Recently, I have been reflecting on the effects of evil in the world, particularly, how evil acts affect innocent people.  An innocent bystander gets shot in a robbery, a child is abused by a relative, or a woman is raped on the way home from her work are events reported in the daily news.  Everyday the rights of innocent people are violated by others.  The innocent are adversely affected by the events, but the perpetrators, if not caught, seem to continue their evil acts. 

So where is God’s justice for these innocent people damaged by others?  I wish there were easy answers to this question.  Yes, God will be there to comfort the injured and aid them to recovery.  Yet, nothing can be done to take away the evil acts.  That fact is frustrating.  It’s frustrating to witness the effects of evil acts on others.

Jesus’ words in today’s gospel do give a response to the previous question.  His parable of the harvest explains God’s plan for righteous and evildoers.  That plan sounds fine, but my concerns for the innocent are more immediate.  My heart goes out to the innocent and I want to protect the innocent from evil.  

Maybe this is God’s call to Christians, that is, to protect the innocent, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and speak for the voiceless.  Just maybe, with our prayers that can move mountains and our Christian acts toward others we are the ones to help transform our world.  God’s call seems to be asking Christians to be co-creators of the kingdom of God on earth.  How will we respond today?