Living with unavoidable evil

“LET them grow together until harvest.” That was the answer of the master in one of the parables about the kingdom of heaven. (cfr Mt 13,24-43) He was telling the servants to let the weeds sown by his enemy to grow together with the wheat. Pulling the weed out would just endanger the wheat, he reasoned out.

This parable is an image of how our life now, with all its good and bad elements, is already the beginning of the kingdom of heaven. We have to learn how to live in this condition, where evil is unavoidable, without getting confused and lost.

The parable can tell us many things. For one, it seems to tell us that we should be patient and tolerant of everybody, especially of those who are clearly in error and are causing us some trouble. In spite of how they are, they are still our brothers and sisters, all children of God who have strayed from the right path and are in need of help actually.

In other words, we have to learn how to bear with everyone. We have to broaden our mind and heart to be able to accommodate everyone in our heart, including those who are so different from us in some respects, and those who are precisely giving us trouble, being clearly in error and are making offense. We have to learn to suffer, since suffering is an unavoidable consequence of evil.

In all this, we should never lose our peace and concern for everyone. In fact, those who have strayed, we have to seek out, just like what the shepherd did in the parable of the lost sheep (cfr. Mt 18,12-14)

That is part of the charity as described by Christ. “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” he said. (Mt 5,44) “If any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also…”

We have to be ready for these situations. That is why we need to be both tough and magnanimous, willing to go through the hardships if only to live the charity as Christ has commanded us to live.

It is not that we start considering evil as good. No, not at all. We should do all to avoid it. More than that, we should try to drown evil with an abundance of good. And if possible, we should convert evil into something good. If we are persistent and inventive enough, I think we can find ways to do that.

Remember the story of Joseph, the son of Jacob, who was cruelly sold by his own brothers but ended up becoming a leading man in Egypt. (Gen 37 ff). When that dramatic moment came when he revealed himself to his brothers, with magnanimity he forgave them and promised to support them.

“You meant evil against me,” he told his brothers, “but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive.” (Gen 50,20)

By being God-like, we can turn evil things into something that is good for all. We should try our best not to be dominated and scandalized by evil. In another parable, Christ mentioned that the kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened. (Mt 13,33)

With this parable he tells very clearly that a little act of goodness can have a tremendous leavening power to turn something flat into something filled with goodness. We should just focus on doing good, even if the circumstances around are unfavorable or even hostile.

We should not respond to evil with evil. It will only lead to destruction to all parties involved. Rather as St. Paul said: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Rom 12,21)