Weekly Reflections

CC@S CC@S

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 9, 2020

Gospel: Matthew 14:22–33

Theme: Jesus will never abandon us, especially in stormy times.

Gospel: Matthew 14:22–33

Theme: Jesus will never abandon us, especially in stormy times.

Matthew 14:22–33

Then he made the disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.

When it was evening he was there alone. Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.

During the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. “It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear. At once [Jesus] spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”

Peter said to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how [strong] the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God.”

Music Meditations

Companions for the Journey

From a homily delivered at CC@S Mass in 2008:

It is always helpful to locate the scripture passage into the greater story that the evangelist has woven. Today’s incident immediately follows the miraculous feeding of the five thousand. If I were one of the disciples I would have felt that I was so fortunate to have found this miracle worker who could cure the sick and take care of the hungry. Here is somebody I can rely on. Sometimes religion sounds like it is making similar offers; that it can help us stay on the right side of God and get us out of any predicament in which we find ourselves. If you’ve “got religion” and do things “properly” you’ve got protection and life ought to work out for you. (adapted from Jude Siciliano: FI 19 SUNDAY 2005). Well, my friends, this story should disabuse you of that notion. Look at the disciples in today’s story. They get into the boat on Lake Galilee as he tells them to, and they get in without Jesus, as he tells them to. Now the Sea of Galilee, 700 feet below sea level, was and still is known for its violent storms, causing many to drown in its waters. These storms can come up suddenly, with cool air from the surrounding hills or the Golan Heights colliding violently with the warm air near the surface of the water, creating enormous waves and howling winds.

Imagine the disciples’ consternation when their certainty of safety is shattered by this vicious and dangerous storm. Don’t you think the disciples wonder if Jesus has absconded, taking God with him? Jesus is off on a mountain somewhere, and here they are struggling with the wind and the waves. By the time Jesus shows up, it is dawn. That is an awful lot of hours of being tossed and buffeted with no let-up. (I’ll just bet they didn’t hear the still small voice of God in the winds out there on the lake that day, either.) I can almost feel their panic as they struggle just to hang on and keep the boat afloat, wondering if the howling will stop and the waves will ever get calm again. I am sure they feel that they might die out there, as others have in the past.

Have you ever felt that this incident might be a metaphor for certain times in your life? What are the storms in your religious or personal life? Ever felt adrift and at sea? Ever felt that you have been left by your own stony lonesome to work things out?

The story speaks immediately to our lives; if not today, then yesterday; if not yesterday, then tomorrow. (ibid) It reminds me of another similar incident in which Jesus was with the disciples, but asleep in the boat while the storm raged on. Finally, in fear and desperation, they woke him up saying: “Teacher, do you not care if we perish?” We, in a similar vein, might ask: “Don’t you see what I am trying to cope with here? What took you so long to let me know you were paying attention?”

There is always the danger here that we are looking to Jesus to mend all that is wrong in our lives. To solve our problems for us.

Not gonna happen. Peter walked on a stormy sea, not one that had been made calm by Jesus. It is no wonder that he faltered as he began to doubt his own trust in Jesus. But Jesus understood Peter’s fear and doubt, just as I believe he understands ours. “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” is not so much a criticism as it is the kind of comfort a parent gives a lost and frightened child: “Why are you so worried? Don’t you realize that I am in charge?

Our faith (that is, our trust) always needs bolstering when we are in the midst of changes or turmoil, or sorrow. But how hard that is, when the voices around us are calling for us to do something, to make our own problems disappear, to mend their lives, or simply just stop whining. This is when we realize that faith is not something we possess, it is a conscious choice. It is something we live. One day at a time. One storm at a time.

Faith is a refusal to let despair overwhelm us. Faith is the ability to look into the unknown and believe that God will be there with us, no matter what. To quote Julian of Norwich: Just so, [Our Lord] said in the last words with perfect fidelity, alluding to us all: You will not be overcome. He did not say: You will not be troubled, you will not be belabored, you will not be disquieted; but he said: You will not be overcome.

And so, when we believe the kingdom has come despite evidence to the contrary, we have faith. When we are tossed on the seas of life in fear and trembling, and make a conscious decision to believe, to trust that we are not alone, we have faith. When we rejoice in the beauty of the world and the opportunities and talents we have been given as gifts by the God who loves us, we have faith. When we realize that those gifts are not ours alone, but have been given to us for the betterment of the kingdom, then we have faith.

We live our faith by trusting in God’s innate goodness and in our own ability to respond to that goodness. We live our faith by living out the possibilities the Spirit has placed before us, step by step. We live our faith by responding to others who need our hope and care. We live our faith when we open our hearts to hear the answers God sends us to questions we haven’t even asked. And we live out that faith when we fail to trust and beg Jesus to haul us back in the boat, and later on, try again.

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

Take courage, it is I. Do not be afraid.

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

  • From “First Impressions” 2020:
    Do we feel like those disciples, victims in the pandemic storm’s clutches?
    Do we look into the midst of the storm and wonder if Jesus is just a ghost, a product of our fear-driven imagination?
    Can we hear him say to us what he said to his frightened disciples, “Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid.”
  • What were some moments in your life when you encountered stormy seas, felt adrift or separated from Jesus? How did you handle this?
  • When you are troubled or anxious, how do you talk to God? What prayers do you say?
  • Has there ever been a time in your life where you had to work through fear to arrive at trust in your life? How did you do this?
  • What gives you courage?
  • Someone commented that Peter began to falter when he took his focus of Jesus and focus on himself. Do you agree with this assessment?
  • We criticize Peter for his “lack of faith”. Should we not notice that Peter was wise enough to ask for help when he needed it? Should we not be paying attention to the startling fact that Jesus didn’t refuse to help Peter because of Peter’s failure to trust?
  • Do you read this gospel as a warning that God will put our faith to the test, just so we can be graded on how well we did?
  • Do you read this gospel as a scathing indictment of those who do not trust God enough?
  • What, actually, does this gospel tell you about God?
  • Where has our fear overcome our basic faith in the goodness of God, our faith in the eventual well-being of the world, our faith in the care and concern of Jesus? How did we handle it?
  • From a Benedictine website featuring Lectio divina:
    Has there been a contrary wind in your life? What have you done to overcome it?
    Has this happened sometimes in your community? How was it overcome?
    Which is the particular crossing that communities are doing today? From what to what or where to where?
    How does all of this help us to recognize today the presence of Jesus in the contrary waves of life?
  • Was Jesus praying for the disciples during the storm. Do you think?
    Would some of our “storms” be more manageable if we turned to prayer?
  • Is there someone you know experiencing a stormy time in his/her life to whom you can say “I am with you”?

Meditations

A Meditation on the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

(story from “First Impressions”)
Well, I knew a man in his mid-fifties who did things very well. A good man, he was a frequent church goer, excellent husband and family man. He was sincere in his religious practices and generous with his time for the needy. This very special man got cancer, fought a painful battle with it and a year later died. Didn’t he say the right prayers? What about the prayers we said for his healing? What more could we have done? Where was Jesus in his and our storm? We know lots of people with similar stories. When things turn out poorly for us or someone we love, we wonder what happened. We may even blame ourselves for not praying correctly or enough. Didn’t we follow the directions, say the right prayers, have the proper attitude, get enough people to pray with us? Do we secretly believe that if our prayers are not answered the way we want, it is because we didn’t pray correctly, or were otherwise deserving of the bad things that happen to us?

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

Meditation on the Lord’s Prayer:
Do I trust that God is my father, and the father of all of us? Do I believe that heaven exists because God is there? Is God’s name holy to me? Do I really trust that God will give me whatever of this world’s goods I need, or do I worry a lot about money, possessions, security? Do I believe that God forgives me? Do I forgive those who have hurt me, or do I still carry old resentments and pain into my relationships? Do I believe that God would never ‘tempt’ me to sin and thus lose eternal life, or do I believe that God sets traps for me so that I must constantly prove my love? Do I believe that my God, my Father/Mother, will deliver me from evil, that God, my Father/Mother, is my strength and my salvation?
And finally, I recite the Lord’s Prayer, praying each phrase as an affirmation of my trust in the Lord, rather than as a series of petitions.

A Meditation in the Augustinan Style/Relationship:

Rework Psalm 62, addressing God in the second person. How does this psalm help you to understand God's care for you?

2In God alone is my soul at rest; (In you alone is my soul at rest)
my salvation comes from him. (my salvation comes from you)
3He alone is my rock, my salvation,
my fortress; never shall I falter.
4How long will you all attack one man (How long will they all attack one man)
to break him down,
as though he were a tottering wall,
or a tumbling fence?
5Their plan is only to bring down;
they take pleasure in lies.
With their mouth they utter blessing,
but in their heart they curse.
6In God alone be at rest, my soul,
for my hope is from him.
7He alone is my rock, my salvation,
my fortress; never shall I falter.
8In God is my salvation and glory,
my rock of strength;
in God is my refuge.
9Trust him at all times, O people.
Pour out your hearts before him,
for God is our refuge.
10The sons of men are a breath,
an illusion, the sons of men.
Placed in the scales, they rise;
they all weigh less than a breath.
11Do not put your trust in oppression,
nor vain hopes on plunder.
Even if riches increase,
set not your heart on them.
12For God has said only one thing;
only two have I heard:
that to God alone belongs power,
13and to you, Lord, merciful love;
and that you repay each man
according to his deeds.
Poetic Reflection:

Read Thomas Merton’s famous “Prayer” which speaks to the kind of faith I am talking about: How does this poem reflect the poet’s utter trust in God and in God’s care for us?

MY LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think that I am following your will
does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road
though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore will I trust you always
though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are ever with me,
and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
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18th Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 2, 2020

Gospel: Matthew 14:13–21

Theme: God’s generosity and ours

Gospel: Matthew 14:13–21

Theme: God’s generosity and ours

Matthew 14:13–21

The Return of the Twelve and the Feeding of the Five Thousand

When Jesus heard of it, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns. When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.

When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.”

[Jesus] said to them, “There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.”

But they said to him, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.”

Then he said, “Bring them here to me,” and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.

They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over—twelve wicker baskets full. Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children.

Music Meditations

  • Ubi Caritas-Taize
  • Table of Plenty—John Michael Talbot
  • Come to the Water—Chapel Choir
  • Five Loaves and Two Fishes—Corinne May
  • One Bread, One Body—John Michael Talbot

Companions for the Journey

from "First Impressions", a service of the Southern Dominican Province:

A few years back I preached in a city where there was a soup kitchen for street people run by three Catholic sisters. Well, it wasn’t a soup kitchen exactly—it was more like a restaurant. The “guests” were greeted at the door by church volunteers and shown to tables with tablecloths and given a menu. The fare was limited, but they had a choice of “entrees” from which they could choose. There are quicker and more efficient ways to feed the hungry, especially these days with so many homeless and hungry on our streets. Food pantries and soup kitchens can barely keep up with those who come seeking food and clothing. The current numbers of the hungry are increasing and the charitable collections of food and clothing are just not enough to meet the urgent needs. But still, that special soup kitchen, with its parish volunteers and special “guests” stays with me as a wonderful sign of what the scriptures reveal today about the food and drink we are promised at God’s table—where we will be treated as honored guests and where no one will lack food and clothing. That’s a promise we can bank on. Are we believers all just dreamers? Considering the plight of so many poor, homeless and victimized in the world, who has the audacity to promise anything better in the future when things are so very bad now?

That’s how it always is with God. When we are at our lowest point, in one exile of our own making, or another, a special delivery letter comes to invite us back home, where a meal is waiting us. The invitation reads, “I don’t care what you have done, come on home! Let me supply the nourishment you have desired and searched for in all the wrong places. I have what you really need and I want to give it to you free of charge. For heaven’s sake, forget the past, we have a future together!” Here in the southern U.S. we might word the invitation differently: “Y’all come! Set yourself down. Eat. Hear?”

In Jesus, God has sent out another similar invitation to special guests to come, sit down, eat and drink. The multiplication of the loaves and fish is a spectacular miracle. But it starts very small and among seeming-insignificant people. Which is where God usually starts a good work, so that the people can’t claim any success was based just on their skills and merits. God is at work here. It is God’s idea to feed the least and it is God who makes it possible to do it. Nevertheless, as we learn from Matthew’s account, people do have a part to play; though it does seem small by the world’s ways of measuring. The disciples understand their situation: the crowd is large and they have next to nothing to give to address the people’s hunger. “Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.” They may have practically nothing to offer, but at least they “heed” what Jesus says and offer up what little they do have. They could have looked to their own needs and saved the few loaves and fish for themselves. That would have been the prudent thing to do. But the crowd was hungry, they had to be fed and the disciples put what little they had to feed them completely into Jesus’ hands. There are times when we just have to throw our whole lot in with the Lord; take a chance on him; join him in his sometimes reckless project. We provide the best we can to do God’s work and, instead of standing far off to see how we do, God rolls up the sleeves and gets to work with us. We have got to trust that—otherwise, we would never set about to address the huge issues we face in our world, like hunger, racism, war, injustice, violence, disease, social inequalities, etc. We do what we can, even though it feels puny to us and appears insignificant by the world’s standards of measurement. We hand over what we have to Christ who invites, “Bring them here to me” and we see what he does with our offerings.

We pray that the Spirit come upon us who gather to “heed” God’s Word so we will be guided and empowered in Christ’s service. May the “loaves and fish” of our daily lives feed those hungry Christ sends us into the world to feed.

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

“There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.”

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

  • Jesus fled the crowds to deal with his grief, but the crowds followed him. Have I ever had to put my needs aside for someone with a greater need? Is this always healthy?
  • Has there been a time in my life when I was sorrowful or troubled, but went out of my way to help someone else?
  • How is sharing a meal a way to enhance community?
  • Jesus fed the five thousand through the agency of his disciples. In what way is Jesus expecting me to be an agent for his message/mission?
  • The world of the disciples was one that had significant inequalities concerning food access. We, surprisingly, have not been able to fix the problem in almost two centuries.
    Do I believe that the problems of society are too large for us to handle?
    Do I feel discouraged?
  • This miracle required the cooperation and the generosity of those who gave what little they had: how often do I approach life and my own obligation to others in need through a mentality of scarcity, worried that I might not have enough?
  • A priest I know said that there is enough for everybody if everybody shared when they had more than they needed; where in my life are there opportunities to “share my food” with those in need?
    In what way does my Church mirror this practice? Where can it do better?
  • Has there ever been a time in my life when someone helped me in a time of need?
    Was I grateful? Did I express my gratitude? Did I pay it forward?
  • Do I really trust in God’s goodness and generosity? Why or why not?
    Do I ever doubt that God will want to meet my needs? Why do I think this?
    Do I need to pray for the trust to “sit down” in a time of crisis and give it to God?
  • Do I ever think my insignificance, or lack of education, or lack of money exempt me from service? What about the original disciples? What about Mother Teresa?
  • This story shows up in all four gospels because of its obvious connection to the Eucharist celebration. Do I view the Eucharist as basic food for my very life?
  • What hunger do I bring to the Eucharistic celebration that I turn to Jesus to feed?
  • What hunger in the world am I hearing about that I am being called to address—with God’s help?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Augustinian Style/Relationship:

Read today’s selection from Romans 8 slowly and solemnly:

What will separate us from the love of Christ?
Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?
No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers,
nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Then rewrite these words, speaking them to Christ (e.g.: “What will separate me from your love?”) Pray this prayer several times this week, reflecting on your personal relationship with Jesus. How does it affect you?

A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Social Justice:

Read the first part of Matthew 14, which describes the banquet thrown for Herod on his birthday, and how that turned out in the end. Contrast that with the story of the feeding of the five thousand, and, finally, Read Matthew 25: 35–41. (Lord, when did I see you hungry, etc.) Reflect on the various segments of our current society reflected in the three passages. Which people in our current world fit into one of these categories Jesus is describing in Matthew 25? Do you find it difficult to see Christ in those around you? Which group annoys you the most? Why? How do you reconcile Jesus’ teaching on this question of justice, need, and personal responsibility with the Church’s social teaching? With this country’s policies? With your own attitudes and actions? Then read James 2:1–9 (Do not make class distinctions). Think of all the ways in which we categorize people. Why is this common? Why is it wrong?

Poetic Reflection:

Through the stories and reflections in her book My Name is CHILD of GOD, and Not “Those People”, Julia Dinsmore puts a face on poverty and challenges readers to answer God’s call to respond to poverty and its effects, to feed the bodies and very souls of those “five thousand” who have little or nothing:

My name is not “Those People.”
I am a loving woman,
a mother in pain, giving birth to the future,
where my babies have the same chance to thrive as anyone.

My name is not “Inadequate.”
I did not make my husband leave—he chose to,
and chooses not to pay child support.
Truth is though, there isn’t a job base for all
fathers to support their families.
While society turns its head, my children pay the price.

My name is not “Problem and Case to Be Managed.”
I am a capable human being and citizen, not a client.
The social service system can never replace the compassion
and concern of loving Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Fathers,
Cousins, Community—all the bonded people who need to be
but are not present to bring children forward to their potential.

My name is not “Lazy, Dependent Welfare Mother.”
If the unwaged work of parenting, homemaking and community building
was factored into the Gross National Product, my work would have untold value.
And I wonder why my middle-class sisters whose husbands support them to raise their children
are glorified—and they don’t get called lazy and dependent.

My name is not “Ignorant, Dumb or Uneducated.”
I live with an income of $621 with $169 in food stamps.
Rent is $585. that leaves $36 a month to live on.
I am such a genius at surviving that I could balance the state budget in an hour.
Never mind that there is a lack of living-wage jobs.
Never mind that it is impossible to be the sole emotional, social and economic support to a family.
Never mind that parents are losing their children
to the gangs, drugs, stealing, prostitution, social workers, kidnapping, the streets, the predator.
Forget about putting money into schools—just build more prisons.

My name is not “Lay Down and Die Quietly.”
My love is powerful and my urge to keep my children alive will never stop.
All children need homes and people who love them.
They need safety and the chance to be the people they were born to be.
The wind will stop before I let my children become a statistic.
Before you give in to the urge to blame me,
the blames that lets us go blind and unknowing into
the isolation that disconnects us, take another look.
Don’t go away.

For I am not the problem, but the solution.

And…My name is not “Those People.”

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17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 26, 2020

Gospel: Matthew 13:44–52

Theme: Are you committed to the Kingdom of God?

Gospel: Matthew 13:44–52

Theme: Are you committed to the Kingdom of God?

Matthew 13:44–52

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away. Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.

“Do you understand all these things?” They answered, “Yes.” And he replied, “Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old.”

Music Meditations

Companions for the Journey

The discussion on the first two parables in this section are adapted from a sermon called “Salvation is free but it is not cheap” by Hugh David:

In these parables Jesus was using illustrations from everyday life that everyone could understand because He spoke about landowners, farmers, gardeners, bakers, people who found treasure, jewelers, fishermen, shepherds, students and so much more. It was almost like He was looking at the crowd in front of Him and showing everyone how each and every one of them needed to be saved.

So, let’s begin with the parable of the treasure which tells us that “the kingdom of heaven is like someone finding buried treasure in a field.”

And the very idea of finding buried treasure reminds me of the quote, that says,: “Lord, give me the strength to change the things I can, the grace to accept the things I cannot, and a great big bag of money.” After all, everyone likes the idea of finding buried treasure.

And the people who Jesus was talking to had probably known or heard about someone who had found some. You see, there were no banks or credit unions back then and the land of Israel had been a battle field for a long time and everyone wanted somewhere safe to keep their money, gold, jewelry, non-perishable food, clothing and even some extra pieces of furniture. They wanted to make sure that if the enemy soldiers came; they didn’t take everything they had. So, somewhere in the back of their property or even under their house they dug a hole and they buried everything they considered valuable.And then there were several deportations to Babylon and Assyria and many of those who had been deported were hoping they’d have and enjoy the things they buried when they came back but many of them died in captivity and then others came along and found their treasures by accident. We don’t know if he was just walking through or maybe he was doing some farm work but it says he found it and then he hid it where he found it. Now, we might think, why didn’t he just keep it? But the rabbinical law said, “If a man finds scattered fruit or money, it belongs to the finder.” But, the law also stated that anything that was found by a worker on someone else’s land belonged to the owner of the land but since it was obvious that the treasure didn’t belong to the present owner; because if it did, then he would have dug it up before he sold the property. So, the only way the finder of the treasure could claim it; was to buy the land. And the scripture says; he sold everything he had and bought the field. You see, everything in life that he had accumulated was insignificant compared to the value of this treasure. So, he doesn’t give it a second thought but gave everything he had to get more than he could ever wish for.

Jesus said that the man who finds this treasure “for joy over it goes and sells all that he has.” Listen, he doesn’t do this reluctantly but he does it with joy. He doesn’t regret it or complain about the sacrifice he has to make. As a matter of fact, he doesn’t even consider it to be a sacrifice. He gives everything he’s got because he knows he’s going to get so much more in return.

And then in the second parable we have a situation that’s similar but it’s also different.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” This man was a business man who happened to trade in pearls and he would buy things wholesale and then sell them to a retailer and make a profit. Pearls were seen back then the way we view diamonds today and it was common for men in this business to look for high-quality pearls for themselves. There was a good reason pearls were so expensive because finding them involved incredible danger. The best quality pearls come from oysters that live at an average depth of 40 feet. So, a pearl isn’t something you just stumble across as you’re walking along the beach. In Biblical times pearls were obtained at great cost in human life and there were many who died while pearl hunting. A pearl diver would tie a large rock to his body and jump over the side of a boat and allow the weight of the rock to carry him down the forty feet to the oyster beds. He risked danger from sharks, moray eels and other creatures in order to scour the mud below for oysters and only one oyster in a thousand contains a pearl. And while he’s holding his breath he hopes he won’t drown. So, you can understand why pearls were so valuable. By the first century pearls had become such a status symbol that people would save them like we do cash.

The pearl is an especially appropriate figure for the kingdom because it’s the only gem that cannot be improved by man. All other jewels must be cut and polished by skilled craftsmen before they have any retail value but the pearl is perfect when it is found and it cannot be improved by cutting or polishing.

So, the scripture says, one day this man was making his rounds probably visiting the various pearl divers or those they worked for; when he discovered a pearl that he knew was very valuable. And then he went and sold everything he owned and bought it. This guy knew value when he saw it. He had spent his life looking for pearls; buying, selling, trading and probably even had his personal savings tied up in pearls but when he saw what he considered to be the ultimate pearl he cashed in everything he had to make the ultimate investment.

So, we have two men from two different backgrounds who sell everything they own to get everything they’ve always wanted.

And there are lessons from both of these accounts.

Both of them sacrificed everything they had in order to have something that was absolutely above anything they could possibly wish for. The first man finds his treasure by accident while the second finds his after searching his whole life. The scripture gives us examples of both. In John 4 we have a woman who meets Jesus at a well. She didn’t go there looking for salvation but went there for water like she did every other day but when she met Jesus, the scripture says, she left her water pot and went to tell everyone she knew about Jesus.

And then in John chapter 9 we have a blind beggar who was sitting by the side of the road just hoping that someone who was going by would give him a handout and then when he heard Jesus was going by he called out and was both healed and saved. He got more than he ever dreamed of asking for. The woman at the well and the blind beggar weren’t looking for anything when they found everything worth finding.

And then the second parable shows us a man whose business was searching for the very thing he found. He was in the market for pearls and he was looking everywhere he could but couldn’t find the right one but one day he made the ultimate find. And this is like someone who tries everything they can to fulfill a void in their life and they do their best in education, sports, business and power of every kind but have no success and then one day they hear the gospel and give their lives to Jesus and they recognize that this is what they’ve been searching for their entire life. They find in Him the answer to the deepest longings of their heart and everything else becomes secondary.

In the first parable we have someone who isn’t even looking for treasure when he stumbles upon it and in the second we have someone who has spent his entire life searching for the perfect pearl that he ultimately finds.

And some of us were just doing our own thing and going our own way when God stopped us in our tracks. We weren’t looking for Him but He was looking for us; while others have had a spiritual longing and have spent their lives pursuing God and then one day they discovered their personal faith in Christ and found exactly what they were looking for.

Listen, it says this treasure was “hidden” and maybe many people walked by it every day, but they didn’t know it was there. And the kingdom of God is like that, the message has been preached on television, on radio, in churches and almost everyone has an iPhone or a computer that has the Bible; but they’re oblivious to it. So, both found of these men found what they wanted and realizing the value of what they had found, they gave up everything they had in order to have it.

Listen, no matter if we find Him when we aren’t even looking or as the result of a lifelong search both of these illustrate how we can all take different paths to the same Savior. Both of these parables teach us that the kingdom is made personal by a transaction or a trade because both teach us man has to give everything he has to receive something of infinite value. And when we surrender all we have and all we are we receive Jesus The kingdom of heaven isn’t about us giving up something great but it’s a great deal. We’re trading death for life. We’re giving temporary trinkets for eternal riches. We’re trading bondage for freedom. We’re trading shame for joy. We’re trading rejection for acceptance. We’re trading our fear and emptiness for a love that never disappoints.

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today's session…

Every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old.

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today's reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

  • What would I consider a pearl of great price—something for which I am ready to give up everything I have to acquire it? Is it fame? Fortune? Love of another? God? (if it IS God, what do I actually mean by that?)
  • What things in my life do I consider special and valuable? How much have I invested in them? In the long run, how valuable are they? What would I give away/sell in my life to obtain what I consider so special? Is there sacrifice involved?
  • Has there ever been a goal in my life that required tremendous effort on my part? Did I attain it? Was it worth it? Did I have to make compromises along the way? Did I give up part way through the process? Why? Do I have regrets?
  • Because of the risk and possible discomfort involved, do we sometimes resign ourselves to a life of mediocrity, in our work life, in our prayer life, in our relationships with others and with God?
  • How hard is it to develop the discipline of deferred gratification in our current culture?
  • Do we sometimes believe we “can have it all”—that is, we need not give up something we want to experience or get something else?
  • Is there anything in my life that I have “over-invested” in?
  • “Where your treasure is, there also is your heart.” Some religious advisors have told us that to figure out where are treasure lies, we need to look at our checkbook and our datebook… Looking at where you spend your time and money, what does that tell you about what you value?
  • In the third parable of the nets, we see that as people of God, we are a very mixed bag. God spreads the nets out to catch each and every one of us. We are all worth God’s time. Have I been more discriminating than God, rejecting people I don’t think belong in my net before I even start to cast it?
  • Do I think it is my job to judge people, to separate the good from the unworthy? Why do I have a problem letting God do this?
  • In the first reading, Solomon was told he could have whatever he asked for, and he asked God for Wisdom. What is the value of such a “treasure”?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Augustinian Style/Relationship:

Adapted from Rev. Bill Bausch in The Word In And Out of Season:

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field for which a person sells all he has and buys that field” Suppose you see that field through the eyes of Jesus. Initially, He sees what everyone sees: dirt, weeds, brown soil. But he knows that beneath the grime and the dirt there lies a treasure: you. And so he goes and sells all that he has, that is, his divinity,--“but being in the form of God, he emptied himself and took the form of a slave” is the way St. Paul puts it—and purchases this treasure at the price of his blood. We must never forget the foundation of our own worth. We are made in the image and likeness of God. We are deeply loved by Jesus who sees in us, everywhere and at all times, a treasure which he ardently desires and for which he has given everything, even his life, to possess.

I sit and contemplate with joy how beloved I am, how special I am, and what gifts I possess that make me invaluable to the Kingdom. Am I using them for myself of for Jesus? Do I ever share with Jesus my appreciation of the gift, not only of his death, but of his life—his walking with us, sharing our humanity experiencing our experiences? Who knows me better than Jesus? Who loves me more than Jesus? I share my joy with him.

A Meditation in the Dominican style/Asking Questions:

One of the problems with the last parable in this series is that everyone knows that the bad guys should get their comeuppance and we are a little irritated that we don’t get to decide who gets left out of the Kingdom, and we don’t get to decide when that actually happens. Jesus tells us to wait and let God sort it all out.

Sorting out the bad from the good is not our job. But what if we don’t like the outcome? Anne Lamott, in a book called HALLELUJAH ANYWAY: Rediscovering Mercy, says that she is the Elder Brother in the parable, the goody two-shoes who is angry that God’s mercy extends to those who clearly do not deserve it. She goes on:

Another fun-house mirror for me is the story of Jonah, which all Sunday-school kids love because of the whale. Yet the real meat of the story is what happens after Jonah is burped onto dry land, and despite his best efforts, ends up in Nineveh, where God told him to go all along. Nineveh is any big city, hypercompetitive, full of corruption, cruelty, bankers and Tea Party types. It would later be the capital of Assyria, where Iraq is now, and the Ninevites were like Klingons, violent warriors who were Israel’s enemy. Jonah, like all Israelites, felt about them the way Ronald Regan felt about the Russians, that they were the Evil Empire. And Jonah was furious that God was making him go there instead of someplace nice. With minimum effort, Jonah spreads the word for exactly one day, since he is positive that God hates the Ninevites. Or ought to. They’re doomed. If they don’t become people of God, people of peace and mercy, they’ll be destroyed. So on the spot they repent. It’s like the Klingons turning into Alan Alda. And God spares them. And Jonah is furious and sulky because God has refused to destroy the awful evil people that he hates, a destruction that would be a big victory for Israel.

He thinks God makes him look bad.

Maybe he thinks God is too soft on evildoers.

I love this so much.

So we each need to ask ourselves if we are a little overly focused on who is included or excluded from God’s kingdom of mercy and forgiveness. Am I a teeny bit judgemental about others? Is it not enough for me to be included; will I only feel justified if others are excluded? Do I want to see those evil, mean, miserable excuses for human beings get their comeuppance? How do I think God feels about letting go of one of his children? Will I go into the feast if there are unworthy people also attending? I pray for largeness of heart and generosity of spirit to love as Jesus loves…

A Personal Journey:

The novelist Rick Moody writes that the parabolic tradition is a rich motherlode of wisdom in the gospels, especially since Jesus used parables so often to teach about the Kingdom. However, when we look at the parables, we make several mistakes:

We in the modern world, using our literary brains, analyze the parables with our heads instead of experiencing them with our hearts. When we hear with our hearts, we catch the emotions of joy and longing that are so much a part of the full human experience.

We tend to view parables like analogies, just looking for easy comparisons, which allow only for a pretty simplistic interpretation and shuts off the various possibilities and challenges that a more expansive reading of these stories could provide.

We assume that there is only one true meaning of any given parable which comports with an institutional message of some sort. This is so much less creative and so much more limiting that the parabolic tradition provides, and as a result, we are missing out on a lot of wisdom.

So go back and re-experience these parables, or pick a favorite of your own (like the Prodigal son, or the rich Farmer, or the unjust steward, for example) without trying to figure out the salvation message, or trying to fit the story into your own theological pre-conceptions, or trying to fit the story into your own—dare I say it—prejudices. Listen to it with new ears, new enjoyment. In the spirit of Lectio Divina, let certain images stay with you, comfort you or challenge you where you are in your emotional life right now. Enjoy the adventure!

Poetic Reflection:

This poem by Father Ed Ingebretsen, S.J., is about his search for the pearl of great price, and his hopes that his relationship with God will help him get there. What is the pearl he is looking for? What are you looking for?

“Digging”

I (fragments)

I am digging in a field
for pearls.
Perhaps I’m in the wrong field
perhaps here I’ll find only
damp potatoes, tough
ivy roots, arrowheads
and old 1830 masonry jars
smelling of snails and clay

III
Dear God see me dig
With this energy I thee
Seek; to find, to have,
To hold, to keep.

The kingdom is a well-thrown pearl
loose under my feet;
my feet plow with desire
my fingers massage the supple earth.
This marriage keeps me in love

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16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 19, 2020

Gospel: Matthew 13:24–43

Theme: WE are the crop of the Lord

Gospel: Matthew 13:24–43

Theme: WE are the crop of the Lord

Matthew 13:24–43

[The Parable of the Weeds Among the Wheat]
He proposed another parable to them. “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came to him and said, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.”

[The Parable of the Mustard Seed]
He proposed another parable to them. “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.’”

[The Parable of the Yeast]
He spoke to them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened.”

[The Use of Parables]
All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. He spoke to them only in parables, to fulfill what had been said through the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation [of the world].”

[The Explanation of the Parable of the Weeds]
Then, dismissing the crowds, he went into the house. His disciples approached him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” He said in reply, “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as weeds are collected and burned [up] with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear.

Music Meditations

Companions for the Journey

from “First Impressions”, a service of the Southern Dominican Province, by Jude Siciliano, O.P.:

Today we have the parable of the weeds and the wheat—and we need it. We tune in sports events and ask, “Who’s winning?” We also tune in the world around us through tv, newspapers, radio and now internet coverage and are tempted to ask the same question, “Who’s winning…Good or Evil?…The decent people of the world or the violators of innocence?” The twentieth century was the most brutal in the history of the world. Aren’t things supposed to be improving as we advance as a people? It gets discouraging; the evidence mounts against optimism. We tend to want give up on the world and wonder where God is in it all.

Which is why we need to look at the parables and, in particular, today’s parable about weeds and wheat. The early church, the recipients of Matthew’s gospel, had to face the mystery of wickedness too. Why is there evil in the world, in the church and in our own hearts? That’s a very big question and this parable doesn’t give an easy answer. It doesn’t explain it at all! But neither does it ignore the problem of evil in our midst. The owner of the field says it quite plainly, “I see an enemy’s hand in this.” This is not a naive or other-worldly parable. It faces the facts: wickedness is very real, it can’t be ignored. It is not an illusion and, like the weeds in the midst of healthy plants, evil drains human life of its vitality and dedication. We see the weeds, not just in the world out there, but “up close and personal.”

The parable spoke to an early church that had its divisions, arguments and wickedness—why else would they have saved the parable? Our own congregations also have “issues.” Sometimes they feel like they will split us in two—and sometimes they do. Our faith communities have been rocked by clergy scandal; divided along ethnic and racial lines; between original members and newcomers; between traditionalists and those who want to update. While we are at it, we look into our hearts and examine our own conduct. Weeds are part of the landscape of our personal spiritual field as well.

Such vistas of evil, so obvious to us, make us want to get about the business of ripping out the weeds. They are the work of the enemy, we say and we want to purge evil from our country, church and our own hearts. Of course we have standards to guide us and there are times we must act decisively against the evil we perceive. Yet, the parable cautions us and it advises us about the dangers of rushing to judgment. We could destroy what is good in our attempts to rid the world of the bad. Jesus knew from his own experience that you can’t always tell from initial signs how things are going to turn out.

In the beginning Judas showed promise, early initiative and administrative skills—he was in charge of the purse. He seemed like excellent disciple material, a “keeper.” If you were Jesus, wouldn’t you have thought about eliminating Peter, Thomas or Martha? They didn’t show initial signs of discernment and understanding of what following Jesus would entail. They were slow to catch on to Jesus’ message. But Jesus was patient, he let the good work itself out in their lives. He gave them a chance to grow and bear fruit.

Have you ever had a friend whom you disliked upon first meeting, yet, over time, he or she turned out to be your best friend? The parable says, “You never know.” The parable is a story of grace for us. As we look into our own lives and recall the mistakes we have made and the wrongs we have done, aren’t we glad we have had some time to change and work things out? Aren’t we thankful we had the space to let the wheat grow and bear the rich harvest it has? Suppose we had been judged on the spot. Suppose God moved in quickly to judge and rip up? If we look at our present lives, we can still see what looks like weeds. Rather than being overcome by discouragement, we hear this parable of hope. Time is being given us, to let the good seed planted in us bear its fruit. We can trust the Owner knows what to do, and we can have trust in the outcome. This is a parable of confidence. God is in charge and will help us work things out. We don’t give up the struggle to do what is right, even when we feel dismayed at how much still needs to be done. Parables, like pieces of ribbon, don’t look powerful—a piece of cloth—a story. But they have power to touch us deeply. One symbolizes our unity through an exterior sign. The other gathers our faith and asks us to put trust in it—especially to trust the One who is telling us the parable right now. We wear the parable on our hearts; the way people wear ribbons—as a reminder.

When the world confounds us and evidence seems to mount against our hopes, we look inside ourselves and see today’s parable. We play it back so we can hear it again. It reassures us. We repeat it in our assemblies to stir us to action: to return to the struggle; to ignore the odds; to stop counting wins and losses—mostly, not to count our losses! In our struggle against evil, we keep at it, till Someone in charge sends word that it is time for the harvest; till Someone, who knows better than we how to do the sorting, gets around to it. The parable links us together here at our assembly. It stirs us hope in us. We are not dismayed by what still needs doing. There is no doubt in the story: the Owner is in charge. The Owner planted good seed and it is growing towards fruition and there will be a sorting-out—but later, under Someone else’s supervision. Meanwhile, we still have time to let what is good grow in our lives. What time is it? The parable says, “There’s still time, hang in there!”

Thank God!

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today's session…

I will speak to you in parables and expound on things hidden since the foundation of the world.

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today's reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

  • In Matthew, a parable is both a riddle and a revelation. Sometimes, we think the message is obvious until some twist or inconsistency causes us to look more deeply, sometimes without answers. Are these three parables riddles or revelations for you?
  • Is it hard to understand why God does not simply remove the “weeds” in our lives?
    Are we surprised or even irritated by God’s passivity?
    Do I truly believe that God will have the last word?
  • Are there both weeds and wheat in my own life? In my own personality? Which is prevalent?
    What are the “weeds”, or limitations and evils found in my culture? In my relationships? In my religion? In my personal make up?
    Have I ever been, through word or example, the weeds in someone else’s struggle to grow in God’s grace?
  • Do I/have I become more robust in my faith as I struggle to be strong enough to overcome the weeds in my life?
    What is the role of personal humility in this struggle?
  • An undeniable message of this parable is to refrain from judging myself or others. We cannot give up too soon. Do I really believe that God is not finished with me yet? Has God given up on someone or some persons in my life, or on certain situations? Has God asked me to fix things for Him? Am I willing to wait for God to complete the solution before rushing to do it myself by excluding or destroying another?
  • Jesus does not condone what is not of God, yet he seems to acknowledge that different motivations and spirits are at work. How may I let this spirit of Jesus shape my life? (from “Sacred Space”)
  • What is my position in this all-too-familiar struggle between good and evil? Am I a spectator, an armchair critic, a consumer, or a warrior?
    Do I consider myself a co-worker with God trying to bring about truth, peace and justice?
    If I am a co-worker, what authority to I have to dismiss or punish others?
  • Has there been a person in my life whom I saw change from “weeds” to “wheat”? Did I stick with him or her through that growth? If so, what kept me hanging in there? If not, what would I have done differently?
  • Try to look at your own “inner landscape” as a field that was sown with God’s word at your Baptism. Where has God’s word taken root in your life? Do you see any “weeds” (attitudes or behaviors which run counter to the kingdom) choking out that word? What are you going to do about it?
  • Have there ever been projects in my life, personal, academic or professional, which started out small and then flourished beyond my expectations? How did that happen? What elements were in play: timing, God’s help, hard work or luck?
  • Recall a time in your life when someone saw your raw potential and gave you the time to develop it. Has this happened in the spiritual realm as well?
  • Have I ever seen someone’s faith and determination expand into something beyond all expectations?
  • What is my understanding of faith? What might be a synonym for faith?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

Adapted from “Sacred Space”, a service of the Irish Jesuits:

Sometimes we think that perfection is acquired by becoming aware of our faults and working to root these out. However, when we become more familiar with Jesus’ attitude to the limited and sinful side of ourselves, we learn to accept our limited and sinful self just as Jesus did with Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10). If we don’t accept this side of ourselves, we tend to become fixated with it and fail to appreciate the fullness of life Jesus has already given us. Am I frustrated and baffled by the presence of evil in my midst, or in myself? Do I believe that Good will have the last word? Do I believe that God’s grace is at work in the world and in me? Can I cultivate patience and tolerance toward myself, and toward others? I sit with Jesus and let Him teach me to let the weeds grow with the wheat in my life. I ask for help to appreciate all that is good and beautiful about my life.

A Meditation in the Franciscan Style/Action:

People often confuse the phrase “kingdom of heaven” with heaven itself. Instead, it refers to Jesus’ dream of a better, more perfect world in which God’s ideals replace human selfishness. We pray for this whenever we say the Lord’s Prayer (Thy kingdom come,Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven). We need to remember, however, that the kingdom will not come to be without the efforts of people to change themselves (personal conversion) and without their efforts to change unjust and murderous power structures as well. Pray the Lord’s prayer every day this week, stopping for a few moments to reflect on what you are doing personally to bring about God’s kingdom on earth. Then pick one or two attitudinal things you can work to change yourself, and at least one action you can take on behalf of those suffering from poverty, systemic prejudice, a flawed justice system. Do it.

A Meditation in the Augustinian Style/Relationship:

Sometimes when we think of God, we have an unconscious fear that God’s mission is primarily to separate the wheat from the chaff. Often religions have emphasized heaven and hell, reward and punishment, to scare us into doing the right thing. This kind of God is a “gotcha” God, waiting to pounce on our mistakes and consigning us to the eternal fire. Some of these notions of God are echoed in well-known literary references, such as Dante’s Inferno, which teach us to fear eternal punishment and to trod the straight and narrow.

Several fictional characters who have made their way into popular culture reinforce this image: The Queen of Hearts, a character from the 1865 book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, is a foul-tempered monarch whom Carroll himself describes as “a blind fury”, and who is quick to give death sentences at the slightest offense. One of her most famous lines is the oft-repeated “Off with his/her head!” / “Off with their heads!”

Another fictional character to be feared is none other than Santa Claus:
"You better watch out you better not cry, you better not pout; I’m telling you why: Santa Claus is coming to town!
He’s making a list; He’s checking it twice; He’s gonna find out who’s naughty or nice: Santa Claus is coming to town
He sees you when you’re sleeping; He knows when you’re awake; He knows if you’ve been bad or good; So be good for goodness sake!

Too often, in our spiritual life, we forget that we cannot love what we fear. Obedience out of fear is coercion, and obedience out of love is, well, love! This parable from Matthew (13:24-30) makes it clear that God has planted us here on earth and is waiting and hoping that we will grow into the kind of person that would want to be with God. Do I need to readjust my notions of God as the “big narc in the sky”, and look seriously at my motivations for doing God’s will? Do really desire a loving relationship with God and are my thoughts and actions shaped by this love? How can prayer help create and intensify my loving relationship with God?

Poetic Reflection:

Too often, we identify with the chaff (weeds) in this gospel, not worthy of God’s love and grace. Mary Oliver shows us that even the most ordinary person, a person with a prayer life that others may frown upon, is also a person who just might be included in God’s kingdom:

“Praying”

It doesn’t have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones, just
pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don’t try
to make them elaborate, this isn’t
a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak

from Thirst

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15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 12, 2020

Gospel: Matthew 13:1–23

Theme: What words of Jesus have stayed with me, what words have not?

Gospel: Matthew 13:1–23

Theme: What words of Jesus have stayed with me, what words have not?

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 Purpose of Parables]
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 heart and be converted,
and I heal them.’

[The Privilege of Discipleship]
“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.

[The Explanation of the Parable of the Sower]
“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.”

Music Meditations

Companions for the Journey

In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus is portrayed as the New Moses, who has come to fulfill the law and the promise of the Jewish scriptures. There are five distinct teaching segments in the gospel, designed to make a direct reference to the five books of the Jewish Torah. The term Five Discourses of Matthew refers to five specific teaching occasions by Jesus within this gospel, and these discourses are used by Matthew to retell the entirety of the Old Testament, demonstrating that Christ is the fulfillment of all that was promised therein.  The five discourses are listed as the following: the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5–7), the Missiona Discourse, (chapter 10) the Parables of the Kingdom Discourse (chapter 13), the Discourse on the Church (chapter 18), and the Discourse on End Times (chapters 23–25). The parabolic discourse demonstrates how Jesus uses parables to get his message out to those who will hear. The following commentary for preachers on today’s section of chapter 13 is from Elizabeth Johnson, Professor at Lutheran Seminary:

It is not difficult to find contemporary examples of the various responses to the word depicted in Jesus’ parable. Having the word choked out by “the cares of the world and the lure of wealth” seems to be a particular problem in North America. One should be careful, however, to avoid equating the various types of soil with a particular person or group, and especially to avoid equating oneself or one’s community with the good soil.

If we are honest with ourselves, we can probably find evidence of several kinds of soil in our lives and in our congregations on any given day. It is noteworthy that Jesus does not use the parable to exhort hearers to “be good soil,” as though we could make that happen. If there is any hope for the unproductive soil, it is that the sower keeps sowing generously, extravagantly, even in the least promising places. Jesus’ investment in his disciples shows that he simply will not give up on them, in spite of their many failings. We trust that he will not give up on us either, but will keep working on whatever is hardened, rocky, or thorny within and among us. We trust in his promise to be with us to the end of the age.

As those entrusted with Jesus’ mission today, we might consider the implications of this parable for how we engage in mission. Too often we play it safe, sowing the word only where we are confident it will be well received, and only where those who receive it are likely to become contributing members of our congregations. In the name of stewardship, we hold tightly to our resources, wanting to make sure that nothing is wasted. We stifle creativity and energy for mission, resisting new ideas for fear they might not work – as though mistakes or failure were to be avoided at all costs.

Jesus’ approach to mission is quite at odds with our play-it-safe instincts. He gives us freedom to take risks for the sake of the gospel. He endorses extravagant generosity in sowing the word, even in perilous places. Though we may wonder about the wisdom or efficiency of his methods, Jesus promises that the end result will be a bumper crop.

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today's session…

Whoever has ears ought to hear

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today's reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

  • What kind of heart/mind does it take to understand the parables?
  • Are there parts of my heart that are open/welcome to God’s word?
    Are there parts of my heart that find certain parts of the word of God more difficult?
  • Are there some teachings that I just cannot get on board with?
  • Do I share Jesus’ optimism about the Kingdom?
  • Has there ever been a teaching/command of Jesus that took a long time to grow in my heart?
  • Have there ever been projects about which I was enthusiastic initially, but languished after I got bored or distracted?
  • Do we sometimes get so tired of hearing the same old things from friends, family, God that we eventually stop listening?
  • Do I feel fortunate to have been exposed in a deeper way to the teachings of Jesus, either through prayer, or through a reading or discussion group?
  • Who have been the moral advisors in my life?
    Have I dismissed them out of hand?
    Have I responded by taking their words to heart?
    Have I outgrown their teaching/world view?
  • What does it mean to me to have “ears to hear”?
  • How receptive is my heart at this moment to learn, to grow, to change?
    Which is the hardest to do?
  • Has there ever been a time when I heard the message of Christ, but let it lie on the edge of my consciousness where it withered?
    Did I say that I had “outgrown” it?
  • Do I get discouraged when my wmmo not bear fruit? How does “herd mentality” affect my decisions?
  • Have I ever planted a seed of wisdom in someone else’s heart and help him/her with discernment?
    How did it make me feel?
  • Have the four stalking horses of defeat (skeptical observations, cynical comments, despairing attitudes or unkind words) ever caused my faith or my optimism to wither and die? Have I ever spoken in such ways and thus discouraged another’s optimism or faith?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Imagination:

Adapted from “Sacred Space”, a service of the Irish Jesuits:

I allow my imagination to dwell with the scene that Jesus presents, picturing the growth, identifying threats to it. I take care not to allow the weeds and barrenness to dominate but accept that God pictures a flourishing harvest and never gives up that hope for me.

As I think of myself as the field in which the word of God is scattered, I may recognize the barren places, the dry patches and the fertile parts. To which do I pay attention? I take some time to appreciate where God’s word has found a root in me and I ask God’s help to remain open to such seed as may be scattered again today.

I read this passage slowly as if I am looking at the mirror of my heart. I probably discover that I have at different moments all the four reactions Jesus describes in the parable. I ask myself how I can grow in my freedom to accept God’s word to me, precisely where the challenge is greatest.

A Meditation in the Augustinian Style/Memory:

Think of a time in which God was speaking to you in the events of your life. Were you aware of it at the time? How did you respond? What words of Jesus have actually taken root in your life, and which are struggling to survive?

A Meditation in the Augustinian Style/Relationship:

Psalm 65 is a great hymn of praise, marveling that God hears our prayers, that God answers our prayers, and that God’s grace is visited upon the earth resulting in abundance. Think of things you have prayed for. Have your prayers been answered? In the way you expected or in some greater way? Then look at the world around you. What examples do you find of God’s enrichment of the earth? Take a walk, just concentrating on the beauty of God’s ongoing care for the natural world. Write your own psalm of thanksgiving, using the insights you have gathered from your meditations.

Poetic Reflection:

Here, in a poem by Father Ed Ingebretsen, S.J., is a commentary/meditation on the parables of Jesus:

“The Jesus Prayer” (II)

Jesus taught in parables
and made geography
our greatest—
the precise placing of God
astride the master boat
disarming the wind
riding the road into rock
shaping the one word
needed to free death.

In parables
of ropes, nets and fish,
in the tangle of catching
and feeding, in sowing,
in graces of going
to hear stones sing lakeside—here
Jesus took our name
and wore it
like a fine love.
This, his
major parable.

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