(Optional Memorial for Saint Robert Bellarmine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church)
(Optional Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
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| “The Sower” by Sir Edward Burne-Jones, 1880 |
On Saturdays in Ordinary Time when there is no obligatory memorial, an optional memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary is allowed.[1] Mass texts may be taken from the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from a Votive Mass, or from the special collection of Masses for the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Commentary:
Commentary on 1 Cor 15:35-37, 42-49
St. Paul anticipates an argument that might be posed by those who do not believe in the resurrection. He uses two analogies to describe what kind of form or essence will be assumed. The first analogy is of the seed that must be planted in the ground in order to grow into “new life.” The second analogy is that of the creation of the first earthly being, Adam, and comparing that physical form to the firstborn of the dead in Christ, who had both earthly form, and became the “New Adam” in the resurrection.
St. Paul is eloquent in describing the difference between the earthly form and the resurrected body. Where the earthly form may be flawed, the spiritual body in the resurrection will be perfect. He envisions a resurrected body with the qualities of glory, power, and spirituality, which is a creation in God’s heavenly image. “The contrast between Adam and Christ shows that by nature we get a body from Adam that is physical, earthly, and mortal; and by grace we expect a body from Christ that is spiritual, heavenly, and immortal (1 Corinthians 15:21-22). Paul draws on Genesis 2:7 to hint that Adam’s creation bears a certain likeness to Christ’s Resurrection. Just as Adam’s body was raised from the earth by the breath of natural life, so Christ’s body was raised from the earth by the Spirit of supernatural life. It is this life-giving Spirit, now channeled to the world through the sacrament of Christ’s risen humanity, that will raise our bodies also (Romans 8:11).”[5]
CCC: 1 Cor 15:35-50 646; 1 Cor 15:35-37 999; 1 Cor 15:42-44 1683; 1 Cor 15:42 999, 1017; 1 Cor 15:44-45 364; 1 Cor 15:44 999, 1017; 1 Cor 15:45 411, 504; 1 Cor 15:47 504
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R. (14) I will walk in the presence of God, in the light of the living.
Commentary on Ps 56:10c-12, 13-14
Psalm 56 is an individual lament. The psalmist expresses unbounded faith in God who will protect and lift up his faithful children. The singer’s own fidelity wins salvation from God who rescues him from death. Placed against St. Paul’s description of the resurrected body, these strophes reflect the salvation of resurrection as the faithful walk with God.
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Commentary on Lk 8:4-15
Jesus uses the rich analogy of the seed (of faith given in Baptism) to show the various courses of faith in human endeavor. Because our selection gives not only the parable but the Lord’s explanation of its meaning, the only historical note we will make is that, at that point in history, in that region, when planting a field, the seed was sown first and then the field was plowed. (See more extensive commentary on Matthew 13:1-23)
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Reflection:
From time to time, even the most secular person pauses to wonder: “What will my legacy be when I am gone? Who will remember me, and what will they remember?” As we consider the Parable of the Sower, we can speculate that these questions may have been considered by Jesus as well. Being truly man, that is, not thinking about his situation as if he were God, eternal and omnipresent, he would feel a sense of frustration. He brought the words of life to God’s adopted children, each of whom is precious to his loving Father. Yet, he could see with his own eyes that only a tiny fraction were understanding what he was saying, and accepting the great gift that was being offered.
Jesus explains this frustration to his disciples after he tells the parable to his larger entourage. What he speaks of, even to this small group, is his legacy and posterity. Each of the twelve will play some part in what he leaves behind. Even Judas, who betrays him, has an important role to play. These Apostles sowed the early seeds of faith, seeds that at, various times and circumstances, have been choked by weeds of dissension, parched by scandal, and fallen onto the rocks of persecution. Still the grain blooms, and new generations of seed are grown, themselves to fall to the earth.
Through this process, we were brought into the faith, frequently by our parents but possibly by others. Each generation lays the groundwork for the one that follows. We must, when reading the parable of the sower, look at ourselves and ask: what will we provide for those who follow us, the new seeds? Will we advance Christ’s cause through our actions, demonstrating the kind of fruit we are, or will we rot on the vine or lay on fallow ground? At various times in our lives most of us could see ourselves failing, and at others exceeding beyond all hope.
Today, we again take stock of our location in God’s garden, and ask if we are in fertile soil, or if we need to dig deeper. Always the answer will be, dig deeper, because our Lord, who first fell to the ground dying and rising to new life, showed us what wholesome grain must be. So today we dig deeper, praying that the fruit we bear will give rise to a glorious future for those who follow, and a birth to new life for us, on the last day.
Pax
[1] General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar Miscellaneous Notes no. 5
[2] The picture used today is “The Sower” by Sir Edward Burne-Jones, 1880
[5] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. pp. 308
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