Daily Reflections

July 17, 2011
No Perfection Here!

May 10, 2010 is history for us, Filipinos. On this day, we had our first automated national and local elections. Anxiety was high in the run-up to the elections. It seemed the electoral process would not push through. The timetable for the preparation of ballots, the delivery of the PCOS (Precinct Count Optical Scanner) machines and the testing and sealing of computers for the voting precincts seemed too short. The anxiety heightened with the need to recall and reprogram the computer cards containing the software for the decoding of ballots. On election day, the long lines at the polls and the slow turnaround of voters seemed to lead to a massive disenfranchisement of voters. But as the days passed, things proceeded generally well and at the end, the whole nation witnessed with excitement the fast tallying of votes. But the story did not stop. Days later, there were those who came forward with complaints about election anomalies and frauds. People asked: When will we ever get to a perfect system of elections?
Jesus’ words in our Gospel parable are prophetic. They make us realize that in this world, no matter how much we try, there is no real perfection. Evil, like weeds, does not stop thriving. The important thing is that we should also never tire doing good and weeding out the forces and influences of evil.
There are moments when we behave like the workers in today’s Gospel. We want the landowner, who is God, to make things simple and easy by just decreeing to end evil. Jesus exhorts us to instead search for the wisdom why God allows evil to co-exist with goodness until the Day of the Lord appears. First, the continuing existence of evil makes us vigilant. In fact, for many, vigilance against evil in all its forms has given them a mission and a meaning in life. Second, the presence of evil makes us also more mindful of God. It makes us pray for protection and deliverance. Third, the activity of evil also makes us more active and assertive in doing what is good. Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP

Reflection Question:
What ongoing experiences in your life do you consider as “weeds” that you would love to disappear? What is today’s Gospel personally telling you?

Lord, open my eyes to the forces of evil around me and within me so I may not be trapped by them.

St. Theodota, pray for us.