Pastor's Letter 20230716 - 16 July 2023 - Sowing the Word of God

[Father Michael]

July 16^th, 2023

15^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

A Message from Father ^†Michael

Today’s Theme:  “Sowing God’s Word”

Reflections on Today’s Scripture

(Isaiah 55:10-11)  God cares of the earth by sending rain to make it fruitful.  He cares for us by sending His Word.

In addition to the privileges of the eternal covenant and the enjoyment of peace and plenty, the invitation in our First Reading contains a number of imperatives to “seek the Lord,” and “turn to Him.”  In return, the revelers at the divine feast are to become His witnesses, guides and masters of all peoples.

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(Romans 8;18-23)  The glory that awaits us in the next life far outweighs anything we could suffer in this life.  

^†Paul, like has ancestors in faith, regarded human destiny and nature’s destiny as contingent realities.  From the beginning, primeval historians understood the material universe was made by God, and subordinate to humanity.  The “apostle to the gentiles” taught that temporal suffering would pale into insignificance in comparison to the eternal joy to come.

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(Matthew 13:1-23)  Jesus compares the Word of God to a seed falling into the ground.

In describing obstacles to growth (thorns, bad soil, birds, etc.,) Jesus recognized there would be certain difficulties and even resistance to His preaching, and to the establishment of the reign of God.  In spite of hindrances, it would be widespread as surely and as richly as the harvest He described.  

Importance of the Word

One might wonder how many words we have heard throughout our lives.  Like seeds dropped into the soil of our minds and hearts, those words came from parents, and many others, during the springtime of our lives.  We heard words of greeting, welcome, encouragement, affirmation, advice, guidance, correction, chastisement, warning, caution, comfort and consolation.  

At the time, we may not have appreciated those words, but we needed to hear them.  It’s anyone’s guess how many of them “took root” in our lives.  One thing is clear: our lives would be immeasurably poorer without the sowing of those words.  

As adults, we still need the sowing of the word.  It’s a pity that some people only hear words of criticism and blame; or, even worse, a diet of silence….  But how happy are those who hear words of encouragement, love and peace.

Human words, no matter how necessary, will never fully nourish us.  We need the Word of God to give us guidance in times of doubt; reassurance, in times of difficulty; comfort, in times of sorrow; correction, in times of foolishness; challenge, in times of laziness; warning, in times of danger; and hope, in times of despair. 

God’s Word is never negative.  It is spoken in love.  Just as food nourishes the body, God’s Word nourishes the mind.  Never before has there been so much “talk” as we hear in our modern media.  The plethora of verbiage from radio and television has now been augmented by myriad “podcasts” and “opinion pieces,” foisted upon us via the internet.  It’s a veritable “blizzard of words!”  The only way to hear, or even recognize God’s quiet Word in the midst of this din, is to create some little bit of stillness and quiet within our lives.  

Then, too, it’s not sufficient to merely “remember” God’s Words; we have to ACT upon them.  We can take a lesson from a diamond.  Many diamond substitutes allow light to pass right through them.  Diamond, however, reflects light back to the viewer, after bringing it to life, and setting it “on fire.”  For some people, the Word of God goes in, and then, passes through, unnoticed.  For others, it is heard, gathers strength and comes back out, having transformed the hearer.  

The Church has always venerated Sacred Scripture, as it venerates the Body and Blood of Christ in the Holy Eucharist.  These are offered from one table in the Holy Mass.  

Through His Word, God is continually calling us to a better and more fruitful life.  He doesn’t speak to us as a dictator might, but as a Father, speaks to His children.  His Word is as gentle, as weak and defenseless as a seed falling into the soil.  Yet, that Word is more effective than the word of the most powerful dictator—it can change people’s hearts!  

But God doesn’t only speak to us through the Scripture.  He also speaks through the events in our lives.  We can use Scripture to interpret the deeper meaning of those events.  We will not be judged solely by our results, but by our efforts.

In nature, a seed has only a short growing season, in the early part of the year.  Not so with that seed which is the Word of God.  Growth can come at any stage of a person’s life.  The seed of God’s Word, once dropped into the human heart, never dies.  It’s never too late to take it to heart.  

May God Richly Bless You!

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Edited July 16, 2023 by Father Michael