The following is a close approximation of the homly that I delivered for the 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A. The scripture reading on which this is based can be found at this link
Some of you know that I have been a gardener for over
50 years. I grow or have grown flowers,
fruit and vegetables. I grow some
interesting things. I had a magenta and
a white gladiolus that accidently crossbred themselves in my garden. They are
stunningly beautiful, and I have been caring for them for over 20 years. Although I can’t be sure, I believe I have one
of the few pineapple orchards in St Tammany Parish. Well, 7 or 8 pineapple plants probably can't actually be called an orchard! Besides
pineapples, I am currently growing blood
oranges, satsumas, blueberries, blackberries, loquats, pomegranates, tomatoes,
cucumbers, and various herbs. In the past I have grown, various squash, cantaloupe,
watermelons, okra, beans, peppers, garlic, and onions among others.
While I am by no means an agricultural expert, with
all my experience I have developed a few gardening sayings. Here are 2 that you
might find helpful .
“Don’t grow plants that have flowers that make your wife sneeze.”
I did that once by planting a
hedge of dwarf gardenias. Bad move, I
must say! After a couple of years, I dug them up and gave them away.
The most important one is,
“its better to plant a $1 plant in a $10 hole than planting a $10 plant in a $1 hole.”
In other words, the quality,
richness, and condition of the soil is really, really important. So important for me that I make my own garden
soil. No matter how good the seed, plant , or location if the soil is not
fertile, plants just will not grow properly.
And for people of faith, for the seed of faith which is the word of God
to take root, we must have fertile hearts and minds.
There are at least two parables in the new Testament
that I believe could have better names.
The first is the parable known as the Prodigal Son. Calling it the Prodigal puts the emphasis on the son. The son was a jerk. By asking for his
inheritance before his Father had died, he was essentially saying that his
father was dead to him. And he only came
home to save his own skin, not out of any real remorse. The father, on the other hand, must have been
out looking over the horizon every day hoping that his son would come home.
That is how he saw his son at a distance. What was extraordinary in this
parable was the mercy of the father. That parable should really be known as The
Merciful Father,
The second parable that could have a better name is
what we heard in today’s Gospel, the Parable of the Sower. Depending on the context, the sower could be
Jesus or anyone who faithfully preaches the word of God. It could be one of the
prophets, me, father, or even you. There
is only one seed, which is the word of God. What are different are the types of
soils, the way in which people are disposed when the hear God’s word.
The first that
is described is that hard, beaten down, compacted soil that you would find on a
well-traveled path. The person, I will call The Unbeliever. He is
described as one who hears the word of God but does not have a clue what any of
it means. It just goes right by.
Then there is the seed sown on rocky ground. The person described as follows, I will call
the Shallow Person. He hears the word of God and is initially over-joyed
with it. But when times get tough, he bails out. I wonder how many of the
fallen away Catholics are those with rocky ground?
There are seeds that fall among the thorns. These types of people, I will call The
Worldly Person. They hear God’s word
but become full of anxiety and worried about
acquiring worldly possessions and becomes choked off. This is the Catholic who
you cannot tell is Catholic by the way they live their lives.
Then there are the seeds that fall on fertile soil. I will call the person One On Their Way To
Sainthood. According to the Gospel, he is “the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit
and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”
This could be my former Jewish friend Bob, who I helped bring into the
Church a few years ago. From the moment he started RCIA until today, he never
misses a chance to talk to people about Jesus. He even grew his beard down to
the middle of his chest just so that when people asked him “what’s with the
beard, you look like Jesus” he could use it as an entrée to evangelize. His soil is without doubt fertile and he is
producing fruit 60 and 100 fold.
This parable would be better
called the Parable of the Soil rather than the Parable of the Sower. It is the heart,
mind, and soul represented by the soil that make a difference as to whether the
word of God produces no fruit, some fruit, or an abundant harvest.
In the garden, with the
right amount of work, the proper amendments,
with patience and time almost any soil can be transformed into fertile soil. When it
comes to gardening before adding amendments,
you must understand the current condition of the soil. And for people
hearing the word of God, it is important to understand the condition of the
soul. Here is where your homework comes
in.
What sort of soil are
you? If you are a Person On Their way to
Sainthood, and we certainly have some here, that is awesome! But not all of us
are, so I ask you to reflect on the
following.
Am I the Unbeliever?
Yes, there are unbelievers who attend Mass every week. Is being a member of St Luke’s a social thing or a habit. Have I allowed sin and pride to close the door
of my heart against God? Perhaps I have never really learned the Faith and
developed a relationship with Jesus.
Am I the Shallow Person?
Have I failed to nurture the gift of faith through prayer and the sacraments? Am I a person of prayer? Do I share the gospel
with and minister to people God places in my life? Or am I a “cafeteria
Catholic” picking and choosing that parts of the faith that I make me feel good,
and discarding those that make me even the least bit uncomfortable.
The Worldly Person—What
occupies most of my time - worldly possessions, luxuries, temptations, and worldly
desires? Can people who do not know me tell that I am a disciple of Christ or
do I blend in with the pagan culture around me? Are my priorities in order? Do I think I will
spend time with God in the life to come when I spend very little time with Him
in this life?
Now is time to look at
the condition of our hearts, minds, and souls. Make your amendments. If you
are not One Who Is On Their Way to Sainthood, what will it take to get you
there?
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