NEWSLETTER INSERTS FOR THE SIXTEENTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME

‘Light is necessary for growth and new life, and is an image of hope. Rooted in charity, you are particularly called to be peacemakers, to unite those around you, and to instill in others the hope of a future marked by lasting peace. You may not be able to control your situation or the challenges you will be asked to face, but you can always choose to allow the peace of Christ to rule in your hearts’ (cf. Col 3:15).

Pope Leo XIV, Message to ANKAWA YOUTH MEETING, Iraq.

‘For it is not possible to root out all the wicked from the world; and if you do root them out, many of the righteous also must necessarily be torn up along with them.

St John Chrysostom, Commentary on Matthew

‘Human weakness allows those who are in some way afflicted to acquire humility and self-knowledge…It makes them kind and not cruel towards their neighbours so that they are compassionate with them in their struggles.’

St Catherine of Siena, Dialogue of Divine Providence.

‘The parable of the weeds and the wheat does not mean that it’s okay to be selfish, violent, and evil. It simply means that we have some realism about ourselves and each other. We have to name the weed as a weed. We can’t just pretend it’s all wheat, all good, because it isn’t. We’re not perfect. Our countries are not perfect. The Church is not perfect. The project of learning how to love—which is our only life project—is quite simply learning to accept this. If you really love anybody, and I hope you all do, then you have learned to accept a person despite, and sometimes even because of, their faults’.

Adapted from Richard Rohr, “The Weeds and the Wheat,” homily, July 20, 2014.

‘The next time you enter a Catholic Church, look around what you see there – a Confession box side by side with images of the saints. Both are deeply symbolic of the two sides of our humanity that we can’t ignore – the weeds and wheat together and how we fragile sinners are summoned by God to holiness and to yield a harvest greater than we could imagine’.

Fr Billy Swan