not appearing at the opening service, as I promised the Archbishop.