15th Sunday of Ordinary Time – July 12, 2020 – Gospel: Matthew 13: 1-23 or 13: 1-9
Not too many years ago, I received an invitation to a Mardi Gras celebration at a local parish. Mardi Gras, of course, is held the night before Ash Wednesday, just before the season of Lent begins. And the party was sponsored by the Parish Outreach Office of that particular Catholic Church. The organizers decided the entry fee would be 5 cans of food for the needy: why? So that the entire parish might more clearly understand that Parish Social Ministry (a.k.a. Outreach) is not a person, or even an office but it’s ALL of US, and that the FRUIT of our Christian reflection was this: disciples of Jesus Christ feed others, as He did. In a similar way, every time we reflect on a Jesus parable, it’s ALL ABOUT our bearing fruit: true results that God finds are truly valuable. And for 4 today, it’s ALSO ALL ABOUT being a Jesus follower in discipleship, now and all the way to the last judgment.
Now, there are some Gospel texts that are very straight-forward. Remember when Jesus was reassuring his disciples about his presence in the world, He gave us a wonderful teaching: “for where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” I hope it brings you the same positive consolation I know it’s brought to me and others during these difficult days. Similarly, when I was younger, my parents noticed that my artwork and sketches were pretty primitive. So they bought me a kit created by a man named John Gnagy. John was a self-taught artist, and he is best remembered for being America’s first television artist. His shows, “You Are an Artist,” and “Learn to Draw,” taught people to draw copies of famous, identifiable museum paintings. From the very beginning of the lesson, we knew WHAT we’d be painting and the major persons in the artwork when we started out. However, when Jesus is teaching via a parable, there is one fact that we and Christ’s Apostles have had to learn about: and that’s the fact that parables are NOT straight-forward stories, but do contain some surprising & unpredictable elements before the end.
For example, now that we are aware that it is our FRUITFULNESS that the Lord is seeking, in what forms might this fruitfulness of being faithful to God’s Word take root? In several circumstances, such as living together with others OR extended listening to people on television, If we are honest with ourselves, we can admit that it is VERY EASY to become judgmental of others in our thoughts or words. It can happen in an instant. But in our calmer moments, we realize that we could NEVER possibly know all that’s going on in a person’s mind or heart. The other side of the coin is ALSO true: when it comes to God interacting with us, and when we are attentive to God’s presence & voice, anytime is a God-moment, or God-incidence. And we may have experienced those events at different times in our lives: for God can speak to us through music and lyrics of songs, through the memory of loved ones that have gone home to God, through our dreams, and even through our imaginations.
But as Jesus teaches through parables, it is NEVER a one-size-fits-all-application. That is, we may all hear the same words, but we won’t all hear it the same. And why? Because, as we refer to today’s Gospel, some people’s hearts might be ready to bear fruit 30-fold, while others might be ready & capable of bearing fruit 100-fold. Here’s an example that comes to mind. Years ago, there was a movie about Mahatma Gandhi, a man from India, and his way of nonviolent resistance. A Hindu man came to Gandhi seeking spiritual advice: the man explained to Gandhi that he had KILLED a young Muslim boy, in retaliation for someone else killing his own Hindu son. Hindus and Muslims were enemies, and it would be fair to say that they hated each other. Gandhi told the man to go out, and find another young Muslim boy, and raise him…. and the eyes of the Hindu man looked relieved for a second…that is, until Gandhi finished his sentence: “find another Muslim boy, and RAISE HIM AS A MUSLIM.”
In other words, “demonstrate that you are sorry for killing your enemy by loving that enemy in the next generation, loving that Muslim son as your very own flesh and blood, in the religious and cultural practices of your enemy.” That is CERTAINLY different from simply saying “I’m sorry” to a person I’ve offended, and the matter quickly coming to a close. We might all wonder how ready we would be to seek complete forgiveness by offering complete love.
As we celebrate this Eucharistic treasure today, a gift we cannot ever take for granted, may our eyes and hearts be opened in faith to see beyond the bread and wine to see clearly the hunger and desire NOT ONLY that we have for Jesus: but to see the desire that Jesus has for each of us: to be united to Him, the Father & the Holy Spirit, so that our fruitfulness may be abundant for God’s reign, both now and forever. Amen. Love, Father Chris
