Sunday, July 14, 2002
15th Week in Ordinary Time
1st Reading: Is 55:10-11
Thus says the Lord: As the rain and the snow come down
from the heavens and do not return
till they have watered the earth,
making it yield seed for the sower
and food for others to eat,
so is my word that goes forth out of my mouth:
it will not return to me idle,
but it shall accomplish my will,
the purpose for which it has been sent.
2nd Reading: Rom 8:18-23
Brothers and sisters, I consider that the suffering of our present life
cannot be compared with the Glory that will be revealed and given to us.
All creation is eagerly expecting the birth in glory of the children of
God. For if now the created world was unable to attain its purpose, this
did not come from itself, but from the one who subjected it. But it is
not without hope; for even the created world will be freed from this fate
of death and share the freedom and glory of the children of God.
We know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pangs of birth.
Not creation alone, but even ourselves, although the Spirit was given
to us as a foretaste of what we are to receive, we groan in our innermost
being, eagerly awaiting the day when God will give us full rights and
rescue our bodies as well.
Gospel:
Mt 13:1-23 or 13:1-9
Jesus left the house and sat down by the lakeside. As many people gathered
around him, he got in a boat. There he sat while the whole crowd stood
on the shore, and he spoke to them in parables about many things.
Jesus said, "The sower went out to sow and, as he sowed, some seeds
fell along the path and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell
on rocky ground where there was little soil, and the seeds sprouted quickly
because the soil was not deep. But as soon the sun rose the plants were
scorched and withered because they had no roots. Again other seeds fell
among thistles; and the thistles grew and choked the plants. Still other
seeds fell on good soil and produced a crop; some produced a hundredfold,
others sixty and others thirty. If you have ears, then hear!"
Commentary
What is in a word, a word that once spoken vanishes and is forgotten?
For so many centuries, people have uttered countless words beyond recall,
so many words forgotten in the passage of time….
Yet one Word remains - the Word uttered by the Eternal. The Word that
reverberates throughout human history, that echoes even beyond time and
space.
The Word unceasingly looks for a welcoming soil that it may germinate
and grow to its fullness. The Word looks for a generous heart that will
nourish and care for it.
The Word is sown in the soil of our hearts and if your heart is fertile,
then the Word sprouts until it bears fruit.
The Word which we gladly welcome and accept into our hearts will then become human as it transforms us into its likeness.