COLLECT: “O GOD, WHO SHOW THE LIGHT OF YOUR TRUTH TO THOSE WHO GO ASTRAY, SO THAT THEY MAY RETURN TO THE RIGHT PATH, GIVE ALL WHO FOR THE FAITH THEY PROFESS ARE ACCOUNTED CHRISTIANS THE GRACE TO REJECT WHATEVER IS CONTTRARY TO THE NAME OF CHRIST AND TO STRIVE AFTER ALL THAT DOES IT HONOUR. THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, YOUR SON, WHO LIVES AND REIGNS WITH YOU IN THE UNITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, GOD, FOR EVER AND EVER. AMEN”.
Is 55:10-11; Ps 64:10-14; Rom 8:18-23; Mt 13:1-23.
“BE RECEPTIVE TO GOD’S WORD TO TRANSFORM YOU”.
Some preliminary questions: If it rains on rocky ground or hard stony ground, can such a ground/soil be affected (socked) by the rainwater? If a farmer makes his farm on a rocky/stony ground, despite the numerous rains, can such a soil ever produce any good yield for the farmer? Such a farmer is not even a good farmer.
Isaiah in our first reading adds substance to Jesus’ parable in our gospel reading. Isaiah’s message concludes his message of consolation to the Jewish people during their exile in Babylon in which Isaiah urges them to be hopeful, for God will not fail them through his word. Isaiah makes rain a symbol of the powerful Word of God. Just as rain comes down to make the earth fruitful, so God’s word rains in the human heart and enriches it. When the human heart is enriched, then, the world is enriched.
The world, which is made up of human beings is like a parched land (hard paths, rocky, thorny, etc) waiting for God’s rainy word to rain on it and bring blessing and fruitfulness. Indeed, we make up the world and whatever happens is our making, which of course, will be the design from our hearts. The same message of consolation is found in the second reading, from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans. Because of sin all creation, including humankind has fallen from the perfect state (that state of innocence) in which God created it.
The world is in bondage to death and decay because of our sinful actions and deeds and therefore it can no longer fulfil its intended purpose. St. Paul is encouraging the Romans and all of us to consider whatever suffering we are going through in the world because of our/and other people’s sinful and wrong deeds, as nothing compared with the glory that would later be revealed to us. One day all creation would be renewed, liberated, transformed and glorified.
Analysis of the Parable
The Sower is God/Christ who sows good seeds upon four kinds of soils. The seed is the word of God and the different types of soil represent our individual hearts. The first three types of soils (hearts) are saddled with obstacles and challenges and therefore the seed fell on these soils but because of the obstacles and challenges the seed could not do well. In other words, God sends his word onto these different soils but it could not yield the desired fruits.
Roadside/footpath soil represents Unreceptive hearts to God’s Word. The seed that fell in this soil was trampled upon by men/women and discovered by birds which ate it up. These are people who are unreceptive to the word of God, they hold on to what people have gone before, unwilling to accept anything new or any change. Such is the “anything goes” type of soil (heart). Of course, such a seed is easily stolen by Satan and his false ministers, prophets and pastors.
Rocky ground represents people (hearts) who receive the word without really understanding it. Such people are enthusiastic but are unable to allow the world to have any effect on their lives. People who fall into this category are opportunists who possess a type of lightheartedness that makes them shallow and because of the lack of root and moisture, such a person initially acts devotedly but as soon as temptations, persecutions and trials arise, he/she falls away, withers and returns to his/her original state. Such a heart is stubborn and not easy to be transformed by the Word of God.
Thorny-infested soil seed. The seeds that fall here are soon choked by the thorns. This represents people who receive the word but attempt to mix it with the pleasures of their lives. The love of worldly things will always choke God’s word sown in us. People in this category are easily distracted and distracted by secular or worldly interests. Such people possess the proper disposition for spiritual growth but they are prevented from producing fruits due to external circumstances, the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches.
The Fertile Soil Seed. Here the seed grows and bears fruit abundantly. Such is a person who receives the word of God with an honest, sincere and understanding heart. Only such a heart (soil) will bear fruit in abundance. It must be observed that all these four different kinds of soils are not necessarily found in four different fields, or four different hearts, but may be found in the same piece of field (On the same farm) or the same heart.
Truly, there are times we cannot take in the word of God because our hearts are like “anything goes” or they are just too hard to receive God’s Word. We are sometimes dry and we cannot experience the word of God all because of the hardships and difficult moments we are going through. The worries of this life prevent God’s word from penetrating our hearts. Sometimes in Church, we are saddled with worries and challenges.
Therefore, while we are in Church physically present and activities are going on, our minds are somewhere else wandering about; physically present in Church but psychologically or spiritually absent. Sometimes also when we are enslaved by the attractiveness of the world, the word of God cannot go into our hearts. Sometimes when conditions are just right for us, we permit and allow the rain of God’s word to bring forth the blossoms of our lives.
May I comment here, that, the listening and attentiveness we give to some of our Television Programmes like, the famous “Kunkun Bagi – those days”, “Pragyia”, Occultism, Witchcraft, etc., if we could give a bit of such listening and attentiveness to the word of God, we could be blessed more.
Today, Isaiah is giving us a consoling message that despite our present suffering (St. Paul in the Second Reading), worries and hardships, we should give God’s word a chance. God will transform these worries and challenges into blessings for us. It is good to come to God with our worries, challenges, sufferings and hardships.
Do not leave your worries and challenges behind at home or wherever and come to Church. God wants that when we do come to him, we should present whatever we are going through to him and open the doors and windows of our hearts and listen to what he has for us through his word. Present yourself before God, not only physically but spiritually or psychologically as well (both body and soul). May God take care of all your worries, anxieties, fears and heart’s desires as well as your joys and happiness. Stay blessed and have a fruitful Sunday.
WE MEDITATE TODAY, WEDNESDAY, ON THE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES: ‘THE RESURRECTION, THE ASCENSION, THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, THE ASSUMPTION, AND THE CORRONATION’. (WE PRAY FAITH, HOPE, LOVE OF GOD, GRACE OF A HAPPY DEATH AND TRUST IN MARY’S INTERCESSION) “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen”.
PRAYER: “HAVING CONSUMED THESE GIFTS, WE PRAY, O LORD, THAT, BY OUR PARTICIPATION IN THIS MYSTERY, ITS SAVING EFFECTS UPON US MAY GROW. THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD. AMEN.”
Rev. Fr. Aloysius Kpiebaya, Catholic Diocese of Wa, UW/R, Ghana. (00233) 0207867239/0545462863. Email: aloybaya20@yahoo.com.
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