Friday, July 23, 2021

 Friday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

 (Jeremiah 3:14-17; Matthew 13:18-23)

In a television drama, a detective is asked if he believes in God.  He answers that he used to and hints that he lost his faith when his wife was killed in a hit and run accident.  The vignette demonstrates what Jesus means in the gospel by saying that some seed falls on rocky ground.

 No one’s life is always easy.  Everyone suffers setbacks and experiences limits.  Yet everyone as well is beckoned to respond in faith to God’s loving initiatives.  He gives life and, more significantly, sends men and women to preach of His mercy.  Rebelliousness and outrage hinder a positive response.  These obstacles comprise the rocky ground of the parable.  Still it is not necessary to lose faith.  Jesus is urging his listeners to soften the ground of their lives by breaking up clods of anger.  Recalling the many good people and wonderful experiences for which we did nothing to merit helps in this endeavor.  As countless suffering people have testified, God is more generous than anyone deserves.

 We live in an age of disbelief.  Statistics may say that a majority still believes in God, but the idea-makers are predominately agnostic and the faith of many is tenuous. Now more than ever perhaps it is our responsibility as believers to testify to our faith.  We can tell others how when we pray, good things happen.  At the very least, prayer enables us to cope with misfortune without cursing or self-pity.

Friday, July 24, 2020

Friday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Jeremiah 3:14-17; Matthew 13:18-23)

Jesus’ parable speaks of seed being scattered throughout a field. There is no part of the field that does not receive some. The parable indicates how the gospel carrying the story of the sacrifice of the Son of God for the world is spread throughout the world. All kinds of people hear it and respond to it according to their own disposition. The parable describes four dispositions as conditions of the earth: the roadside, the shallow earth, the thorny earth, and the fertile earth. It is worth reflecting on each of these conditions carefully in what I would like to say today.

Some people are like seed on the roadside.  They do not want to leave the street. They think of life as a great competition to get the most pleasure possible. Other people are like rocky ground. They hear the word of God and are attracted to its promise of eternal life. But they do not have the will to follow Christ in order to attain it.  A third kind of people are like seed sown among thorns. They also respond favorably to the story of Jesus in the beginning. They want to follow him, but they also want to follow things that take them in another direction. The "good land" describes people who love others as well as God. Like Jesus himself they want to sow seeds of peace and love among the people.

Instead of thinking of ourselves as a type of land, it is better to consider ourselves as a field. Our field has all four types of land mentioned in the parable. We are partly road, partly rocky soil, partly land with thorns, and partly good land. Our task in life is to till the field so that all our land yields produce. We have to cover the road with dirt to avoid the crudeness that spoils the soul. We have to also add soil to the rocks by keeping our promises to God and to others. And we have to pluck the thorns of frivolous pursuits from our lives. Doing all this, we will be supporting our companions, giving glory to God, and preserving the hope of eternal life for ourselves.

Friday, July 27, 2018

Friday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Jeremiah 3:14-17; Matthew 13:18-23)

In a television drama, a detective is asked if he believes in God.  He answers that he used to and hints that he lost his faith when his wife was killed in a hit and run accident.  The vignette demonstrates what Jesus means in the gospel by saying that some seed falls on rocky ground.

No one’s life is always easy.  Everyone suffers setbacks and experiences limits.  Yet everyone as well is beckoned to respond in faith to God’s loving initiatives.  He gives life and, more significantly, sends men and women to preach of His mercy.  Rebelliousness and outrage hinder a positive response.  These obstacles comprise the rocky ground of the parable.  Still it is not inevitable that anyone lose faith.  Jesus is urging his listeners to soften the ground of their lives by breaking up clods of anger.  As countless suffering people have testified, God is more generous than anyone deserves.

We live in an age of disbelief.  Statistics may say that a majority still believes in God, but the idea-makers are predominately agnostic and the faith of many is tenuous. Now more than ever perhaps it is our responsibility as believers to testify to our faith.  We can tell others how when we pray, good things happen.  At the very least, prayer enables us to cope with misfortune without cursing or self-pity.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Friday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Jeremiah 3:14-17; Matthew 13:18-23)

In a recent television show, a detective is asked if he believes in God. He only answers that he used to but hints that he lost his faith when his wife was killed in a hit and run accident. The vignette demonstrates what Jesus means in the gospel by saying that some seed falls on rocky ground.

No one’s life is always easy. Everyone suffers setbacks and experiences limits. Yet everyone as well is beckoned to respond in faith to God’s initiatives – both the fact of having been born and, more significantly, in hearing of God’s love. Outrage over one’s lot and rebelliousness in one’s nature hinder that response. These obstacles comprise the rocky ground of the parable. Still it is not inevitable that anyone lose faith. Indeed, by telling the parable Jesus is exhorting his listeners to soften the ground of their lives by removing the rocks of rebelliousness and breaking up the clods of anger to embrace God’s love. As countless suffering people testify, God is more generous with them than they deserve.

We live in an age of disbelief. Statistics may say that the majority still believes in God, but the idea makers are predominately agnostic and the trust of many is tenuous. Now more than ever perhaps it is our responsibility as believers to testify to our faith. We can tell others how when we pray, good things happen. At the very least, prayer enables us to cope with misfortune without cursing or self-pity.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Friday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Jeremiah 3:14-17; Matthew 13:18-23)

The gospel today speaks of different types of soil to nourish the seed of the word of God. It features the many qualities of ground as metaphors that facilitate the coming of the Kingdom: proximity to well-traveled roads, rockiness, presence of thorns, and richness of composition. Let’s take a look at rocky soil that provides little substance in which the word of God may take root. We will begin with an example.

Last week the legislature in Argentina passed a law which validates so-called gay marriages. Some well-intentioned people show little concern about this development. They claim, “If gays or lesbians in another part of the world think they are married, let them; it doesn’t affect me.” However, the new law in Argentina is part of a global movement that is distorting a proper understanding of marriage. Marriage unites a man and a woman in intimate love so that they may procreate and provide for children. It is an absolutely vital institution that must be safeguarded if civilization is not to devolve. Seeing it exclusively as an arrangement for sexual gratification or even the partnering of individuals lessens its purpose of engendering and nourishing new generations of responsible people. Much more may be said about marriage; for example, why heterosexual couples who cannot give birth may wed. But now it is only necessary to note that an improper concept of marriage easily leads to shallow existence thwarting the fruition of the word of God.

Upholding the nature of marriage as a union of love and the proper context of procreation does not ordain contempt for homosexuals. God knows that they are too often ridiculed and harassed. Like everyone else, they must be accepted and cherished as human beings. But recognizing the inherent contradiction of “gay marriage” as possible disserves society and makes the ground on humanity treads especially rocky.