20200724 HEARING THE WORD OF GOD
24 July, 2020, Friday, 16th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Green.
First reading
|
Jeremiah 3:14-17 ©
|
Come back, my disloyal children
Come back, disloyal children – it is the Lord who speaks – for I alone am your Master. I will take one from a town, two from a clan, and bring you to Zion. I will give you shepherds after my own heart, and these shall feed you on knowledge and discretion. And when you have increased and become many in the land, then – it is the Lord who speaks – no one will ever say again: Where is the ark of the covenant of the Lord? There will be no thought of it, no memory of it, no regret for it, no making of another. When that time comes, Jerusalem shall be called: The Throne of the Lord; all the nations will gather there in the name of the Lord and will no longer follow the dictates of their own stubborn hearts.
Responsorial Psalm
|
Jeremiah 31:10-13 ©
|
The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
O nations, hear the word of the Lord,
proclaim it to the far-off coasts.
Say: ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him
and guard him as a shepherd guards his flock.’
The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
For the Lord has ransomed Jacob,
has saved him from an overpowering hand.
They will come and shout for joy on Mount Zion,
they will stream to the blessings of the Lord.
The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
Then the young girls will rejoice and dance,
the men, young and old, will be glad.
I will turn their mourning into joy,
I will console them, give gladness for grief.
The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
Gospel Acclamation
|
Jm1:21
|
Alleluia, alleluia!
Accept and submit to the word
which has been planted in you
and can save your souls.
Alleluia!
Or:
|
cf.Lk8:15
|
Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed are those who,
with a noble and generous heart,
take the word of God to themselves
and yield a harvest through their perseverance.
Alleluia!
Gospel
|
Matthew 13:18-23 ©
|
The man who hears the word and understands it yields a rich harvest
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You 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.’
HEARING THE WORD OF GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [JER 3:14-17; JER 31:10-13; MT 13:18-23 ]
It is significant that the Parable of the Sower and its explanation is overlaid by another pericope on the reason why some could understand the parable and some could not. (Mt 13:10-17) This text, which was read in yesterday’s gospel, provides us the key to explaining the different receptions of the Word of God when preached and proclaimed to the listeners. This parable is not just addressed to the hearers of the Word of God but to the preachers as well. At the back of our mind is the question as to why the same Word of God preached by the same preacher can move some but not others. Is it the fault of the listeners, the soil, or the fault of the preacher, the Sower of the seed?
This parable is a consolation, especially to preachers of the Word of God because it seems that the extent of receptivity to the Word of God is placed squarely on the listeners. Of course, it does not mean that the preacher has no part to play in the transmission of the Word of God. It is important that the preacher must be convicted of what he or she is saying and teaching; he or she knows the Word of God intimately, and given the gift of preaching and teaching. In other words, as the Sower, we must also know how to sow at the right places. We must find and improve the means of delivery and speech. Even if these are not the most important aspects of proclamation, yet they can be critical in helping our listeners to give themselves an opportunity to hear us. So a preacher also needs to learn to teach well, sometimes with the help of modern technology.
Even then, there are some preachers and teachers who are not eloquent or intellectually brilliant, but are able to inspire many people. So it is not merely the preacher alone. St Paul asked the same question in his letter to the Romans. He began by stating the importance of having a preacher to proclaim the Good News. (cf Rom 10:14-17) Then he said, “But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed, they have; for ‘Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.’ Again I ask, did Israel not understand? But of Israel he says, ‘All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.'” (Rom 10:18, 19, 21) In Paul’s assessment as in the parable of the Sower, the emphasis seems to be placed more on the part of the listeners.
This was also the case of the Israelites in today’s first reading. The prophet Jeremiah was appealing to the Israelites in the North to repent and the people of Judah. “Come back, disloyal children – it is the Lord who speaks – for I alone am your Master. I will take one from a town, two from a clan, and bring you to Zion.” Israel and Judah became two separate kingdoms after the death of King Solomon. Israel began to stray from Yahweh and worshipped false gods. However, the people of Judah were no better because they were worshipping the false gods of wealth and power, involved in cheating, bribery and oppression of the poor. They would not listen to the Prophet Jeremiah when God extended His hand to them, promising them that He would save the remnant and that “I will give you shepherds after my own heart, and these shall feed you on knowledge and discretion.” Jesus of course is the Good Shepherd after the heart of God.
So too in the Parable of the Sower, the receptivity of the Word of God is very much dependent on the soil, the listeners. The seed sown on the pathway, the rocky ground, among the thistles, or on good fertile soil is the same seed. However, the soil will affect the germination and growth of the seed.
If the seed falls on the edge of the pathway, it will not be able to take root. Who are those that receive the seed on the edge of the pathway? Those who listen and do not take the Word of God seriously because of pride! This is why the modern man who believes in himself and no one else has great difficulty in accepting the Word of God. He thinks he knows better. Intellectual pride causes us to put aside the Word of God as irrelevant, impractical and old-fashioned. Of course, some marginalize the Word of God not because it is not true but simply because it contradicts their immoral and self-centered lifestyle. They feel threatened by the Word of God. If they were to accept the Word of God and take it seriously, it would mean that they have to change their lifestyles. This was what the Lord said earlier, “For this people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; so that they might not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn – and I would heal them.” (Mt 13:15)
If the seed falls on the rocky ground, it takes root but the roots do not grow deep enough for the plant to survive for long. Truly, many Catholics receive the Word of God with joy. However, they do not make effort to deepen their faith in the Lord. They became Catholics because of a beautiful encounter with God, a miracle of healing in their lives or inspired by the lives of some Catholics. However, such transitory moments of enthusiasm cannot sustain us for long. When the feelings and emotions subside, and Christian life begins in daily living, this is when our faith and love for God is tested. Unless we keep up with our relationship with the Lord and deepen our knowledge and love for Him, that faith cannot last.
If the seed falls among thorns, the Word of God would be stifled by competing demands on the time and attention of the listener. How true is this for most of us? Whilst we desire to love God on one hand, yet we also desire to have a good life, riches, honour and pleasure. We want to belong to the world and yet we want to belong to God. We want to serve both God and mammon. (cf Mt 6:24) We are not willing to sacrifice the things, glory and pleasure of this life and give ourselves totally to God. So the Christian Faith is just another good thing to have in one’s life. However, we cannot get total commitment from this group of Catholics. They can be active in Church but they will not try to help people to know Jesus and share their faith with others. For some, they are very contented to know that they have fulfilled their Sunday obligations in attending mass and donating their mite to the church and the poor. Jesus makes it clear. “For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?” (Mt 16:26)
Finally, the seed that falls on fertile ground 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.” He is receptive not just to the Word of God but he nurtures it, grows it and looks after it. Even then, the fruits they bear, as the parable says, varies; some a hundredfold and some less. There are different qualities of rich soil as well. Some are more intelligent and yet humble. Some lack understanding but have simple faith. Some have knowledge and deep faith experiences. Hence, different amount of fruits are produced.
However, this does not explain everything. Even if we have a good preacher and those who are willing to hear the Word of God in various degrees of openness, we will need the grace of God. Without the help of the Holy Spirit, our hearts and ears will remain shut. Without the Holy Spirit, the word of God would not be delivered with power. St Paul shared, “My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.” (1 Cor 2:4) Indeed, in the final analysis, the cooperation between man’s efforts and the grace of God is what enables a person to hear the Word of God clearly and find the strength to live according to it. The Lord said, “But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 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.” (Mt 13:16f)
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment