20200712 CREATIVITY IN PROCLAIMING THE WORD OF GOD
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Green.
First reading
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Isaiah 55:10-11 ©
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The word that goes out from my mouth does not return to me empty
Thus says the Lord: ‘As the rain and the snow come down from the heavens and do not return without watering the earth, making it yield and giving growth to provide seed for the sower and bread for the eating, so the word that goes from my mouth does not return to me empty, without carrying out my will and succeeding in what it was sent to do.’
Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 64(65):10-14 ©
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Some seed fell into rich soil and produced its crop.
You care for the earth, give it water,
you fill it with riches.
Your river in heaven brims over
to provide its grain.
Some seed fell into rich soil and produced its crop.
And thus you provide for the earth;
you drench its furrows;
you level it, soften it with showers;
you bless its growth.
Some seed fell into rich soil and produced its crop.
You crown the year with your goodness.
Abundance flows in your steps,
in the pastures of the wilderness it flows.
Some seed fell into rich soil and produced its crop.
The hills are girded with joy,
the meadows covered with flocks,
the valleys are decked with wheat.
They shout for joy, yes, they sing.
Some seed fell into rich soil and produced its crop.
Second reading
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Romans 8:18-23 ©
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The whole creation is eagerly waiting for God to reveal his sons
I think that what we suffer in this life can never be compared to the glory, as yet unrevealed, which is waiting for us. The whole creation is eagerly waiting for God to reveal his sons. It was not for any fault on the part of creation that it was made unable to attain its purpose, it was made so by God; but creation still retains the hope of being freed, like us, from its slavery to decadence, to enjoy the same freedom and glory as the children of God. From the beginning till now the entire creation, as we know, has been groaning in one great act of giving birth; and not only creation, but all of us who possess the first-fruits of the Spirit, we too groan inwardly as we wait for our bodies to be set free.
Gospel Acclamation
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1S3:9,Jn6:68
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Speak, Lord, your servant is listening:
you have the message of eternal life.
Alleluia!
Or:
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The seed is the word of God, Christ the sower;
whoever finds this seed will remain for ever.
Alleluia!
Gospel
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Matthew 13:1-23 ©
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A sower went out to sow
Jesus left the house and sat by the lakeside, but such large crowds gathered round him that he got into a boat and sat there. The people all stood on the beach, and he told them many things in parables.
He said, ‘Imagine a sower going out to sow. As he sowed, some seeds fell on the edge of the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Others fell on patches of rock where they found little soil and sprang up straight away, because there was no depth of earth; but as soon as the sun came up they were scorched and, not having any roots, they withered away. Others fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Others fell on rich soil and produced their crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Listen, anyone who has ears!’
Then the disciples went up to him and asked, ‘Why do you talk to them in parables?’ ‘Because’ he replied, ‘the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven are revealed to you, but they are not revealed to them. For anyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. The reason I talk to them in parables is that they look without seeing and listen without hearing or understanding. So in their case this prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled:
You will listen and listen again, but not understand,
see and see again, but not perceive.
For the heart of this nation has grown coarse,
their ears are dull of hearing, and they have shut their eyes,
for fear they should see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their heart,
and be converted
and be healed by me.
‘But happy are your eyes because they see, your ears because they hear! I tell you solemnly, many prophets and holy men longed to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard it.
‘You, therefore, are to hear the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom without understanding, the evil one comes and carries off what was sown in his heart: this is the man who received the seed on the edge of the path. The one who received it on patches of rock is the man who hears the word and welcomes it at once with joy. But he has no root in him, he does not last; let some trial come, or some persecution on account of the word, and he falls away at once. The one who received the seed in thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this world and the lure of riches choke the word and so he produces nothing. And the one who received the seed in rich soil is the man who hears the word and understands it; he is the one who yields a harvest and produces now a hundredfold, now sixty, now thirty.’
CREATIVITY IN PROCLAIMING THE WORD OF GOD
12 July, 2020, Sunday, 15th Week, Ordinary Time
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ ISA 55:10-11; PS 65:10-14; ROM 8:18-23; MT 13:1-23 ]
In the second reading, St Paul speaks of the struggles of humanity on earth as we seek freedom from the sufferings of this life. “Creation still retains the hope of being freed, like us, from its slavery to decadence, to enjoy the same freedom and glory as the children of God.” We are living in a decadent world. We are a fallen humanity. Because of sin, there is so much selfishness, evil, destruction and division in the world. Even as the world progresses technologically and morally, there is this constant battle between good and evil, light and darkness, truth and falsehood. We live a life of contradiction, ongoing tensions and violence.
With the advancement of science and technology, the world seems to be a better place. Yet science and technology are merely instruments that can be employed for good or evil. Unfortunately, they are often used by evil and selfish people for the destruction of others through the promotion of weapons of mass destruction, chemical and biological warfare.
How, then, can we ensure that light will triumph over darkness, good over evil unless we sow the seeds of truth, justice and love? Today, the gospel reminds us that we are all sowers of the Word of God. As Christians, it is our duty to sow the Word of God which we have received. Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.” (Mt 5:14f) As baptized Christians, we must bring light to those in darkness, hope to those who are discouraged, by sharing the Word of God.
In sharing the Word of God, we are called to proclaim the gospel to all peoples, regardless who they are. Those who are already baptized need to continue to deepen their understanding and love for the Word. Those who are not yet baptized need to be instructed on the Word of God. Those who have not yet heard must be given an opportunity to listen to the Word of God and come to know Jesus. Like the Sower, he went out to sow. No place was out of bounds for him to proclaim the message. He sowed the seed on the pathway, on rocky ground, on the undergrowth and on fertile ground. He did not distinguish or mark out territories where the Word of God should not be proclaimed. St Paul urged Timothy, “proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching.” (2 Tim 4:2)
However, we will be met with resistance when we seek to proclaim the gospel. Such opposition can come from within or without. It comes from the Evil One, from the flesh and from the world. This is where the liturgy of today invites us to respond creatively, proactively and non-violently to the oppositions that come from the different situations. Instead of plunging headlong into the indifference or the hostility of the world towards the gospel, we must employ more productive means and effective strategies to counter their opposition. We remember what the Lord said to His disciples when He commented on the shrewdness of the dishonest steward. He said, “The children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.” (Lk 16:8) How true are the words of Jesus because Catholics are in danger of being so restricted by the traditions of the past, a fixed mindset, fossilized rules and outdated structures, stale preaching and teaching that we might no longer be able to speak to the world, especially the modern generation.
Today, we must consider how we can respond effectively to the challenges imposed on the gospel. The first obstacle comes from the Evil One. This is what the Lord said in His parable of the Sower. “As he sowed, some seeds fell on the edge of the path, and the birds came and ate them up.” Very often, it is the human pride, especially intellectual pride and over-estimation of oneself that hinders us from hearing the Word of God. The second opposition comes from the flesh. “Others fell on patches of rock where they found little soil and sprang up straight away, because there was no depth of earth.” The devil tempts us to seek pleasures in life. The devil knows our flesh seeks comfort and enjoyment. So whilst our spirit desires the Word of God, the flesh, which is stronger than our human spirit, seeks the pleasures of this world. This is why we fall into all kinds of addictions, drinking, sex, pornography, gluttony and immoral entertainment. The third opposition comes from the world. “Others fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.” What are these thorns? Indeed, we are distracted by the world. We want to seek greater honor, glory, power and recognition. So we work hard and spend much time acquiring all these things of the world that we do not have time for God or for service of others, or even our family and friends.
But opposition from the world also comes from secularism. The secular world does not allow religion to enter into public life. They do not stop us from practicing our faith in our own homes or in our churches or temples, but they forbid us from bringing the gospel into the public life of our people. This was the same challenge our Lord faced. He was initially preaching the gospel in the synagogues where the Jews would listen to Him. However, the Jewish leaders became envious of Him and could not accept His authority and His new interpretation of the scriptures. Anger and hostility was building up in the Jewish leaders, so much so that Jesus was no longer welcomed to preach in the synagogues.
So how do we respond to these oppositions and challenges to the gospel message? We must be creative in our response. Firstly, we seek new avenues. When Jesus was rejected by the Jewish leaders in the synagogues, He was undeterred by the constraints imposed on Him. “Jesus left the house and sat by the lakeside.” He decided to bring His pulpit to the open ground, in the desert, at the lakeside, seashore, in the houses, along the streets and on the roadside. He did not allow the gospel to be chained by those in authority but to circumvent the limitations imposed on Him. So, too, during this Covid-19, even with the restrictions imposed on us, we can still reach out to people through on-line services, webinars, zoom for teaching, worship and prayer gathering and meetings. Pope Francis tells us to bring the gospel to where people are, in the streets and in the battlefields of life.
Secondly, we need new methods of communicating the Good News. Jesus taught in a way that was different from the scribes and the Pharisees. He did not repeat old formulas that had been heard so often that they had lost their impact. As the Lord said, “You will listen and listen again, but not understand, see and see again, but not perceive.” Hence, Jesus used similes as in the examples of salt and light. He employed story telling in the form of parables, drawing examples from daily life so that the people could relate their human experience with the religious and godly experience that Jesus wanted to convey to them. The truth is that people grasp better through pictures rather than abstract concepts and logical arguments. We cannot capture an experience of God neatly in words unless we have a similar experience to identify with. Love cannot be put in formulas.
Of course, there are other means as well to convey truths, such as through songs, poems, music, dance, art, cartoons, comedy and humour, history and narratives. Indeed, the bible uses all these different tools to communicate humanity’s encounter with God. We too must do likewise. Through the use of technology, mass communications, digital media, we should employ all means to make the gospel more appealing and interesting to our young people who are more receptive to learning through images and interactive ways. Unless we are willing to venture out and learn these new tools and use means other than a discursive and abstract presentation of the gospel, we will lose the attention of our audience, not just our Catholics but potentially those who are seeking to know Christ.
All of us, not just religious leaders, with theological content must collaborate with those who have the tools of modern communications to make the promise of Isaiah come true. “The word that goes from my mouth does not return to me empty, without carrying out my will and succeeding in what it was sent to do.” Let us be creative, resourceful and proactive in dealing with the obstacles in proclaiming the Word of God. In this way, when the Word of God falls on rich soil, it will produce a rich crop, “some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Listen, anyone who has ears!”
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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