The Sower and the Seed

                  15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

                  A cycle

 

      

Today’s first reading is clearly an introduction to the famous parable recounted in today’s gospel account of the sower and the seed. Isaiah compares the word of God to the rain and snow that make everything blossom and grow. Without this moisture which comes down from above there would be no life on earth. Obviously Isaiah is talking about much more than rain and snow. For him the word of God is more real and more important than the rain and snow.

 

      My word shall not return to me void,

      But shall do my will,

      Achieving the end for which I sent it.

 

In today’s parable Jesus shares Isaiah’s view. He even quotes from Isaiah. The parable of the sower and the seed is one of the most famous but it is also the only one which Jesus bothers to explain to his puzzled disciples. In Matthew’s account the seed, that is, the word of God, falls in different places with different results. Some falls on the hardened, trodden down path and is quickly eaten by the birds. Some falls on rocky ground where there is little soil to nourish it. Some falls among thorns or weeds which choke it. Finally, the rest falls on good soil and produces a bountiful harvest.

 

What is the meaning of this parable? After telling His disciples why He uses parables, Jesus then explains to them the meaning of this one. Let’s try to put His explanation in our own words. In the first place, He equates the seed sown in the path with those who hear the word of God without understanding it. Who could that be?

 

How many people today have only the most rudimentary knowledge of their own faith? For how many of us does our religious education stop with the eighth grade? Is there any other field of endeavor in which we would be content to stay at the eighth grade level? What would we think of a job application where the candidate’s schooling stopped at the eighth grade? Why do we spend thousands of dollars trying to get a college degree? What professional athlete would be content with eighth grade skills? Even when they make the pros they have to keep acquiring new skills in order to remain competitive. Why should life be any different? 

 

The second case of the rocky ground is more difficult. We all know of people whose faith has been shaken and even lost by some setback, some sorrow, and even some tragedy. Our Lord speaks of tribulation. But today, how many people have lost their faith because of a bad marriage or a divorce? How many have lost it because of some word spoken by an insensitive priest or religious? How many have lost their faith because of the scandalous behavior of a few priests? Finally, it is so sad to see the death or illness of a loved one cause someone to question their beliefs.

 

We don’t have to work too hard to understand the third category. 

 

      The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word,

      But then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word

      And it bears no fruit.

 

Worldly anxiety is something we can all relate to. It requires no dramatic event or crisis. It creeps up on us slowly and before we know it we are in its grasp. Young people know how important it is to have friends, but often the desire to be popular and well-liked can take over and ruin their lives. We all know that it is important for us to work hard in order to provide for the basic needs of our families, but how often do we see men and women so consumed by their work that their families are seriously hurt in the process of getting ahead? Even the elderly can fall into a daily routine that chokes them like the thorns in today’s gospel.

 

Life is full of snares and traps. Maybe that is what St. Paul had in mind in today’s reading from the Letter to the Romans.

 

      for creation was made subject to futility,

      not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it. 

 

There is no denying that there is pain and suffering in the world. Paul continually urges his followers to remain steadfast in their beliefs and not to turn their backs on God, or ignore the teaching of his Son, Jesus. As in any endeavor there is a reward for perseverance.

 

      I consider that the sufferings of the present time are as nothing

      Compared with the glory to be revealed.

 

The seed, the grace of God, has been given to us all. It is not just the saints and martyrs who have borne fruit. They are just the tip of a huge iceberg. God’s grace is not a pious fiction. Despite all the pain and suffering in the world today, we just have to look around us to see in a multitude of acts of kindness, generosity, and unselfish charity the bountiful harvest that the seed of God is still producing.

 

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Reading 1. Isaiah 55: 10-11

Reading II. Romans 8:18-23

Gospel. Matthew 13: 1-23 (A sower went out to sow). 

My Yoke is Easy

                   14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

                  A cycle

 

 

After celebrating the three great feasts, Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, and Corpus Christi, that bring the Easter season to its conclusion, we have entered into what the Church calls Ordinary time. Ordinary time refers to that time of the Church year that is not associated with Christmas or Easter. During Ordinary time the priest will usually wear vestments of green, the color of hope. In a way these Sundays after Easter will give us an idea of what the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus means for us.

 

In today’s first reading from the Book of Zechariah the prophet speaks of a day when the burdens laid on people by their oppressors will be lifted.

 

      He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim,

And the horse from Jerusalem;

The warrior’s bow shall be banished,

and he shall proclaim peace to the nations.

 

Chariots, horses, and the warriors bow are instruments of oppression and military conquest. The overlords of the people often put heavy burdens on their subjects. On the Fourth of July we celebrated our own Declaration of Independence whereby our founding fathers threw off the yoke of British oppression.

 

However, even though we live in the freest country in the World, there is a kind of oppression or burden that hits very close to home. I will never forget an incident that occurred years ago when I was a financial advisor. I visited an elderly couple in their home one evening to look over their finances. The man sat stopped over the kitchen table after his long commute home. The train ride to New York City took over an hour each way, but then he had to take a subway, and then walk a few blocks to his office. He hated the long commute and was sick of his job, which he had been doing for years.

 

After looking over the financial situation, I told them that there was no reason for him to continue working. They lived very frugally, and the income from their savings and investments was more than enough for them to retire comfortably. I was amazed when the man slowly raised his head and shoulders as if a great burden had been lifted. This miracle was not my doing but theirs. They had worked hard but just didn’t realize how well they had done.

 

It’s the same thing with most of us. I’m not just talking about finances now. Why do teenagers seem to be so gloomy and depressed? Why is there such addiction among young people? Why is there such a high rate of teen suicide? Why, in the years when they should feel the most free, do young people have to say what their friends want to hear; follow peer pressure and do what their friends want them to do? Why do they feel that they must smoke this, or drink that in order to be socially acceptable?

 

As we get older the burdens seem to get even greater. So many of us have had a yoke placed upon our shoulders by our friends and family. Indeed, sometimes we are the ones who have placed the burden on our own shoulders. We all know the stress of family relationships, job insecurity, raising children, or caring for aged parents. Half the country seems to be on some sort of medication, legal or illegal, to relieve the burdens. Who is there to lift the yoke from our backs.

 

Here is a good way to tell a true from a false friend. A true friend helps us to bear life’s burdens; a false one just piles more weight on our backs. In fact, the good friend is the one who actually lightens the load by sharing it with us. In today’s gospel Jesus is trying to make us realize that our burdens have been lifted.

 

Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,

And I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,

For I am meek and humble of heart;…

For my yoke is easy, and my burden light. *

 

Christ suffered so that we would not have to. He told us to be humble and not proud; to care for our neighbor instead of always thinking of ourselves. He was always healing people. Did he ever hurt anyone? Jesus continually criticized the Pharisees for their rules and regulations that put innumerable burdens on people. 

 

St. Paul was born and raised a Pharisee. In fact, he said he was a kind of super-Pharisee who followed all rules to their minutest detail. After his conversion, however, he realized that living in the Spirit and not in the flesh was the road to happiness. 

 

For if you live according to the flesh, you will die,

But if by the Spirit, you put to death the deeds of the body,

You will live.

 

Right before today’s Eucharistic prayer, the priest will ask the congregation to “lift up your hearts,” which is just a way of saying lift up your spirits and prepare to throw off the yoke that burdens. 

 

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Reading 1. Zechariah 9: 9-10

Reading II. Romans 8:9, 11-13

Gospel. Matthew 11: 25-30 (my yoke is easy)

*Note: 

 

To bear a yoke is to be coupled with another—to be part of a pair (Phil 4,3). When Jesus speaks of his yoke, it means that our terrible loneliness is over. We no longer belong to ourselves. Our yoking to the Lord brings about the Father’s plan of redemption {Mt 5: 45). And since the word “yoke” forms the root of the Greek word for “spouse,” Jesus here does not just tender an invitation—he proposes to us.

 

Magnificat, July 5, p. 71. 

Commitment

                         13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

                  A cycle

 

      

Today’s first reading from the Book of Kings is about Elisha, one of the greatest of the Hebrew prophets. Elisha is often regarded as a precursor of Christ mainly because of his miraculous healings. In our reading today we have only half the story about the prophet’s encounter with the woman of Shunem. We are told that in response to the woman’s hospitality. Elisha promises that the childless woman will bear a son.  

 

In the passages that follow we see that the woman finds it hard to believe but, sure enough, she does conceive and bear a son a year later. But in a few years her boy is struck down with a severe headache while working in the fields with his father. He is brought home, put to bed and appears to be dying. The grief stricken mother then summons Elisha from a nearby town. When Elisha finally arrives, he restores the young boy to life in much the same way that Jesus would do for the son of the widow of Nain centuries later. For her generous hospitality, the Woman of Shunem had indeed received a prophet’s reward.

 

This first reading leads into today’s gospel where Jesus speaks about receiving a prophet’s reward. Before we go any further, we have to deal with the seemingly harsh words he says in this passage from Matthew. 

 

Whoever loves father and mother more than me is not worthy of me,

and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;

and whoever does not take up his cross

and follow after me is not worthy of me.

 

We must understand that at the beginning of this chapter Jesus has named and called the Apostles. The rest of the chapter deals with his instructions for those who would follow him on his mission. Like anyone else asking others to embark on a significant and even perilous mission, Jesus asks his followers to understand what they are getting into before taking on the responsibility. 

 

He is telling them that they will meet opposition not only from strangers and enemies but also from their own loved ones. He is also saying that once they embark on the journey, they will not be able to look back. To follow him and take up his cross will involve a total commitment.

 

We all understand the importance of commitment in life. Coaches preach it to their athletes. They tell them that they must be willing to sacrifice and give up things in order to reach their goal. Usually, the most successful athletes are those who are most committed to their goals. They won’t let anything stand in their way even if their friends and loved ones do not give full support, or urge them to take it easy. To be successful in sports or anything else requires commitment. In a way, only when we sacrifice ourselves for some greater goal do we really find out what we’re made of or who we really are. 

 

We don’t have to be athletes to understand the nature of commitment. Ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things in their everyday lives even though they might not realize it. Last week we celebrated Father’s Day and what takes more commitment and self-sacrifice than being a father, except maybe being a mother.

 

The saints are models of commitment. Years ago, I heard a story about a man on a crowded airplane waiting to take off. As usual, the cabin was noisy before take-off but all of a sudden the cabin turned quiet. He wondered why and looked up to see two nuns wearing blue and white saris walking down the aisle toward his seat. It was Mother Teresa and a companion and they sat down next to him.

 

They immediately took out their rosaries and began to recite the decades in a low voice. Although Catholic the man was an admittedly lukewarm one, but he couldn’t help following along as they recited the prayers. When they finished, Mother Teresa asked him if he prayed the rosary daily. He said that he didn’t, and so she handed him her own beads and said, “You will now.” His life was change by this brief encounter with a prophet who had given up all to take up her cross and follow Jesus. 

 

Another saint who gave up all for Jesus was St. Paul. His greatest regret was that his own people rejected him. They beat him, imprisoned him, and even turned him over to pagans to be martyred. In today’s passage from the letter to the Christian community in Rome he tells them that they should be aware that since they have been baptized into death with Christ, they will also experience a new life with him. In that new life, they will love father and mother, son and daughter more than they could ever have imagined.

 

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Reading 1. 2 Kings 4: 8-11, 14-16a

Reading II. Romans 6: 3-4, 8-11

Gospel. Matthew 10:37-42 (a prophet’s reward).

Fear No One

                   12th Sunday in Ordinary Time

                  A cycle

 

      

It was not unusual in olden days for Kings and Princes to kill bearers of bad news. It was as if the messenger was himself responsible for the bad news. The prophet Jeremiah was such a messenger. His preaching or prophecy was that the Kingdom of Judah would be destroyed and its people would be led away as captives by their powerful enemies. And it was all because they had turned their backs on God.

 

Even today no one likes to hear bad news. Of all the prophets of the Old Testament Jeremiah has become most identified with bad news. The word, “jeremiad” comes from his name and means an extended prediction of impending doom. We don’t call them prophets anymore but our world is full of Jeremiahs. Cartoons used to depict shabbily dressed men carrying placards on street corners urging people to change their ways because the end of the world was coming. Today, we have global warming gurus also preaching disaster unless we mend our ways. Asteroids falling toward the earth, gigantic earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions are some of the themes of our most popular movies. 

 

Jeremiah turned to the Lord when he was surrounded by danger and that is also the point of today’s gospel reading from St. Matthew. Jesus tells his Apostles to “fear no one.” These words, which the late Pope John Paul II used constantly, are not mere “pie in the sky.” The late Pope used them to help bring down the mighty Soviet empire in Russia and liberate 100 million people in Eastern Europe. 

 

Today’s gospel account picks up right after the calling of the twelve Apostles. In effect, Jesus was calling them to be bearers of “good news,” not “bad news.” In another place He told them “as the Father sent Me, so I also send you.” They are to continue His work. The words spoken, the healings, the miracles, all these they can do also if they have faith and are not afraid. He tells them not to keep secret what they will learn and not to be timid. 

 

What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;

 what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.

 

We must understand that even though the Apostles have a special place in the Church, whenever Jesus speaks to them, He is also speaking to us. He gave the Apostles a mission but we are all called upon to continue it and play our part. But we all have different parts to play. We can’t all be the Pope or Mother Teresa. Thank God, He’s spared us from such an aweful responsibility. Most of us won’t be able to perform great deeds of healing except the little acts of healing we perform every day in our own families and communities. 

 

These good works that we do are essential not only for our loved ones, but also for ourselves. But speaking of good works, what are we to make of today’s second reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans? In this letter St. Paul’s discussion of “justification by faith” has been the source of much controversy in theological circles. It certainly was at the center of the Protestant Reformation and remains today a divisive element between Catholics and Protestants.

 

Part of the problem today is the words or language used by Paul. Words like sin, justification, and transgression all seem foreign to our modern ears. What is Paul talking about, when he talks about sin and death entering the world? It doesn’t take an especially perceptive person to see that there is something wrong in our world. If we don’t want to call it sin or evil, we can call it pain, suffering, unhappiness, whatever. Where does it come from?

 

For Paul the problems of the world were so pervasive that he viewed them like powers or kingdoms that threaten us in the same way that powerful forces threatened Israel in the time of Jeremiah. These forces threatened to overwhelm the people of God and enslave it just as people today can become enslaved to anger, violence, jealously, greed, lying, or any of the many addictions that our society holds out to us as substitutes for God.

 

Paul saw that this evil was part of our human nature and that it had existed from the very beginning. At one point, the Lord had provided the Israelites with the Law in order to show them the way to happiness but the Hebrew Scriptures are nothing if not a chronicle of the many ways in which God’s people continually turned their backs on the Lord.  We were meant for happiness but something has gone wrong. We were meant to live forever, but now we must all face death. This is why Paul places so much emphasis on the Resurrection of Jesus.

 

God has sent His only Son to overcome death for us. It’s as if the impregnable fortress of an invincible enemy had been overcome by a mighty warrior. Now, if we believe in Him and are not afraid, all we have to do is complete the work. Today, our gospel ends with these famous words,

 

      Everyone who acknowledges me before others

      I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.

      But whoever denies me before others,

      I will deny before my heavenly Father.

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Reading 1. Jeremiah 20: 10-13

Reading II. Romans 5: 12-15

Gospel. Matthew 10:26-33 (Fear no one).