Be receptive of the seed
Notes
Transcript
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time A
Mt 13:1-23
Today the Gospel is talking about seeds, soil, and fruits. A priest told me that when he asked the candidates for confirmation what fruits of the Holy Spirit are, some answered that apple, mango, and Kiwi. Some even said, I do not like apples, so I will pray for the Holy Spirit to give me Bananas.
Imagine that we are farmers and want to grow vegetables. So, what kind of soil do you want to sow the seeds or to grow plants? Is it a dry ground, thorny soil, or rocky soil? For Me, I would choose rich soil to grow plants.
Now, we look at the farmer in the Gospel.
What kind of soil was he looking for?
Does he look for rich soil or thorny, or rocky soil?
The Gospel shows us that he chooses all kinds of soil to sow the seeds.
I thought that if he were a farmer in my hometown, we would think that He is not a good farmer. He does not know how to farm well.
Some even say that Jesus is not a good businessman because he is not good at math. He left 99 good sheep looking for only the lost one.
From our human perspective, only good soil bears many fruits.
But Gospel shows that God's works always remain a mystery. His way is always good.
Abraham Lincoln once said, "My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right."
God's way is always right.
God does not choose only good soil to sow seeds, but he chooses all kinds of soil. That is why we are all here today.
Now we ask other questions, does he choose only Holy people to listen to his words? Does God only choose good people to give his grace?
Thank God again. His way is really different from our way.
Sometimes I just thank God because he is not like me; if he is like me, I do not know what would happen to those speak against the Church.
Matthew shows us God is the sun who shines on the just and the unjust alike. God loves both sinners and saints. He is the maker of the rich and the poor.
Unlike human standards, God does not say to dry people or sinners, "I am done with you because you cannot bear fruits.” He does not look at only the rich people and say, “I will give you more because you give the Church much.” No, the good news is that God always shows favor to little ones.
Jesus as the Gardener in Luke’s Gospel said that “leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future.”
Thank God again, God is so patient with us.
Now the second point we need to reflect on is how do I cultivate the soil in my soul? How can the ground of my soul become good soil and bear abundant fruits?
It depends on the owner of the ground. God is the owner, the farmer who had the power to cultivate and transfer dry land into good land. Our job is to cooperate with his grace. St. John said in his Gospel, "Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit because without me you can do nothing."
What we can do is open our hearts and receive and live the words of God.
Like a dry land cannot receive water from the rain if we cover it. In the same way, we cannot receive God's words and his grace if our heart is covered with darkness, self-centerless, and self-righteousness.
We need to open our hearts to receive God's words and be transformed by God's grace like the soil receive water from the rain because God “has watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful.”
Every sinner is rocky and thorny soil, but they may bear many fruits and become a saint if they open to God's grace working in their lives.
Story:
Clayton Fountain was once known as the most dangerous prisoner in the United States. Convicted in 1974 of murdering his fellow in the Marines, he was sent to a top-security prison where he killed three other inmates and an officer. He had to be moved to a specially constructed solitary cell.
During this time, a Trappist monk, Fr. Paul Jones, was the priest who brought this soul to Christ.
Fountain began to study theology, was converted, and decided to live a life as a monk in his prison cell. He opens to receive God's grace to transform him in the darkest prison place. Even in the darkness of prison, God never forgot Clayton. God redeems and remakes Fountain by his words and grace.
Fountain’s conversion affirms that no one is beyond God's divine mercy, and no sin is beyond God's forgiveness. As he himself stated, "If I can be forgiven, then no one is beyond the forgiveness of God."
Like Pope Francis said “God never tires of forgiving and loving sinners, but we sometimes get tired of asking Him to forgive us.
God never gives up sinners because he has the power to transform thorny and rocky soil into rich soil. Seeds only live and grow in good soil. Good soil is the soul with goodwill to receive, understand and live words of God.
And Like the first reading said Do not let the rain return without watering the soil of our soil and do not let the words of God return empty. For God said “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.”
I would like to introduce the best way to bear many fruits in our Christian life. That is the way of opening, receiving, and becoming living words of God by your lives. By living this way, I believe that we will produce fruits a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.