Gathering The Weeds

Θέλεις ἀπελθόντες συλλέξωμεν τὰ ζιζάνια; αἱ ἀγγελικαὶ δυνάμεις φασὶ, διακονεῖν ἀεὶ τῷ θείῳ θελήματι εὐνοϊκῶς ἐπιθυμοῦσαι, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τὴν ἧμῶν ὀλιγωρίαν καὶ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ πολλὴν ὁρῶσι μακροθυμίαν. Ἀλλὰ πρᾶξει τοῦτο κωλύονται, μὴ συνεκτμηθῇ τοὶς ζιζάνίοις ὁ σῖτος, μήποτε ἁρπαγῇ ἁμαρτωλὸς πρὸς τοῖς διόρθωσιν βλέπων, μὴ πονηρῶν γενομένων γονέων συνεκκοπῇ ἀκατάγνωστα τέκνα, ἔτι μὲν πολλάκις ἐν ὀσφύῗ ὄντα πατρικῇ, Θεῷ ὑφεστῶτα ὡς τὰ κεκρυμμένα ὀρῶντι. Αἱ γὰρ τάξεις τῶν ἀγγέλων, οἶα τῆς φύσεως σύνδουλοι, τὰ μήπω παρόντα ἀγνοοῦσιν. Ὁ δὲ Κύριος καὶ συνιεῖ, καὶ πολλάκις ἐποίησεν. Οὐκ ἐθέρισεν ἄτεκνον τὸν Ἠσαῦ ἁμαρτάνοντα, ἵνα μὴ συνεκτιλλῃ τὸν Ἰὼβ, ἐξ ἐκείνου γινόμενον· μὴ θανατώσας τελωνοῦντα Ματθαὶον, ἵνα μὴ κωλύσῃ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον· μὴ νεκρώσας ἀσελγούσας πόρνας, ἵνα μὴ τῆς μετανοίας οἱ τύποι ἀγρήσωσιν· μὴ ἀμυνάμενος τοῦ Πέτρου τὴν ἄρνησιν, ἐπειδὴ τὸ θερμὸν προέβλεπε δάκρυον· μὴ ἐκκόψας τελευτῇ τὸν Παῦλον διώκοντα ἵνα μὴ ἀστοχήσωσι σωτηρίας τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰ τέρματα. Ὅσα τοίνυν τὸν θερισμὸν· περιμένει ζιζάνια, καὶ πρὸς καρπὸν μετανοίας οὐ τρέπεται, τῷ μεγαλῳ πυρὶ ἐτοιμάζεται, ὡς παντελῆ ἀκαρπίαν νοσήσαντα. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλίον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΡϟΕ’ Ὠριωνι Μονακῷ Source: Migne PG 78.308a-c

You wish that we could go off and gather up the weeds? 1 It is said that the angelic powers who always serve the will of God desire this with a good will, since they see our vileness and the long suffering of God. But they are not permitted to act, lest they tear up the wheat with the weeds, that is, lest they seize a sinner who is looking to the amendment of his life, and lest along with wicked parents a harmless child is torn up, those who in paternal lions yet exist to God, who sees all hidden things. For the hosts of angels, as befits their nature, are ignorant of things which are not yet present, but the Lord understands and often acts in this way. For He did not cut off Esau in his sin, when he had not yet sired any children, lest Job also be ripped up, who was born from his stock. Nor did He accomplish the death of the tax collector Matthew, lest the preaching of the Gospel be impeded. Nor did He cast down shameless harlots, lest there be a lack of examples of penitence. Nor did He requite Peter's denial, since He foresaw his hot tears. Nor did He cut off Paul with death when he was a persecutor, lest the salvation of the ends of the earth be frustrated. Therefore the weed remains until the harvest, and if there is no change to the fruit of repentance, a great fire is prepared, for those who have laboured utterly fruitlessly. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 195, to Orion The Monk 1 Mt 13.24-30