15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Fr. Vinner)

JESUS MY REDEEMER PRAISED BE HIS HOLY NAME

Dear brother and sisters in Christ Jesus

We are entering into the 15th Sunday of ordinary time. Today the word of God calls us to bear fruit in God’s kingdom. How can we bear fruit in God’s kingdom?  The answer is today’s first reading gives a clear idea about the bearing much fruits in God’s kingdom; is to keep word of God in our lives and we have to live in it. Prophet Isaiah says that God’s word should implant in our hearts so that the word of God can produce good fruits within us. He uses an allegoric form in order to understand God’s work in the midst of people of Israel. He is also expressed the power of the word of God and it never returns back without empty unless it finishes God’s will on earth. In the letter to Hebrew says, ‘for the word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and the spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.’ In this way, we could see the power of the word of God. If we give important to God’s word then our life will be fruitful and we bear much fruits.

In the Gospel reading, Jesus calls us to produce more fruits; the fruits of forgiving, the fruits of humility and the fruits of loving our neighbor.  When our heart is ready to receive His word then only our hearts start to produce these fruits that will help us to come to closer to Jesus. We must allow Jesus in our life so that he can prepare our hearts according to His will. During this preparation, we may undergo some spiritual transformation in our life; that is to remove all the unwanted stuff from our hearts and our hearts may get ready to receive His word and our hearts and minds feel His presence and the Holy Spirit will dwell in us. Jesus will see our hearts that bear fruits and yields a hundred or sixty or thirty-fold in His vineyards.

St.Paul makes clear that the transformation creates new creation in God and he did not create us with this downward pull. It resulted from our own free choices. We fall, yes, but God does not want us to stay in the mud. He desires to lift us up. As St. Paul writes today, God wants us to have “the glorious freedom of the children of God.” That glorious freedom begins with humility and depends on constant humility – acknowledging my need for God and my need for you.

Humility has a price: suffering. I wish we could buy humility at Home Depot or get it by just thinking about it, but it doesn’t work that way. Humility costs pain.

St. Paul compares it to a woman in labor. Any way, if we want to produce good fruits we must undergo some sort of suffering in our life then only we can enjoy the heavenly life with God. The word of God can take us according to God’s will and mold us according His design as the potter did with his clay. Jesus describes that new change with the example of a seed. It is the word of God. When it plants in our hearts and it begins to produce fruits not suddenly but it takes some time to get into action before undergo lot of trials. The time of trials we find the way to steady our pattern of life according to Jesus’ will. Now we know that God came to save us and He came to give new life in us.

In this Eucharist celebration, let us allow the word of God to dwell in us and that may instill in our hearts. We may be worthy to receive Him and we may give way to Jesus so that He may change our lives and we may inherit in His eternal kingdom. Let us give thanks to the Lord for His teachings to us this day.  Let us continue to prepare our lives so that we may receive God’s word and respond to it and we may live according to His will. Amen.

May God Bless you,

Fr.S.Vinner HGN.