Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

God Isn’t Finished with You Yet

How many of us have ever looked at someone and thought, “Why doesn’t God do something about that person?” Perhaps it’s someone who has hurt us, someone who seems to get away with everything, someone who lies, cheats, or has no interest in God. Or perhaps we’ve watched the evening news and wondered, “Lord, why do You let all of this continue?” If we’re honest, most of us have had those thoughts. But there’s another question that’s just as important: “Lord, why haven’t I changed yet?” We’ve prayed about a weakness, confessed the same sin, promised to do better, and yet we still find ourselves struggling. Those are exactly the questions today’s readings answer.

In today’s Gospel, the servants notice weeds growing among the wheat and immediately want to pull them up. Their solution seems obvious: get rid of the problem now. But the owner tells them to let the wheat and the weeds grow together until the harvest because pulling up the weeds too soon might also uproot the wheat. Jesus is teaching us something about the heart of God. God is patient—not because evil doesn’t matter, but because He sees what His grace can still accomplish. We see where people are today; God sees what they can become through His grace.

Think about the people Jesus chose to follow Him. Peter denied Him three times. Matthew made his living collecting taxes from his own people. Mary Magdalene had a troubled past. If someone had judged them only by what they saw at that moment, they might have concluded that none of them would amount to much. But Jesus saw something they couldn’t yet see in themselves. He saw saints. And He still looks at us the same way.

The Book of Wisdom gives us one of the most beautiful descriptions of God in all of Scripture: “Though You are master of might, You judge with clemency.” That’s not how we usually think about power. We often think power means proving who’s in charge, winning, getting even, or making people pay. But God reveals His power through mercy. Anyone can punish. Only someone who is truly powerful can be patient. The greatest display of God’s power was not when He created the universe. It was when His Son hung upon the Cross and prayed, “Father, forgive them.” That is true strength.

St. Paul then gives us another reason for hope. He reminds us that we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. Most of us have experienced moments when we simply didn’t know what to pray anymore. Perhaps we were grieving, frightened, or simply exhausted. We could only say, “Lord, I don’t even know what to say.”Paul assures us that even then, God has not abandoned us. The Holy Spirit is praying within us, and even when we don’t have the words, God hears our prayer.

I’ve planted lettuce and other vegetables before, and every time I find myself checking the garden almost every day. At first, nothing seems to be happening. Someone walking by might conclude that nothing is growing. But the gardener knows better. What’s happening beneath the soil is every bit as important as what will eventually appear above it. The roots are growing long before anything can be seen. The same is true in the spiritual life. Sometimes we become discouraged because we don’t see much progress. Yet God is often doing His deepest work where we cannot yet see it. The roots of faith, hope, patience, and holiness are quietly growing beneath the surface.

And this is where the Gospel becomes more personal. We are called to be patient with others, too. How quickly we decide that someone will never change—a spouse, an adult child, someone in the parish. We quietly write them off. But the Lord says, “Leave the judging to Me.” The person you’ve given up on may still become one of the greatest stories of God’s grace. And if we’re honest, there were probably times when other people looked at us and thought we’d never change either. Thankfully, God didn’t agree with them.

At the beginning of this homily, I asked two questions: “Why doesn’t God do something about that person?” and “Lord, why haven’t I changed yet?” Today’s readings answer both. God is still at work. He is giving His grace time to do what only His grace can do. Every one of us is here today because God has been patient with us. He has never given up on us. Even now, He continues His work through His Word, nourishes us with the Eucharist, and gives us His Holy Spirit to strengthen us. He is still cultivating the field of our hearts.

So the next time you find yourself asking, “Lord, why don’t You do something about that person?” remember: God is. He is giving His grace time to work. And the next time you look in the mirror and wonder, “Lord, why haven’t I changed yet?” remember that too.

God isn’t finished with you yet.