“The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.”
“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Do you want us to go and pull the weeds up?’”
“‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together…” – Matthew 13:24-30
By Pastor Brandon Durán
During my first year in Hawai‘i, I remember receiving a lot of helpful advice. There were two pieces of wisdom though that seemed at odds with each other.
- Don’t say something like, “Back in the states,” because Hawai‘i is a part of the United States.
- Always remember, this ain’t the mainland.
There is a tension between these sentiments that I feel every Admissions Day in Hawai‘i. Admissions Day comes and goes in relative silence. There are no parades or fireworks. It seems as though many people put their head down and wait for this day to pass. Perhaps we are afraid of rocking the boat (another common piece of advice I received). We have friends and loved ones who have strong feelings about the overthrow and who mourn Admissions Day and we have people dear to us who have served in the US Armed forces or who otherwise feel very connected to the USA. We don’t want to offend or uproot.
Thinking about Admissions Day reminds me of the lesser-known parable of the sower in Matthew 13. In this story, wheat and weed grow together. It is dangerous to try and pull out one as you will likely destroy both. In the parable “good” and “evil” are clearly defined. However, in our life, it is not so clear who is the hero and who is the villain (despite what pundits may say). The parable seems to say, that being quick to judge and attempting to separate will only lead to destruction. Instead, we are called to demonstrate trust in God through patience and understanding (“let them grow together”). It is this spirit that may have inspired a modern day Ignatian priest to compose the poem, Litany of Contradictory Things.
One of the many skills we learn here in Hawai‘i is how to grow together. May God bless you with insight and strength of character as you navigate the tensions of daily life.
Wheat and weeds:
let them grow together.
Arabs and Jews in Palestine:
let them grow together.
Greeks and Turks of the Balkans:
let them grow together.
Catholics and Protestants of Northern Ireland:
let them grow together.
Pros and Contras of Central America:
let them grow together.
Documented and undocumented aliens:
let them grow together.
Immigrants and Native Americans:
let them grow together.
Blacks and Whites of South Africa:
let them grow together.
Sikhs and Hindus of India:
let them grow together.
Revolutionaries and reactionaries:
let them grow together.
Russians and Americans:
let them grow together.
Republicans and Democrats of America:
let them grow together.
Religious leaders who lay and lighten burdens:
let them grow together.
People of God who wound and heal:
let them grow together.
Rich and poor, humble and haughty:
let them grow together.
Those whose thinking is similar and contrary:
let them grow together.
Days of sparseness and days of plenty:
let them grow together.
Joys and sorrows, laughter, tears:
let them grow together.
Strength and weakness:
let them grow together.
Doubt and faith:
let them grow together.
Virtue and vice:
let them grow together.
Contemplation and action:
let them grow together.
The helpful and the helpless:
let them grow together.
All the contrarieties of the Lord:
let them grow together.—From Hearts on Fire: Praying with Jesus by Michael Harter
