15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A
Isaiah 55:10-11
Psalm 65:10, 11, 12-13, 14 (Luke 8:8)
Romans 8:18-23
Matthew 13:1-23
July 16, 2023
The crowds that came to Jesus were large. They all had heard something about Jesus that drew them there. Perhaps they heard of miracles He had done. Others may have about his teaching. They came because they were curious but were they serious about their faith?
Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. His disciples asked why. He answers by quoting scripture, “they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.” Those who are serious about what Jesus says will come to understand. He will explain the parables to them.
Jesus explains the Parable of the Sower by comparing the seed & soil to our response to God’s Word. Isaiah tells us that God’s Word is sent with a purpose, “Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do no return there till they have watered the earth, making them fertile and fruitful…so shall my word be…my word shall not return to me void…achieving the end for which I sent it.”
God gives us his Word. He plants his Word within us so that we might be transformed by it. Do we allow ourselves to be transformed? Or do we make ourselves like the path where the seed is thrown but cannot grow because the path is too hard? Have we hardened our hearts such that we do not truly hear God’s Word?
Maybe we are like the rocky ground where the seed begins to grow but it doesn’t last because we don’t allow it to grow deep roots in us. Here, our faith is just superficial.
Maybe we have a genuine desire to grow in faith but we allow the thorns of worldly things to take priority in our lives and our faith is choked off. For instance, how important is coming to Sunday Mass to you? Do you come every week?
Or are we like the rich soil, bearing fruit “a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”
We often use this parable to reflect on how we are doing individually in living our faith. Today I would like to take an opportunity to think about how we are doing as a community of faith.
If we look at how many people come to church, St. Mary’s is around 70% of the attendance before COVID. St. Benedict’s is around 80%. We blame COVID but it’s no secret that attendance has been declining for a long time. Likewise, collections are down and we struggle to have enough volunteers.
It would seem that people have not allowed faith to form deep roots in them and/or their faith has been choked off by the thorns of the world.
Do not give up! There is hope! First, while collections are down, they are not down as much as attendance. St. Mary’s collections are 83% of what they were before COVID while St. Benedict’s collections are actually up a little. There might be fewer people coming but those who do come care.
While our two biggest donors to our diocesan CMA moved away, others have stepped up and we continue to meet our goals. People do care.
Our Community Table has returned and the number of people coming to receive a meal has been increasing through the spring. The faith of volunteers and supporters is bearing fruit.
In looking at how our parishes lead to our parishioners bearing fruit, it is not just within our parishes. I think about our parishioners who volunteer for Habitat for Humanity to help provide a home for people. This pleases God. I also think about our parishioners who volunteer with Catholic Charities Mobile Food Truck. They have responded to God’s Word and answer the call to love thy neighbor.
How does your faith shape your life?
Are you a health care worker, motivated by faith to care for others?
Are you a police officer or firefighter, motivated by faith to protect other?
Are you a teacher, motivated by faith, to help the students become good people?
Whatever you do, how does your faith shape what you do?
I believe the faith of our parishioners is bearing fruit but it could do more. What will it take to bear more fruit?
It starts with hearing God’s Word. You hear God’s Word proclaimed in the readings at Mass but are you paying attention as the words are read? Do you pay attention to what is said in the homily or do you tune out the preacher, assuming he is just saying the same old thing?
Do you make any effort to deepen your faith? If you do pay attention to the readings and the homily, do you allow yourself to be changed by them? Do you make any effort beyond Mass to read and understand the Bible? Do you take advantage of other opportunities to learn about our faith?
If we want to bear fruit a hundred-fold, we need rich soil to root ourselves in. It starts in God’s Word. There is more. Rich soil has good nutrients in it. Where else can we go for food for our soul?
The Bread of Life is food for our souls. It is the Eucharist. It is Jesus that we receive. Our reception of the Eucharist will bear incredible fruit if we understand what we are receiving. If we think it is just a piece of bread we receive, it will not change us. If we know in faith that it is Jesus we receive, we will become what we receive.
Then, we will live out our faith. We will bear more fruit. Our witness will draw others to the faith and we will have more people join us and they too will bear good fruit.