15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Is 55: 10-11; rom 8: 18-23; Mt 13: 1-23
Deacon Larry Brockman
You know, God’s purpose is really very simple and clear. Isaiah sums it up perfectly: “It (that is, His Word) shall not return to me empty, but shall do what pleases me, achieving the end for which I sent it.” Thus, no matter what anyone tries to do to the contrary, Including the Caesars, the Vikings, the Vandals, and the Napoleon’s of the past; or the Stalins or Hitlers or Bin Ladens or Putins in current times; ultimately God’s Word will return to Him fulfilled. That is God’s intent and purpose: His will will be done.
The questions that remain for us are how well will we cooperate in helping accomplish the Word, and how long will that take. Paul makes it crystal clear, that although we may have to suffer in cooperating with Jesus’ Word, the rewards are incomparable and involve everlasting happiness. That’s what he means when he says that all creation is groaning as we await for the redemption of our bodies.
Well then, how can we cooperate? Today’s Gospel is all about how we respond to the word of God. If we respond properly to God’s Word, then we are cooperating. Parables are rich in ambiguous and multiple layers of meaning. But what is interesting about this parable is that Jesus deciphers many of those layers of meaning for us in plain ordinary language. We don’t have to speculate on them.
First Jesus talks about why he uses parables in the first place. He says it’s because people look but don’t see or understand; and they listen, but do not hear. So, we have to be disposed to listen and understand.
Now all of you folks are here today. You are willing and anxious to hear the word of God, right. But there is more to it than that. Jesus is really talking about a disposition of the heart.
Where is your heart this morning? Is it focused on what you are going to be doing after Mass? Perhaps it’s focused on the baseball game this afternoon; or the gathering you are planning tonight? Or even the beach trip or picnic you are planning? We owe God our undivided attention right now as we hear the Word of God. Else, we may hear, but not understand.
Now notice that the seed, which represents the Word of God, is scattered just about everywhere. So everyone is exposed to the word of God. Jesus explanations bear on the reason, or ultimately, the excuses, for why no fruit is born of that seed.
As Jesus unravels the meaning of the parable, we learn that the seed, or Word of God, is heard but not understood by some; others hear it, and initially respond, but when they are challenged, they fall away because they have no roots; others yet receive the word amongst thorns, that is distractions, and so they easily cave in to the distractions of this world. Only those who receive the word with the right disposition, the rich soil, produce fruit.
Now, as we listened to this parable, my bet is that most of us quickly dismissed how some of those excuses fit us. But maybe that’s not really true. Maybe all of us are a little bit guilty of each one of the excuses. So let’s talk about each one.
First, lack of understanding: If you think that you can come here once a month; or even once a week, and truly understand the Word of God, you are kidding yourselves. Real understanding comes with familiarity. You have got to be familiar with the Word of God to really understand it. Let me ask you this: What do you read and what kind of TV or movies do you watch? Do you do any spiritual reading? Do you read or study the Bible? Or are you mostly watching and listening to products of “Pop culture”- the latest whiz-bang surrealistic movies and secular music? If your diet is the latter, you won’t really understand the Word of God- it will just go in one ear and out the other, because as soon as you leave here, your senses and attentions will be reinforced with what you normally feed them. Your fleeting exposure to the Word will most likely be lost- “Out of sight; out of mind”.
Then there is the matter of our roots. What are your roots in your Faith? The deeper your roots- the more you know about and embrace your faith. Then you will be better equipped to fight temptations and allurement. That means the more you read about and know God, the more you spend time with and pray to God; then the better off you will be in resisting temptations, because like a friend in need, God will be nudging you when you are tempted.
Next are those who are dazzled by the wonderful things of this world- indulgence in pleasures, money, sex, power, pride; all the things that give fleeting happiness, but not lasting fulfillment. Once again, where is your heart? What is it that really gives you joy, real joy? I’ll bet that most of us feel the best when we know we are helping others; when we know that we have responded to the voice of our conscience; when we are aligned with the directions God nudges us in. The joys of this world are always followed by tomorrow’s hangover, aren’t they? But doing God’s will brings us peace and true contentment.
We all have an opportunity to be part of something truly magnificent- the Word accomplishing God’s purpose. God is after each one of us 24/7 with nudges and inspirations that help the word of God achieve its end. We have only to pay attention and listen- a child calling us; someone in need in our neighborhood; our aged parent or friend. When you hear it, take heed. It is an echo of your salvation in the making.
