SIXTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, JULY 19, 2026
(Wisdom 12:13, 16-19; Romans 8:26-27; Matthew 13:24-43)
A year ago, a storm caused the Guadalupe River in the heart
of Texas to rise fifteen yards in forty-five minutes. The flood claimed the
lives of 119 people, including 25 girls attending a summer camp on the
riverbank. Now, amid lawsuits and accusations of negligence, the victims'
relatives are undoubtedly asking, "Why does God allow such
disasters?" Today's first reading and Gospel attempt to answer this
question, which is often called "the problem of evil."
The first reading from the Book of Wisdom affirms God's
justice. It says that he is just because he has power. He can reward or punish
people according to their deeds. The passage assures us that evil will not
ultimately prevail. God's justice will defeat it while it rewards the innocent
in the end.
However, the Book of Wisdom does not explain why God allows
the wicked to ruin the lives of some, even taking the lives of children. Ivan
Karamazov, a character in a famous Russian novel, is consumed by the problem of
evil. He memorably says that as long as God doesn't adequately explain why He
allows evil to befall the innocent, he will return his ticket to heaven. That
is, since God allows children to suffer, he wants nothing to do with Him, not
even to take a seat in heaven that his Baptism promises him. For some, saying
that the innocent are destined for heaven and the wicked for hell doesn't
justify the pain, sometimes horrific, in present life.
In the Gospel, Jesus uses a parable to explain the problem
of evil. He says that, just as you cannot cut the weeds in a field without
damaging the wheat, you also cannot eliminate all evil without harming some
good people. But at harvest time, the difference between the weeds and the
wheat will become clear. Then the weeds can be cut down and burned first, so
that only the wheat may be gathered into the barn.
Once again, only in the end will justice be served, with the
innocent being pursued and the wicked punished.
Faith has another answer to the problem of evil. It focuses
on the story of Jesus Christ. After performing many acts of service, he turned
himself in to the authorities. Although completely innocent, he suffered the torment
of crucifixion. He died like the worst of criminals, but soon after, God raised
him from the dead and placed him at his right hand forever. Now he offers us
his story as the definitive answer to our anxiety over evil. He tells us all
will be well. We have not only a promise but also the record of Jesus as proof.
We should admit that there is no completely satisfactory
answer to the problem of evil. Evil is a mystery beyond the grasp of the human
mind. However, there remains the hope of the great reckoning at the end of time
when Jesus will come to judge all. Through his resurrection from the dead,
Jesus gave us a glimpse of the outcome for the innocent.
In the meantime, we can perform acts of mercy. These acts will not only alleviate some of the suffering of those who are grieving but will also bear witness to Jesus. By taking the time to comfort the afflicted and help the weak, we imitate our Lord Jesus Christ. Furthermore, we will be demonstrating our conviction that he will come to right all the wrongs of history.
