7-12-26 15 Sunday Ordinary Time, Cycle A
The 15th Sunday
in Ordinary
The readings this weekend seem to preach their own homily. They are simple and not too complex. From the first reading to the last, the gospel, they speak about words and the Word of God. The words of God come from the Old Testament and the prophets like Isaiah in the first reading. The Word of God comes in the New Testament through the life and salvific work of Jesus Christ. Of course, in the Old Testament there were many words of God as we look at what the prophets and people like Moses wrote. The gospels speak not only of the words of God also, but more importantly they speak the only Word of God, Jesus, “In the beginning* was the Word, and the Word was with God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be.” (John 1:1-2) That Word which was God is the word that reverberates throughout the universe like an echo. This Word seeks to be heard and understood. It settles in many hearts. Sometimes those hearts are fertile and ready to accept this Word of God. Others though many hearts may be hardened by cares of the world and influenced by what the world teaches as valuable. And as such, the seed of God’s word finds difficulty in taking root and growing. Other environments into which God attempts to plant his word, are environments where hostility and hardness of heart seek to choke out the nurturance of God’s word within it. The readings ask of us to ponder what type of environment is within our hearts and minds for God’s words or more importantly the Word of God? How ready are we to not only accept of the words of God, but do we have a readiness to act upon it faithfully, through listening, reflection, and acceptance of what it truly is the way to eternal life. This Word of God, this eternal seed of truth, seeks to impregnate our minds and hearts to bring them to the fullness of what God intended us to be through his creative act of our being. He intended us to come to the fullness of our creation by sending into the world the one, Jesus, who could fully redeem what had been lost by sin. The sufferings we endure, whether they be physical, spiritual, or personal, are small matters compared to what God’s ultimate plan for us has always been. St. Paul understood this after many years of preaching, being rejected, tortured, and finally endangered of execution. And so, from such experiences he was able to finally and confidently exclaim in his letter (Second readings this Sunday) to his fellow Christian among the Romans- “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us.” This glory of which he speaks was the seed, God planted in him long before Paul encountered Christ, but which could only come to fruition when he finally, after much struggle, accepted Christ, the ultimate Word of God. And once he prepared the soil within himself for the fuller acceptance of this Word of God, it was then that he could grow to his full maturity as a follower of Christ. The readings ask of us what is the “soil condition” of our souls. Is it a fertile place where God’s word, God’s inspiration and intention can take root? Is it a soil which has become harden by life and circumstances that we feel God, if we believe that he exists at all for us, has little interest in what happens to us. Is it a soil where the circumstances of our life, whether they be poverty, addiction, life in a broken family, poor health, unemployment, imprisonment are choking out, blotting out our hope, and trust that God cares about or for us. The readings ask of us also what have we done to prepare fertile soil within our soul for this Word of God to touch us. Have we developed a life of prayer whereby we can till the soil of our soul and enhance its readiness to receive the seed of God’s words or even more, a soul ready for Word of God, Jesus? Have we placed ourselves within a community of believers that can tend and nourish our souls through sharing the word(s) of God with us? Have we believed in the Son of God’s presence through the Blessed Sacrament, and have we made that food a weekly if not daily nourishment for the soil of our soul? If we have listened not only with open ears, but with a willing heart to the word of God, so that it has touched us and prompted us to put it into action (i.e., service) in our lives? Actions that will give witness not only to what we believe but actions that will bear fruitful evidence to God presence and care for the world and all of his creation, “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.” (Isaiah 55:11) The preparing of the soil within our soul is not a one-time experience, but like in gardening, it requires an ever-vigilant concern for garden and the potential weeds that can invade it. Weeds in a garden can choke the life from seedlings even before they can form a good root structure to bring the plant to fullness of what it was meant to be. Like Jesus asks in the gospel, are our spiritual ears open to the words of God, and the Word of God, and are we ready to put those words of God into action? Or have these spiritual seeds fallen on hard ground where the birds (i.e., cares of the world) can pluck them up and devour them, or the thorns of hopelessness and despair can choke them off before they have even had a chance to set roots and grow. And so, we are asked through these readings to ponder in reflection and prayer about what is the spiritual soil of our soul like, or what do we need to do to prepare our spiritual soil for the words of God, and the Word of God, to enrich it?
