15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Fr. Francis)
Jesus was really a great preacher and teacher because He spoke in the language of the people so that the people would understand Him. He used stories, made comparisons, and used examples, all from the everyday life of the people He was speaking to.
In the parable we have just heard there are three realities that attract our attention: the sower, the seed and the ground on which it falls. The sower is God; the seed, his Word; the ground is the mind and heart of man. These grounds represent four kinds of hearts:
First is on the footpath. That the word of God, the Church and the sacraments are outdated, old-fashioned, irrelevant, unnecessary, unimportant and have nothing to do with their lives. That is why, some would prefer to stay in their homes, watch television or go to movie houses and watch movies or go to malls cockpit arena. It may refer also to those people who may be caught up with deceit.
Second is on the rocky ground. These are the people who start enthusiastically attending charismatic Prayer groups, faith formation, seminars and others but when suffering and difficulties come in their lives, they often depart and give in. They surrender what they have even their own faith in God. There is no real commitment.
Third is on the thorny ground. This is the type of person who is so busy and so preoccupied with material accumulation to the extent that prayers and loving or serving others are forgotten. Going to Mass on Sundays is for them a routine and just an obligation, not because they want to thank God. It does not mean that we are against material possessions but rather we warned that a total human development and progress includes the spiritual aspect.
Finally, is on the good ground. It symbolizes those persons when heard the word of God and respond to by applying it to them and bear fruits of good deeds.
Jesus said that some are fell on rocky ground… and it withered for lack of roots. Roots are invisible, unrecognized and forgotten. How often do we say: “How delicious the mangoes/apples of this tree are?” But how many of us say: “This mango/apple tree or this plant or this flower must have a good root”?
Roots themselves are quite ugly. They are dirty, long, thin, twisted. But paradoxically, they reproduce beauty above the ground. Roots are the strength and life of trees, plants and flowers.
What lessons we can learn from roots? There are three:
The first one is, we are always concerned about our appearances, how others see us or with the visible reality. We try various ways to make ourselves better looking. But like trees, flowers and plants, our real value and dignity come from roots and that is we are all children of God.
The second is self-denial. We do not do what pleases us, but we do what pleases God. Like roots, self-denial is ugly and hard. But like roots, it produces external self-control and selflessness that people admire.
Finally, the root that gives us strength is the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ. These knowledge and love of Christ are seen in our words and actions.
So my dear friends let us reflect on our personal life base on this gospel: To which ground do you belong? Are we like the three types of grounds by which the seed which is the word of God has no chance to grow and influence in us? Do we admire our roots?
Let us prayer to the Holy Spirit for the gifts of attentive reading of the Word of God and the ability and willingness to apply the message we receive to our daily living. Amen.
Fr A Francis HGN