Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings for Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible

Commentary:

Reading 1 Isaiah 55:10-11

This reading represents the conclusion of Isaiah’s exhortation about the New Jerusalem. In these few verses we hear how the word of God must be soaked up by the faithful as rain is soaked up by the earth. Once it is absorbed it produces the desired result. Similar thought is expressed in the Gospel of St. John in his exhortation on the Eucharist (John 6:32) as the Word come down from heaven.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 65:10, 11, 12-13, 14
R. The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.

Psalm 65 is a song of thanksgiving. While the strophes presented are in gratitude for a bountiful harvest, the image of rain falling on crops and fields links nicely to the metaphor used in Isaiah 55 (above). God’s word brings forth a rich harvest causing rejoicing among those who receive its bounty. There is also an obvious connection to the Parable of the Sower in the Gospel.

Reading II Romans 8:18-23

“The glory that believers are destined to share with Christ far exceeds the sufferings of the present life. Paul considers the destiny of the created world to be linked with the future that belongs to the believers. As it shares in the penalty of corruption brought about by sin, so also will it share in the benefits of redemption and future glory that comprise the ultimate liberation of God's people.”[3]

Gospel Matthew 13:1-23

St. Matthew’s Gospel begins the third great discourse of teachings on the Kingdom of God through parables. We hear that Jesus is teaching from a boat which would provide a natural amphitheater with the ground sloping to the shore. Here the Lord presents the parable of the “Sower”. Jesus follows the unvarnished parable with a deeper explanation to the Disciples. 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.

When questioned on his purpose in using parables St. Matthew tells us Jesus response is “'they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand”. Using this literary form the Lord hopes to engage the listeners so they will be enlightened. (He paraphrases Isaiah 6:9-10 a warning to the prophet whom he has sent that those to whom he speaks will not understand). This citation implies that, as in St. Mark’s treatment of this Gospel, the difficulty of the metaphor is almost a punishment for the people’s earlier rejection of Jesus clearer statements.

“The point of the parable is that, in spite of some failure because of opposition and indifference, the message of Jesus about the coming of the kingdom will have enormous success.”[4]

Or Matthew 13:1-9

In this shorter form of the Gospel only the parable is given without St. Matthew’s description of how Jesus explained its meaning to the disciples and told them how God have given them the singular gift give in the ability to understand its meaning.

Homily:

I was recently challenged by a group of Catholics who had stopped attending Mass about the need to fulfill their obligations to follow that precept of the Church. Their argument was that they were good people, they read scripture (when the need or the impulse struck them), and they prayed regularly. They did not see why they needed to get up early on their only day off and go some distance to be with people they did not know well and who, in their estimation, did not really take it seriously or at least so it appeared to them.

You can imagine how difficult it was to find an end of that tangled mess of rationalized logic to start unwinding. My first statement to them was that while they might read the Bible at home, which was a good thing, it is impossible to understand what is being said at an individual level. Sacred Scripture, the Word of God as it is called in Isaiah today, was sent not to the individual but to the whole world. To presume that the full meaning can be understood as it applies to an individual is like seeing a grain of sand and saying you have seen the beach. There is just not enough context with which to grasp the whole picture.

Next I tried to remind them that, in addition to hearing the Word of God in the context in which it was meant to be received, they also would be eligible receive the sacramental grace of the Eucharist (I said eligible because, given their lapse it was clear they should first be reconciled with the Lord in the confessional).

Finally I pointed out that by electing not to attend Mass, for the reasons they had given, that is; first they didn’t get anything out of it, second it was disruptive to their rest and leisure on their day off, and finally because they did not enjoy the experience (it was not socially fun), they were being simply lazy and selfish. They were neglecting their spiritual selves because it takes work to grow in that sense. I also told them that; if they believed, as they said they did, in God and His Son, Jesus, then they were not doing what they were told to do. – It was like they were sitting on the bench when they were needed to be playing with the team.

As hard as it was for me to admit it, it appeared that the seed the Lord spoke of in his parable today in this case had fallen on either the path, on rocks or among weeds. It was hard to tell even though I knew these people very well (You see they were all members of my family).

This example is used today because we have been hearing much about the apostolic mission that has been handed on from Jesus to us through the Apostles. We have heard how important it is for us to share the faith we have been given. In the Lord’s example today we know that our efforts will be frustrating as his were. He tells us that to some of the people we encounter, the Word we bring them will find immediate resonance. They will jump at the hope we bring. But like that seed that takes root in rocky ground, once they understand that this is not a sprint but a distance race, they will tire and go back to the way things were. Does that mean we too should give up? No, because we know that, like training for a race, we start with short distances and build up our strength. We go back to them and try again.

Also from our example today we know that to some people we approach with word and example, it will be difficult to get them to see the value of the gift God gives. The weeds of secular values have choked the path on which we try to lead them. Christ’s message is not going to build them up in the eyes of their secular peers. In fact, they may see this as a disadvantage, a roadblock to success. After all the ideas of “Take no prisoners”, a hallmark in many corporate business plans conflicts directly with the compassion of Christ’s message.

Others still will have already fallen so far that the word cannot reach them. The birds will have carried them away and the message for them is dead. For these, when we meet them, we need to pray. We will identify them easily because they will be the most vehement critics of the Church and the word.

Today the message has been given to us in parable and we thank God that He has given us the wisdom and strength to understand his hope for us. We are persuaded once more to take the Word to those we meet so that God’s will can be accomplished through us. Above all today, we are encouraged to be persistent in our efforts, even when it appears we have been rejected and the Word has fallen on rocks, on the path, or among weeds. Like Jesus himself our hand must always be outstretched, inviting our brothers and sisters to share the hope, consolation, and love that is Jesus.

Pax

[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture used today is “The Field is the World”, by UNKNOWN artist, c. 1892
[3] Taken from NAB footnote on Romans 8:18ff
[4] Taken from NAB footnote on Matthew 13:3ff