Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle A

MATTHEW 13:1-23
JESUS TOLD PARABLES FOR A REASON. EVERY PARABLE IS THE ANSWER TO A QUESTION, BUT ALWAYS A QUESTION THAT DOES NOT HAVE A SATISFYING ANSWER – KIND OF LIKE LIFE IN GENERAL. A LAWYER ASKS, “WHO IS OUR NEIGHBOR?” AND JESUS TELLS THE STORY OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN. WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, THERE IS NO GOOD ANSWER TO THE QUESTION – DO WE SAY “EVERYONE IS OUR NEIGHBOR?” WELL, THAT IS CLEARLY NOT THE CASE – A NICE SENTIMENT, PERHAPS. DO WE SAY, “PEOPLE WHO ARE LIKE ME ARE MY NEIGHBOR?” IN A SENSE, YES, BECAUSE WE HAVE A TENDENCY TO BE MORE OPEN TO THOSE WHO ARE LIKE US, TO BE MORE LIKELY TO HELP THEM OUT, TO ASSOCIATE WITH THEM. BUT THE PARABLE ANSWERS THE QUESTION BY TELLING US NOT WHO IS OUR NEIGHBOR, BUT WHAT IT MEANS TO BE NEIGHBOR. AND THEN IT IS UP TO US TO DECIDE. AND EVERY PARABLE IS LIKE THIS; FIND THE QUESTION; GO THROUGH THE ANSWERS AND SEE THAT NONE OF THEM REALLY ANSWER THE QUESTION; AND THEN GO BACK TO THE PARABLE.
SO WHAT IS THE QUESTION IN THIS WELL KNOWN PARABLE ABOUT THE SEWER AND THE SEED? WELL, IT HELPS TO READ THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER. IN IT, JESUS HAS BEEN DRIVING OUT DEMONS, WORKING MIRACLES, AND ALL THE WHILE TALKING ABOUT THE KINGDOM OF GOD. THEN SOME PHARISEES AND LAWYERS COME UP TO HIM AND SAY, “TEACHER, WE WANT YOU TO DO A MIRACLE FOR US.” AND SHORTLY AFTERWARDS, WHILE JESUS IS RESPONDING TO THAT, SOMEONE TELLS HIM THAT HIS MOTHER AND BROTHERS ARE OUTSIDE AND WANT TO TALK TO HIM. ALL OF THIS IS TAKING PLACE IN THE MIDDLE OF A HUGE CROWD WHO HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING HIM AND WATCHING HIM. AND THAT IS WHEN JESUS TURNS TO THEM AND TELLS THEM THE PARABLE OF THE SEWER AND THE SEED. FOR THE CROWD FOLLOWING JESUS, HE IS KIND OF A ROCK STAR; MANY ARE ENJOYING THE SHOW, THE ARGUMENTS WITH THE PHARISEES, THE MIRACLES, THE PREACHING – IN AN AGE WITHOUT TELEVISION, A MARVELOUS WAY TO ENTERTAIN YOURSELF; AND MANY SEE THEMSELVES AS JESUS' FAN CLUB; AS THEY FOLLOW HIM ALONG THEY REINFORCE EACH OTHER, AND FEEL MORE ALIVE, MORE PURPOSEFUL. AND SOME, LIKE THE PHARISEES, WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT HE CAN DO AND HOW HE CAN DO IT AND MAYBE FIGURE OUT A WAY TO USE HIS POWER FOR THEMSELVES. “WORK A MIRACLE FOR US!” AND SOME LIKE HIS MOTHER AND BROTHERS, ASSUME THAT BECAUSE THEY ARE RELATED, THEY SHOULD AUTOMATICALLY HAVE ACCESS TO HIM, OVER AND ABOVE ALL THE OTHERS. IT IS PROBABLY SAFE TO SAY THAT NEARLY EVERYONE WHO IS LISTENING TO JESUS IS ASKING, “WHAT CAN HE DO FOR ME?”
AND THE ANSWER IS THE PARABLE OF THE SEWER AND THE SEED.
JESUS INTERPRETS HIS OWN PARABLE FOR THE APOSTLES WHO ASK. BUT THAT IS JUST THE FIRST LEVEL OF INTERPRETATION. IS JESUS TELLING US THAT THERE ARE FOUR KINDS OF PEOPLE, THE ONES WHO HEAR THE WORD AND NOTHING HAPPENS, THE ONES WHO EMBRACE IT ENTHUSIASTICALLY, BUT SOON GO ON TO ANOTHER ENTHUSIASM; THE ONES WHO GROW LIKE CRAZY BUT SOON GET BOGGED DOWN WITH OTHER THINGS; AND THE ONES WHO BEAR FRUIT? IF THAT IS WHAT HE MEANS, ITS KIND OF SAD, BECAUSE IT IMPLIES THAT THERE ISN'T ANYTHING I CAN DO TO CHANGE WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN; IT IMPLIES PREDESTINATION.
BUT WHEN WE THINK OF THE QUESTION, “WHAT CAN JESUS DO FOR ME?”, ANOTHER SORT OF ANSWER SPRINGS TO MIND. JESUS IS SAYING THAT HE'S ALREADY DONE HIS PART – AFTER ALL, IF YOU WERE A FARMER, YOU WOULD NOT THROW YOUR SEED ON ROCKY GROUND, OR ON A ROAD TO BE TRAMPLED UPON, OR INTO A THORN BUSH. THAT WASTED SEED COULD HAVE BEEN MADE INTO BREAD, OR USED TO SEED ANOTHER FIELD. BUT IF JESUS IS THE FARMER, HE CASTS THE SEED ON EVEN THE MOST UNPROMISING SOIL, PRECISELY BECAUSE SOMETHING CAN HAPPEN, THE SEED NEEDN'T COME TO NOTHING. BECAUSE YOU AND I ARE NOT REALLY THE GROUND, BUT WE ARE THE GARDENERS; AND IF OUR SHARE OF THE SEED IS NOT BEARING FRUIT, THEN WE ARE THE ONLY ONES WHO CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT; WE NEED TO MOVE OUR GARDEN TO A BETTER SPOT, WE NEED TO CULTIVATE AND NOURISH THE SOIL AND TEAR OUT THE WEEDS SO THAT THE SEED CAN GROW AND BEAR FRUIT.
ALL OF US CAN RECOGNIZE TIMES WHEN THE WORD OF GOD HAS GONE IN ONE EAR AND OUT THE OTHER; WHEN THE WORD OF GOD MADE ME RESOLVE TO CHANGE, AND I WENT OUT AND SAID A ROSARY, OR MAYBE WENT TO THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MANY YEARS. BUT A FEW DAYS GO BY, AND NOTHING REALLY HAS CHANGED. AND I'VE BEEN THERE WHEN THE WORD OF GOD SEEMED TO TAKE ROOT AND FOR A WHILE IT SEEMED AS THOUGH I COULD PRACTICALLY FEEL JESUS WALKING WITH ME – UNTIL THE STOCK MARKET STARTED TO FALL APART, OR I GOT SICK, OR SOMETHING NEW DEMANDED MY ATTENTION, AND I DRIFTED AWAY; AND I'VE HAD SOME TIMES IN MY LIFE WHERE I THINK THE WORD OF GOD THAT I HEARD REALLY DID BEAR FRUIT, WHERE MY GARDEN WAS IN SHAPE TO MAKE THE SEED YIELD MORE THAN I WOULD HAVE EVER EXPECTED IT TO.
THE SEWER ALWAYS SEWS THE SEED. MY JOB IS TO PREPARE THE GARDEN. AND I HAVE TO PREPARE THE SAME WAY THE SAINTS PREPARED; I ASK MYSELF EVERY EVENING WHETHER I'VE DONE WHAT GOD WANTED THAT DAY, OR WHAT I WANTED. I RESOLVE EVERY MORNING TO TRY TO LISTEN MORE CLOSELY TO GOD THAT DAY. AND I PRAY, AND PRAY, AND PRAY, ASKING FOR GUIDANCE, ASKING FOR STRENGTH. AND WHEN I FALL, I GET UP AGAIN. AND IF I DON'T KNOW A LITTLE ABOUT THE BIBLE, AND IF I DON'T KNOW WHAT MY CHURCH TEACHES AND WHY, AND IF I DON'T TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE SACRAMENTS OF PENANCE AND THE HOLY EUCHARIST, I'M CERTAINLY CONDEMNING MY GARDEN TO THORNS AND ROCKS AND RAIDING BIRDS AND TRAMPLING FEET.
AND AS JESUS LOOKED AT THE CROWDS, THOSE HAPPY, SUPPORTIVE PEOPLE WHO FOLLOWED HIM EVERYWHERE, HE SAW THAT ONLY A FEW WOULD GO TO THE TROUBLE TO CREATE A GARDEN IN WHICH HIS SEEDS COULD SPROUT AND GROW AND BEAR GREAT FRUIT. AND HE LOOKS AT US THIS WAY AS WELL.
SO TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR GARDEN; CAN YOU HONESTLY SAY THAT IT IS A WELCOME PLACE FOR THE WORD OF GOD TO TAKE ROOT, TO GROW, TO FLOWER, AND TO BEAR GREAT FRUIT? AND REMEMBER, IF IT IS NOT, YOU CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.