A sower went out to sow . . .
Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland)
Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)
Gospel Matthew 13:1-23 [Shorter version: 1-9] (English Standard Version Anglicised, India)
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat
beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so
that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in
parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the
path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have
much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were
scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the
thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a
hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.”
[Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:
“‘You will indeed hear but never understand,
and
you will indeed see but never perceive.
For this people's heart has grown dull,
and
with their ears they can barely hear,
and their
eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes
and
hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn,
and I would heal them.’
But blessed
are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous
people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you
hear, and did not hear it.
“Hear then the parable of the
sower: When
anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand
it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart.
This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who
hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself,
but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on
account of the word, immediately he falls away. As
for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word,
but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke
the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears
the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one
case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”]
Green Wheat FieldsOther seeds fell on good soil
Wheatfield with Reaper at Sunriseand produced grain
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Harvest at La Crau (The Blue Cart)some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty
Wheat Field with a LarkHe who has ears, let him hear
In the spring of 1982 I made the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius at Loyola House, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. We spent 40 days there, a few days of preparation for the Thirty-Day Retreat proper and five days of reflection on the experience afterwards. One of the spiritual directors, though not my own, was an American Jesuit priest named George. He was probably in his 60s at the time. He had worked for some years in South America and he was a recovering alcoholic.
One evening I saw Father George come out of the Jesuit residence dressed very nattily, wearing a rather nice sports jacket and hat, his pipe in one hand - and his rosary beads in the other. I said to myself, 'That man has it all together!'
He
gave unusual homilies, laced with a delightfully dry and ironic humour. One was
simply about a tiny bird - I think it was a species of hummingbird - that
migrates each year in both directions between Alaska and Tierra del Fuego at
the southern tip of South America, without stopping. All of us listening were
filled with awe at God's creation, at the power and endurance of one of God's
creatures, one that didn't have the power of reasoning but that knew how to get
from one end of the landmass of the Americas to the other and to know where to
go.
The
First Reading and its Responsorial Psalm along with the Gospel invite us to
reflect on how God's word takes root in our hearts. But they also invite us to
reflect on God's bounty as revealed in nature itself. Isaiah tells us in the
First Reading that it is impossible for the rain and snow that God sends not to
bear fruit: For as the rain and the snow
come down from heaven, and do not return there but water the earth, making
it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the
eater; so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it
shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I
purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it (Isaiah 55:10-11).
Sunny Lawn in a Public ParkPsalm 64 [65], the Responsorial Psalm, echoes this:
You crown the year with your bounty
Jesus takes something simple in nature as an example of how God's word, God's very life, takes root in our lives. But we can see God's loving power, presence and bounty in the seed itself, without drawing any analogies or other meanings from it. Those of us who aren't from a farming background can take for granted the food that lands on our table. All the nourishment that we find in a loaf of bread or in a bowl of rice is there already in the grains the farmer sows. The seed of a husband fertilized by the egg of his wife becomes a new human being containing already in its microscopic size all that will be evident when that person is born and grows to maturity.
There is great emphasis today on the urgency of respecting nature and of not abusing it, in order to avoid possible disastrous consequences.
But the basic reason we should respect all of nature is that it is an expression of God's infinite bounty 'singing' in its own way: the valleys . . . shout and sing together for joy.
Father George conveyed something of that to all of
us on retreat in Guelph 41 years ago. Another Jesuit priest, Gerard Manley
Hopkins, captured that in some of his poems, including Pied Beauty,
published 29 years after his death and 41 years after he wrote it, rather like
the seed being buried in the ground in spring and bearing fruit at
harvest-time.
+++
In your charity pray for the soul of Vincent van Gogh who, through his paintings, revealed so much of the beauty of God in nature and in people and yet suffered greatly in his own life. Pray for all who are walking in darkness.
Traditional Latin Mass
Seventh Sunday After Pentecost
The Complete Mass in Latin and English is here. (Adjust the date at the top of that page to 07-16-2023 if necessary).
Epistle: Romans 6:19-23. Gospel: Matthew 7:15-21.
Peach Tree in Blossom
Vincent van Gogh [Web Gallery of Art]
A sound tree
cannot bear evil fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit (Matthew 7:18;
Gospel).
4 comments:
Dearest Father Seán,
Sitting up with pain, I read this beautiful post...
Vincent van Gogh left us so much beauty—indeed.
Also the reading of Pied Beauty was a perfect MESSAGE.
Hugs,
Mariette
Lovely to hear from you again, Mariette, knowing that you are still recuperating. You are in my prayers and daily Masses. Van Gogh caught the beauty in the 'ordinary' and also in the suffering of individuals, including his own. The light of heaven upon hm.
My warmest greetings to Pieter.
God bless
Father Seán
I like your choice of artist Vincent Van Gogh - beautiful.
💞
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