Commentary

Sunday, 7/16/2017, Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Do What You Say You Will Do

First Reading Commentary Isaiah 55:10-11

Oh how often people make promises to themselves and to others that they do not keep. How many New Year’s resolutions are broken on January 2nd? How many times do children say to their parents, “But you promised?” How many promises are broken between married couples and friends?

Most of us have the very best of intentions and do not mean to break our promises but somehow life gets in the way and we just do. God does not break promises and in today’s prophecy from Isaiah, God says that His Word shall not return to Him void. In other words, what God says will be, will be! What God says He will do, will be done! That’s just all there is to it.

What’s more, God never says or does anything without having a reason. God does not speak just to hear Himself talk nor does He take action simply because He can. God’s Word has a purpose and that purpose shall always be fulfilled.

It is the nature of things that life continues on earth because the rain and the snow make the soil fertile so that it bears fruit of every kind which in turn makes food for all living creatures including us. God says that just as the rain and the snow come down from the heavens to water the earth, His word shall achieve the end for which He sent it.

God’s Word is our spiritual food and through Christ, the Word became flesh so that we might be fed by God’s Word in a physical way when we receive the Eucharist. And what is the bottom line to God’s Word? It is that we be with Him in heaven. For this purpose; we were created and for this purpose; the Father sent the Son to save us.

That is God’s promise to us and always has been from the beginning. But we have to understand that God’s promise is an invitation. We can accept or refuse that invitation. If we accept, the promise is fulfilled and we will be with Him in heaven. There are no ands, ifs or buts about that.

We are made in the image and likeness of God which means that God’s goodness is in each one of us. Today we learn that one of the ways that we can use the goodness that God put in us; is by keeping our promises.

The message here is simple. Do what you say you are going to do! We call that quality in someone: integrity. Godlike is more like it.

Be Filled with the Fruits of the Spirit

Second Reading Commentary Romans 8:18-23

I can sum up today’s second reading from Paul to the Romans by saying that those of us, who accept God’s invitation to be with Him, eagerly await the fulfillment of His promise on the last day. Those who do not believe, reject God’s invitation. But those who do believe; accept God’s invitation.

Paul is telling us that for those who believe, the sufferings that we experience here on earth because of sin are nothing compared to the glory which will be revealed to us in heaven. We suffer because of sin. Remember, things were perfect and there was no such thing as suffering in the Garden of Eden before Adam and Eve broke the law.

We are subject to sin but we are also subject to the highest of all powers—God. Even sin and where it comes from is subject to God. Paul is telling us that in the end, in spite of our brokenness, those of us who place their loyalty with God, will be filled with the fruits of the Spirit, set free from the slavery of sin and be with God in heaven.

Are you planted in Rich Soil?

Gospel Commentary Matthew 1:23

Today, Jesus gives us the Parable of the Sower. Jesus said that some seed fell on the paths and the birds ate them. Some seed fell on rocky ground and sprang up right away but was scorched by the sun and withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns which choked it. Finally, some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

Jesus used parables to illustrate similarities between His Truth and everyday life. In this parable, Jesus is speaking of Himself. He is the sower and we are the seeds. Jesus explained to the disciples what each of the four types of seeds represent.

The seed that fell on the path is compared to the person who hears the Word but does not understand it so the devil comes and steals it. The seed sown on rocky ground is the person who hears the Word and receives it once with joy but has no root which means that his faith is shallow. As a result, when he is challenged or persecuted; he looses the Word. The seed sown among thorns is the person who hears the Word but because they are consumed with worldly anxiety and riches, they bear no fruit. The seed sown on rich soil is the person who hears the word, accepts the word and understands it. They live their lives according to the Word and bear much fruit.

A good farmer will sow his seed so that most of it will grow in the rich soil of the field and yield a productive harvest. So to, the Word from Jesus is sown in each of us. Some of us will accept it and some of us will not. Those who do accept the Word will bear much fruit through their faith and in the way that they live their lives and will be a part of the productive harvest in heaven.

As we heard the Father say in today’s prophecy from Isaiah, in this parable, we hear Jesus telling us that His Word will not return to Him void. If we do not accept His Word because of a lack in faith, we will not return to Him in heaven. But if we have faith in Him and accept His Word, we will bear fruit and we will return to Him in heaven.

The disciples asked Jesus why He spoke in parables. Jesus told the disciples that they had been granted knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven and explained that to those who have, more would be granted but to those who have not; even what they have will be taken away. In other words, more knowledge will be given to those who have it and those without knowledge will loose whatever else they may have.

Knowledge is given to us by the Holy Spirit and can be compared to the seed in today’s parable. Likewise, we can compare faith to the soil. If we are without knowledge, it is because our faith was not rich soil. Meditate on that for a moment because the rest of the message is deep and a stern warning from Jesus. If we have no knowledge because we lack in faith, we will loose all of our gifts and fruits from the Spirit and there is no way that we can be with Jesus in heaven.

Jesus referred to Isaiah 6:9-10 when He said, “They look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.” Then Jesus explained the prophecy and concluded by saying, “I heal them.”

With those three words, Jesus proclaimed His divinity and He proclaimed that all salvation comes through Him. We cannot reach the Kingdom of Heaven by ourselves or on our own. We can only get there by keeping our eyes and ears open to the Word of Jesus-God!

Jesus knew that the disciples would get the message which is why He told them that knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven had been granted to them. But Jesus also wanted to make sure that the disciples understood how easily they could loose their knowledge and whether or not they did, was a measure of their faith.

          Eleven of the original Twelve held onto their knowledge because it was planted in rich soil. Where is our seed planted?

Reading 1          Isaiah 55:10-11

Thus says the LORD: Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats, 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.

Responsorial Psalm          Psalm 65:10-14

R/ (Lk 8:8) The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.

You have visited the land and watered it; greatly have you enriched it.
God’s watercourses are filled; you have prepared the grain.
R/ The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.

Thus have you prepared the land: drenching its furrows, breaking up its clods, Softening it with showers, blessing its yield.
R/ The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.

You have crowned the year with your bounty, and your paths overflow with a rich harvest; The untilled meadows overflow with it, and rejoicing clothes the hills.
R/ The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.

The fields are garmented with flocks and the valleys blanketed with grain.
They shout and sing for joy.
R/ The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.

Reading 2          Romans 8:18-23

Brothers and sisters: I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us.
For creation awaits with eager expectation the revelation of the children of God; for creation was made subject to futility, not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it, in hope that creation itself would be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.
We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now; and not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, we also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.

Gospel          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 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 hearts and be converted, and I heal them.

“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.

“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.”