Friday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

“Landscape with the Parable of the Sower”
by Pieter Bruegel the Elder 1557

Readings for Friday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Exodus 20:1-17
 
In those days:
God delivered all these commandments:
 
"I, the LORD, am your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery.
You shall not have other gods besides me.
You shall not carve idols for yourselves
in the shape of anything in the sky above
or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth;
you shall not bow down before them or worship them.
For I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God,
inflicting punishment for their fathers' wickedness
on the children of those who hate me,
down to the third and fourth generation;
but bestowing mercy down to the thousandth generation
on the children of those who love me and keep my commandments.
 
"You shall not take the name of the LORD, your God, in vain.
For the LORD will not leave unpunished
him who takes his name in vain.
 
"Remember to keep holy the sabbath day.
Six days you may labor and do all your work,
but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD, your God.
No work may be done then either by you, or your son or daughter,
or your male or female slave, or your beast,
or by the alien who lives with you.
In six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth,
the sea and all that is in them;
but on the seventh day he rested.
That is why the LORD has blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.
 
"Honor your father and your mother,
that you may have a long life in the land
which the LORD, your God, is giving you.
 
"You shall not kill.
 
"You shall not commit adultery.
 
"You shall not steal.
 
"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
 
"You shall not covet your neighbor's house.
You shall not covet your neighbor's wife,
nor his male or female slave, nor his ox or ass,
nor anything else that belongs to him."
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Commentary on Ex 20:1-17
 
In this reading we are given the Exodus version of the delivery of the Ten Commandments by Moses. The fact that the Decalogue is repeated here and in Deuteronomy indicates the importance of these statutes as a moral code for the people of God. While the division into Ten Commandments is somewhat uncertain, we believe that verses 1-6 constitute one commandment while verse 7 describes two (see also Deuteronomy 5:6-21).
“The chief discrepancies between Exodus and Deuteronomy consist in the humanitarian motivation added in the latter for the observance of the Sabbath precept, and in the reversal of order in Exodus 20:17 and Deuteronomy 5:21. In Exodus, ‘house’ is named first and then ‘wife.’” [4]
 
CCC: Ex 20:1-17 2056; Ex 20:2-5 2083; Ex 20:2 2061; Ex 20:7 2141; Ex 20:8-10 2167; Ex 20:11 2169; Ex 20:12 2196, 2200, 2214; Ex 20:13 2257; Ex 20:14 2330; Ex 20:15 2400; Ex 20:16 2463, 2504; Ex 20:17 1456, 2513, 2533
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 11
 
R. (John 6:68c) Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
 
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
 
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
 
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
 
They are more precious than gold,
than a heap of purest gold;
Sweeter also than syrup
or honey from the comb.
R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
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Commentary on Ps 19:8, 9, 10, 11
 
Psalm 19 is a hymn of praise. In this passage, we give praise for God’s gift of the law which guides us in our daily lives. The hymn also extols the virtue of obedience and steadfastness to the law and its precepts. The passage also reflects the idea that following God’s statutes leads to peace and prosperity.
 
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Gospel: Matthew 13:18-23
 
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Hear 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."
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Commentary on Mt 13:18-23
 
This passage from St. Matthew is the explanation of the Parable of the Sower. This explanation is given to the disciples as St. Matthew’s way of explaining it to his broader audience. It follows Jesus’ earlier response to their question about why he teaches using parables and his lament that many will not see the message contained or hear these teachings.

“Jesus here acts as ‘mystagogue,’ initiating the disciples into the ‘mystery,’ or secret meaning, of the parable. The incarnate Logos, Jesus of Nazareth, is the one in whom the eternal wisdom both devised and realized the structure of the cosmic order, the structure of man’s being, as well as the plan for our redemption. […] For this reason, only he can personally reveal the internal meaning, workings, and interconnections of these various planes of the divine creativity. [sic]” [5]
 
CCC: Mt 13:3-23 1724; Mt 13:22 29
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Reflection:
 
We come back to the Parable of the Sower in St. Matthew’s Gospel, and we should take a closer look.  Jesus is telling his disciples what the parable means. The first example he uses is the seed that falls upon the path.  He says that represents one who hears about the Kingdom of God but does not understand.  The leap of faith is just too much. 
 
In our day and age, people who are raised without even the concept of God could be in that same situation.  In this instance, we could also think about children who have been traumatized at a young age.  If their parents were not loving, merciful, and nurturing during their first two years, children have a very difficult time understanding a loving, merciful and nurturing God.
 
The second instance is when the seed falls on rocky ground.  Jesus tells us that without the deep roots of faith (while faith is a gift, it must also be grown) initial joy gives way to despair as the shallow faith is washed away in tribulation.  We see that frequently in individuals who catch fire without foundation.  Frankly it happens much more frequently in other Christian denominations that do not require the serious commitment of something like the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA).  When a person needs to go through nine months of weekly classes and several interviews, they tend to have a good foundation, deeper roots than the person who attends a prayer service and is “saved,” immediately accepted into the congregation, without needing any discipline of faith.  Just so we don’t get complacent, it also happens to a cradle Catholics who have an adult conversion experience but stopped their formation in the faith in grade school or early high school.
 
Next, we hear the Lord talk about the seed sown among the thorns.  Some things never change.  What was true in the Lord's day is true in ours.  Many people are exposed to the temptations of our secular world and, without that foundational faith to keep them strong, they also fall prey to  “worldly anxiety and the lure of riches,” and they bear no fruit.  It is this situation that we must all be wary of since that allure is always with us.
 
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.
 
Ah, this is where we all hope to be.  There is, however, one interesting little trap here.  Notice the key phrase: “the one who hears.” That phrase implies that the hearer is actively listening.  Saying, “I have heard” is like saying “I have watered my garden.”  Once we have listened, we must continue to actively listen.  Failing to do that puts us on rocky ground (sorry for that, but it was too obvious.)
 
Today our prayer is the Ephphatha, paraphrased here. It is the prayer used in baptism while touching the ears and lips on an infant being baptized:
 
May the Lord open our ears to receive His word,
and our lips to proclaim His praise.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen
 
Pax

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[1] The picture is “Landscape with the Parable of the Sower” by Pieter Bruegel the Elder 1557.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968 on Exodus 20:1-17, §48.
[5] Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word Volume II, Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 2003, p. 215.