Monday, September 03, 2007 Alipio: Deeds have consequences By Fr. Jose Alipio The Yoke
Mt. 13:35-43
PEOPLE who wonder whether there is a heaven to hope for and a hell to dread need look no further than this passage to learn what Jesus thought on this matter.
In explaining the parable of the man whose fields were sown with the seeds of wheat and weeds, Jesus seems to come down foursquare on the side of eternal beatitude for the righteous and eternal punishment for the wicked.
As Jesus explained the parable, the field is the world. The good seeds are the children of God. The weeds are the followers of the evil one. The harvest is the end of the world when the angels will separate the wheat and the weeds.
The evil ones will be collected from the kingdom and hurled into the fiery furnace where they will suffer pain and darkness. The children of God will flourish forever in the sunshine of their Father's kingdom.
But we can interpret this parable in another way. We can think of the language of heaven and hell as ways of talking about this life rather than the world to come. On this reading, Jesus is reinforcing the idea that deeds have consequences.
Good behavior yields good results. Evil deeds produce evil results.
Maybe, this reading is the timely one for our day. We seem to be living in a time when people separate acts from their results. People just don't look far enough down the road to see the outcome of their actions.
Our parenting, educational and legal systems no longer seem to establish the connection between behavior and consequences. But unless we find a way to make those connections again in every mind and heart, our society will surely continue its reckless and destructive ways.
