Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading 1 IS 55:10-11
Thus says the LORD:
Just as from the heavens
the rain and snow come down
and do not return there
till they have watered the earth,
making it fertile and fruitful,
giving seed to the one who sows
and bread to the one who eats,
so shall my word be
that goes forth from my mouth;
my word shall not return to me void,
but shall do my will,
achieving the end for which I sent it.
Responsorial Psalm PS 65:10, 11, 12-13, 14
R. (Lk 8:8) The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
You have visited the land and watered it;
greatly have you enriched it.
God’s watercourses are filled;
you have prepared the grain.
R. The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
Thus have you prepared the land: drenching its furrows,
breaking up its clods,
Softening it with showers,
blessing its yield.
R. The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
You have crowned the year with your bounty,
and your paths overflow with a rich harvest;
The untilled meadows overflow with it,
and rejoicing clothes the hills.
R. The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
The fields are garmented with flocks
and the valleys blanketed with grain.
They shout and sing for joy.
R. The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
Reading 2 ROM 8:18-23
Brothers and sisters:
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing
compared with the glory to be revealed for us.
For creation awaits with eager expectation
the revelation of the children of God;
for creation was made subject to futility,
not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it,
in hope that creation itself
would be set free from slavery to corruption
and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.
We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now;
and not only that, but we ourselves,
who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
we also groan within ourselves
as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
All who come to him will have life forever.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel MT 13:1-23 OR 13:1-9
On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.
Such large crowds gathered around him
that he got into a boat and sat down,
and the whole crowd stood along the shore.
And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:
“A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and birds came and ate it up.
Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil.
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep,
and when the sun rose it was scorched,
and it withered for lack of roots.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.
But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit,
a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
The disciples approached him and said,
“Why do you speak to them in parables?”
He said to them in reply,
“Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven
has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.
To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich;
from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
This is why I speak to them in parables, because
they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.
Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:
You shall indeed hear but not understand,
you shall indeed look but never see.
Gross is the heart of this people,
they will hardly hear with their ears,
they have closed their eyes,
lest they see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts and be converted,
and I heal them.
“But blessed are your eyes, because they see,
and your ears, because they hear.
Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people
longed to see what you see but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
“Hear then the parable of the sower.
The seed sown on the path is the one
who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it,
and the evil one comes and steals away
what was sown in his heart.
The seed sown on rocky ground
is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy.
But he has no root and lasts only for a time.
When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
he immediately falls away.
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.
But the seed sown on rich soil
is the one who hears the word and understands it,
who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”
or
On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.
Such large crowds gathered around him
that he got into a boat and sat down,
and the whole crowd stood along the shore.
And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:
“A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and birds came and ate it up.
Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil.
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep,
and when the sun rose it was scorched,
and it withered for lack of roots.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.
But some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit,
a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
Homily for Nativity on the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 7/12/2020
Today’s readings have an emphasis on growth. We are in a season of growth. In Iowa, as you drive the countryside, you can see the growth of the corn and the soybeans.
In the Church, we are also in a season of growth. It’s ordinary time which is symbolized by green. The green I wear and the green on the altar, during ordinary time, it is meant to be a reminder to us of growth, spiritual growth.
In our first reading from Isaiah, we hear how God causes growth, physically by watering the earth, but also spiritually by sending his Word.
The word, at that time, came through prophets like Isaiah, and even still today, the word refers to our sacred scripture.
In today’s Gospel Jesus tells the parable of the sower and the seed. Unlike most parables, Jesus gives us a more complete explanation.
In the explanation we realize that “The sower sows the word.” Like that first reading, Word can mean scripture, or preaching even, but “the word” can also be thought of as Jesus himself.
We read in the beginning of the Gospel of John, “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us...” The Word is Jesus.
So if we think of the parable in those terms, that Jesus is the seed being sown, it comes to life even more, because it is a relationship, more than just words on a page or a message preached to everyone, it’s a personal relationship that Jesus longs to have with each and every one of us.
And I believe love is the best lens to look at this parable through. Consider dating relationships you’ve had, or maybe you have seen. People are so quick to fall in love, aren’t they?
But then, sometimes almost as quickly, they are no longer in love and have moved on to someone else. When some challenge is presented in the relationship, the joy of the initial love fades away.
We may fall out of love with God, but He never stops loving us, He never stops trying to show us His love despite all of the challenges that we face.
Jesus presents many challenges to why people don’t accept the Word, why they don’t accept Him, He gives five reasons: the devil, tribulation, persecution, worldly anxiety, and the lure of riches.
These five are all still relevant today.
The evil one, the devil is always tempting us to sin, to turn our back on Jesus, isn’t he? The devil tells us, “If God loves us, He wouldn’t send us to hell for that sin.” But then afterwards the devil accuses us and says we are going to hell.
The devil sows confusion in our hearts, and tries to steal Jesus from us before we even know Him, like a seed dropped on a path that gets eaten by birds.
The next reason people don’t accept Jesus is Tribulation, or trials, like someone getting cancer or the death of children, which may cause us to doubt God’s love for us. How could a good God allow these things if He existed?
Then there is Persecution. Even simple things, like when family or friends scoff at the practice of our faith, may cause us to distance ourselves from our relationship with Jesus.
When we first learn about Jesus and what He has done for us, we are filled with joy. The inheritance we are to receive in heaven is almost too good to be true. But then we realize that a life of following Jesus isn’t always easy, in fact it is filled with much tribulation and persecution which causes suffering.
This is where we have to have deep roots, we have to get to know Jesus just like getting to know any person in a relationship. When we get to know a person, who they are, what they are about, we begin to understand them. We learn to trust them more and more that they will be here for us when we need them.
Jesus is especially with us in our suffering. We see that trust from Paul in our second reading who said, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us.”
Paul is a perfect example of someone who in fact persecuted the followers of Jesus, that is, until Paul got to know Jesus. When Paul got to know him, through much prayer and talking to other followers of Jesus, Paul was willing to put up with any persecution or tribulation, because He trusted in Jesus that much. He loved Jesus that much, because He knew of Jesus’ love for Him as a child of God.
The next obstacle to our relationship with Jesus is Worldly Anxiety. This doesn’t always mean “anxiety” like we think of it. World anxiety is anything that steals our attention from God. Things like work, or sports, or the river, basically any distractions which cause us to be so busy that we don’t even have time for prayer.
The Lure of Riches is there too, how many times have we heard the phrase, “time is money”… how can I afford to take quality time with Jesus when I could be productive making money?
The distractions and temptations for everything outside of our faith life are like thorns that choke out our relationship with Jesus, that choke out seeds planted in what is otherwise good soil.
Having a relationship with Jesus means actually following Him, reading the words of scripture and observing them. It means doing the corporal works of mercy: to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked and visit the sick and imprisoned.
It means continually growing as disciples, and not allowing the temptations, distractions and thorns to creep into our lives, while beginning to bear fruit, the fruits of the spirit being love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22)
It means receiving the sacraments, honoring the Sabbath and keeping it Holy. When Jesus said “do this in memory of me,” he meant continually, going to Mass every week, not just a one time thing or when it’s convenient, because that really isn’t love.
The sacraments and the gifts of the Holy Spirit overcome all five of those challenges; the devil, tribulation, persecution, worldly anxiety, and lure of riches can all be overcome by the tools of our faith, helping us to grow spiritually, growing our relationship with Jesus every day.