"‘Pull up the weeds and you might take the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest.’" (Mt. 13:28-30)

We have probably all thought, that the world would be a whole lot better if God would just simply do away with all the bad people, or at least those we judge as bad people: drug traffickers, assassins, swindlers, liars, thieves, abortionists, polluters, noisy neighbors, people from the other political party, etc. Many of those same people would probably be praying for our holy demise or early eternal reward!

We know the destructive consequences of evil. Yet we find ourselves falling into sin from time to time.

Sin will not be erased from our earthly life. We need to learn how to live as Christians in the face of a sinful world, and our own sinful nature.

"Do not repay anyone evil for evil; be concerned for what is noble in the sight of all. If possible, on your part, live at peace with all. If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink." (Rms. 12:17-21)

Many of us behave very differently from Jesus' calling. We love the quote: "Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth" -- yet Jesus redefined this into true love. (Mt. 5: 38-42) Resentments, anger, prejudice etc. show us we have a long way to go.

"Remove the plank from your own eye..." (Mt. 5)

Psalm 119: "Your word is a light for my path."

Sts. Joachim & Anne: Parents of Mary as found in the 2nd c. "Protoevangelium of James;" veneration of Anne originated in the 6th c. East; patroness of childless women and of miners; veneration of Joachim dates from the 8th c.