Invasive Species. Weeds. Response. (2023-07-23. Sunday - 16)

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Homily file for July 23, 2023  --  16^th Sunday (Year A)

 ●● Wisdom 12:13, 16-19 ● Psalm 85 ● Romans 8:26-27  ● Matthew 13: 24-43

● ●   Title:    Invasive Species. Weeds. Response

[_01__]  A scammer is someone who commits a “scam” or fraud or participates in a dishonest scheme, and are predators who take advantage of a person’s good intentions.

          I bring up “fraud” or scams as one particular example of an invasive species or “weed” that has grown up in our own high-tech “field” or world.

          Contrary to what we might expect from our Savior, we are not told to eliminate the invasive species, which in our high-tech world today could be a computer virus or just old-fashioned – fraud or dishonesty.

[_02__]       Have  you heard of this type of scam or fraud?

          Someone calls claiming to be from PSE&G, or Con Edison or your gas, water, or electric utility company. They say your service will be cut off if you don’t pay them “within 45 minutes”.

          If you do call back thinking it was real – as I did once – I was told to go out to the store and buy VISA cash-like gift cards.

          At this point, we knew this was fraud, a scam.

[_03__]       I cite this example as one in which someone with bad intentions takes advantage of people with very good intentions. And, this is all possible in a world with a great deal of technology.

          In such instances, I wish there were no technology, as though I could turn back the clock to a world without online banking, PayPal and Google Wallet.

          In these and other cases, there is an invasive species – the cheaters  with bad intentions – growing among the hard-working honest people with good intentions.

 [_04__]    In the parable we have just heard, we are told by Jesus about a landowner who owns a Google data center with hundreds of computers …and there is a virus infecting some of the hard drives and it happens while the people are sleeping and the computers are awake. Viruses do not sleep.

          No, that is not the parable. That would be “Silicon Valley” update to the parable.

          What happens in the parable is not a computer virus but the “agricultural equivalent” in that a bad, invasive species or plant a weed – is growing amid the good healthy stalks of wheat. The invasive species of weed  does not sleep. It is not wild. It was put there, allowed to be there.

          What should this landowner and do?

 

[_05__]    The man does something illogical in that he does not immediately build some “agricultural” firewall against the invasive species in his field.

          He does not try to destroy the virus. He also does not “trade in” or “sell off” his field for an upgraded device.

          The landowner in the parable lets the bad stuff – the invasive species – grow in his field.

 [_06__]   The “invasive species” represents evil temptations and the evil spirit, the works of the devil to which we might think we already have a pretty good firewall or security system to stop.

          In Matthew, chapter 10, Jesus said, “And fear ye not them that kill the body, and are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him that can destroy both soul and body in hell.”  (Matthew 10:28)

[_07__]  It is true that many material and monetarily valuable things are vulnerable – fones, computers, bank accounts.

          It seems that we have learned to tolerate – even to expect – some level of fraud, some level of “bad intentions” to exist in a world of many people with “good intentions”

          The way that we survive is that we take precautions against the evil that we know is present.

          As a small child, I recall being with my parents in Macy’s or some large department store and they were writing a check to pay for some clothing. The store cashier asked my parents for a phone number to go with the check. My parents gave an intentionally incorrect phone number.

          Being a small child, I thought my parents had just forgotten what our phone number was, so I corrected them, right out loud in front of the cashier. Everyone smiled. My parents knew what they were doing. They did not want the store to have our correct phone number. The store seemed not to care about our supposed “fraud.”

          It is a broken, sinful world in which we do what we can to survive until the end of time, until Judgement Day which Jesus warns us is coming and we are all subject to His Judgment.

[_08__]  While evil as “invasive species” exists in the world, perhaps, we can take some cues from how we manage technology and apply it to our pursuit of true virtue and goodness.

          Unfortunately, we cannot remove all the brokenness and sinfulness we encounter.

 [_09__]  [1^st Use Caller I.D.]

          IMHO, Caller I.D. is the greatest thing since sliced 7-grain bread.  And, when you have to have a difficult or nerve-wracking conversation with someone, it allows you take a breath, say a little prayer, ask that the Gospel Good News would truly be on our mind, lips, heart.

          Also, I seem to notice that in a world with caller I.D. it’s easy to forget the courtesy of calling people by name, saying “hello” by name or even using a person’s name in conversation.

          Caller I.D. – calling someone by name is not just for the machines, it’s also for us to do.   But “caller I.D.” is something we can do in person – IRL in real life too – i.e., to remember that no matter how angry we might be with someone, or hurt, the other person also has a calling from God, he or she is also called by God.  For the difficult people in your life, pray that God will give them what they need. That they will use caller I.D. to hear God’s voice.

[_10__]    [2^nd Shut Down & Restart Regularly. Get Updates]

          Our computers and phones are often automatically updated when we shut them down and then restart them.

          What about when you and I are in the midst of a moment of frustration, anger, temptation, envy, jealousy, pride, lust or any of the deadly sins?

          Confession – going to confession, receiving penance and absolution is a “shutdown and restart process”

          Can we recognize that would benefit from the “shutdown ” and restart process that happens by turning to God in prayer, by praying for and trying to love our enemies?

          Such an effort is implied in St. Paul’s words: “when you are insulted do not return an insult, but return a blessing instead.”

          This would be an example of receiving God’s word to “change the password” or attitude we might normally fall into.

[_11__]  Each Sunday, there is a new word for us. This Sunday, we are reminded of the delight of heaven and also warned of the reality of sin, punishment, hell.

          Jesus, our Savior, died for you and me and asks us to recognize that he does not come just to give us prayers as “memorized passwords.”

          Yes, it is important to memorize prayers as these bring great consolation in crisis and remind us of humility in celebration.

          Yet, we also come hear not to learn prayers but simply to “pray” and learn that God wants to be in unlimited contact with you and me. [_END__]