Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Catechism Links [1]
CCC 546: Christ teaches through parables
CCC 1703-1709: Capacity to know and correspond to the voice of God
CCC 2006-2011: God associates man in working of grace
CCC 1046-1047: Creation part of the new universe
CCC 2707: The value of meditation

“Sermon from a boat on Lake Genisaret”
from the refectory of
the Sergius Compound Palestine c. 1892

Readings for Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time [2]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
 
Readings and Commentary: [4]
 
Reading 1: Isaiah 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.
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Commentary on Is 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.
 
“The Word comes from God, but it can be heard only when it is soaked up in human life and spoken with human accents. Deutero-Isaiah [Deutero-Isaiah refers to the second half of the book, written during the Babylonian exile.] explains world history, particularly the sacred history of Israel, through the deep, omnipotent presence of the Word (cf. Wisdom 8:1; 2 Corinthians 9:10). M.-E. Boismard attributes to this text the immediate origin of the Johannine theology of the Word (St. John's Prologue [Westminster, 1957] 100). We hear its echo in John's doctrine of the Eucharist-the Word come down from heaven and received as bread (John 6:32, 35).” [5]
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 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.
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Commentary on Ps 65:10, 11, 12-13, 14
 
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 55:10-11. 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 Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-23; Luke 8:5-15.
 
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Reading II: Romans 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.
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Commentary on Rom 8:18-23
 
“Paul contends, on the basis of cost-benefit analysis, that even our heaviest burdens of suffering are far outweighed by the glory that awaits us (2 Corinthians 4:17). Though the afflictions of our time on earth are inescapable, the Spirit helps to make them bearable (Romans 8:26). Suffering is all part of God’s plan to mold us into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29).” [6]
 
“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.” [7]
 
CCC:  Rom 8:18-23 280; Rom 8:18 1721; Rom 8:19-23 1046; Rom 8:20 400; Rom 8:21 1741; Rom 8:22 2630; Rom 8:23-24 2630; Rom 8:23 735
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Gospel: Matthew 13:1-23
 
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.”
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Commentary on Mt 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 up from 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. This differs from the modern method of plowing furrows and then placing the seed within it, covering the seed as the farmer proceeds along the row.
 
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 he sends, that those to whom he speaks will not understand.) This citation implies that, as in St. Mark’s treatment of this parable (Mark 4:1-23), 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.” [8]
 
CCC: Mt 13:3-23 1724; Mt 13:3-9 546
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Or
Shorter Form: Matthew 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.”
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Commentary on Mt 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 has given them the singular gift, the ability to understand its meaning.
 
“True illumination comes from a parable only after something has changed within us and we have come to accept the divine viewpoint it reveals. Otherwise, the manner in which a parable supplants neat human logic with God's unfathomable ways can produce confusion and even irritation and anger on the part of the unregenerate listener. We may conclude, then, that parables are not a test of human intelligence that functions like riddles. Rather, they are verbal strategies of grace that test the willingness of the human heart to surrender to, and be enfolded by, the always surprising generosity of wisdom.” [9]
 
CCC: Mt 13:3-9 546
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Reflection:
 
Most people these days use a computer for one thing or another.  As I reflected upon Sacred Scripture in preparation for Mass this weekend it struck me that there are two keys on the keyboard that represent things we can never have: the Control key, and the Escape key.
 
The Gospel gives us some familiar images related to that weakness, does it not?  The parable of “the Sower” is found in all three of the synoptic Gospels; Matthew (heard today), Mark, and Luke.  For us to understand why Jesus uses this parable we must pay attention to his situation.  At the very beginning of the passage we hear:
 
“Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore.”
 
The Lord must have looked out at those people.  He would have seen all of their motives. He knew that, with their free will, he would never control them and did not wish to escape from them.  Some came because they were curious, others because they had heard parts of the message and were caught up in it. The thought expressed in the Gospel was popular, and this young rabbi was amazing (performing miracles and all).  Many of those from the local synagogue would have been prominent businesspeople, interested in this new approach to their ancient faith.  Some of those on the shore were full of hope; Jesus’ disciples and close friends would have been in this category. Oh, and the poor and the marginalized would resonate with Jesus’ message.  They would cling to it, seeing their own salvation, if not in this life, in the next.
 
All of these different motives would have been clear to Jesus in an instant as he scanned the faces turned toward him as he sat in that boat. 
 
Seeing the curious he said, “Some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up.” These people would not be with him long.  His message of love and hope would not attract them.  They were simply there because they had nothing better to do.  We see the same in our community.  They are the ones who might stop to listen to an argument at work about care for the poor or the unborn and then walk away, unmoved by the plight of either.
 
Seeing the next group, the fad seekers, he said: “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.” These would be the people who liked the message of hope the Lord proclaimed but would not take it to heart.  It was only attractive until it became work to act upon it.  Again, we see the same people who come to our community. They are full of fire until it becomes inconvenient, or some new idea steals their attention. 
 
Next the Lord addressed those driven by secular success.  This group had such promise, but their hearts were not with Jesus, their hearts were with what their society called “success.”  To these he said: “Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.” Talented people in our own community are frequently lured into spiritual failure by worldly values.  How true the Gospel is when the Lord said later “a person can only serve one master” (Luke 16:13; Matthew 6:24).  It is the rare person who can achieve fiscal success while staying focused on the things of God.
 
And finally, the Lord looked among that large crowd and saw the faces that peered back at him with hope and love.  His friends and family (Mother Mary was almost certainly in that crowd) would be among them.  To these Jesus says: “But some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”
 
This, of course is the category we all hope to be in, is it not?  We all want to be the good seed that falls on rich soil.  We want our faith to shine out and produce that rich harvest.  Or do we?
 
Think for a moment about what he means when the Lord says it produced “much fruit.”  That statement means that if we want to be the good seed, our results for the Lord’s sake must be tangible and visible.  Coming to Mass on Sunday and then burying the message we receive is exactly what the prophet Isaiah was talking about in that first reading:
 
“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.”
 
What we receive we are asked to give, to put into use.  That is not an easy thing to do outside these walls, outside of our family (and sometimes even in the family).  We are called to take the message of love into the world even though the world will not accept it.
 
I was talking recently to a friend whose wife had just recently given birth to their first-born. He told me that during labor, after a particularly sharp contraction, she had said: “I cannot for the life of me understand why any woman would want to have more than one child after going through this the first time.  I don’t ever want to do this again.”
 
He said he was amazed to hear her say the next day, after she had delivered successfully and was holding their new daughter: “What a wonderful gift she is to us.  Do you think she would like a brother or sister?” The gift of new life had wiped out the memory of the pain of labor.
 
Often, when God’s gifts are given, we experience pain and discomfort as our lives are literally turned upside down.  And as often as we experience this change, our first reaction is to reject the gift, seeing the cost as being too high.  St. Paul says that exact thing in the opening of the passage we were given from his letter to the Romans: “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us.”
 
That is the difficult part of the parable of the Sower.  It is not simply recognizing that we should wish to be the good seed but rather making the sacrifices necessary to become the good seed.
 
At the very beginning of my remarks, I talked about the two keys representing things we could never really have.  I now choose to contradict myself.  Because God, in his wisdom gave us free will, we can choose to control our own actions and directions.  We can choose to be the good seed, escaping the traps set by the secular world, and in doing so bring the Lord his bountiful harvest.
 
Pax
 

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[1] Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2] The picture used today is “Sermon from a boat on Lake Genisaret” from the refectory of the Sergius Compound Palestine c. 1892.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio
[4] 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.
[5] Jerome Biblical Commentary (Prentice Hall, Inc.© 1968), 22:49,380.
[6] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible (Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. © 2010), 268.
[7] NAB footnote on Romans 8:18ff.
[8] NAB footnote on Matthew 13:3ff.
[9] Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word Volume II (Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 2003),192.