This is my homily for this past weekend, the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A. The Sunday readings are here.
Of all the parables in the Gospels, if I had to choose one for our time, this one just might be the one, because everything I hear in this Gospel, I see – not only around me, but in me. Somehow, Jesus of Nazareth reaches across 2,000 years, and halfway around the globe, and Bam! - brings us up short – stops us in the middle of whatever we’re working on or worrying about, to tell us this parable that seems as though it was written expressly for us. Because everything it describes, applies to us today.
One of the ways to try to understand a parable is to figure out who we are in the story. I suppose it’s clear who we are in this parable: we’re the different soils. Jesus sends out his disciples to plant the seeds of faith and holiness and peace in our hearts.
It’s worth pausing for a moment and thinking about this. We’re kind of like the spiritual equivalents of Cinderellas: created for something good and noble but reduced to something low and grubby. Except Cinderella’s life was reduced to lowliness for reasons beyond her control, whereas we’re the ones who reduced ourselves – we fell and injured and sullied ourselves - by turning against God.
I suppose we wouldn’t mind if God was like a fairy godmother, waving a magic wand and turning us – Presto! – into the spiritual equivalent of beautiful princesses, wiping away all the spiritual sin and grime, replacing the tattered and torn rags in which we’ve clothed our souls with the spiritual equivalent of dazzling silk garments.
Certainly, God has the power to do that. But that’s not how he has chosen to go about this business of saving us. God has chosen, not to be a fairy godmother, but a sower – a farmer. He plants, but it’s up to us, the different soils, to bring what he has planted to fruition.
God made us to be free, and he respects our freedom. And so, what we do with what he has planted is up to us. God is offering us gifts of faith and forgiveness and holiness – those are the seeds he’s planting. We either receive those wonderful gifts from God – or we don’t. We either allow it to take root in our hearts and blossom and bear good fruit – or we don’t. Really, it’s up to us.
In order to allow the seeds to do their good work inside us, our hearts need to be prepared, just as soil needs to have the right composition and the right preparation to yield a fruitful harvest. Our hearts need to be open and generous and rightly ordered. But not all hearts are like that, at least not naturally. That’s what this parable is telling us: to properly receive Jesus, our hearts have to be ready – and to be ready, they have to change.
So let’s dive back into the parable. First, Jesus talks about seed that lands on the path, rather than in soil. These are hearts that are closed to the Word of God. They’re not receptive to God. They’re determined not to receive Jesus’s Good News at all. We might call these the Closed Hearts. I am betting that all of us know closed-hearted people – people who have no time or patience or interest in welcoming Jesus into their lives. I know people like that. Some of them are in my family. People with Closed Hearts need to open their hearts. And God will help us, if we’re willing to let him. The word of God has the power to open hearts. The sacrament of Reconciliation can remove the sins that are keeping our hearts closed. And the Eucharist has the power to keep our hearts open. All these things are available – we just need to partake of them.
Second, Jesus talks about seed that lands in rocky soil. The soil is receptive, but it isn’t deep. The seed can’t put down deep roots, so the plant quickly dies – it has no staying power. We might call these hearts the Shallow Hearts – the folks whose hearts are open, but only superficially. These are the folks who don’t really reflect and pray and allow the seed of God’s Good News to burrow deeply into their hearts, and then do the work of transforming their lives. They don’t really make spiritual progress. Is this parable hitting close to home yet? I know my heart can be shallow. I can be an in-one-ear-and-out-the-other person. This seed from God, these gifts from God like forgiveness, faith and holiness, are worth cherishing and tending, but I’m more than capable of taking them for granted. Those of us with Shallow Hearts must try to deepen our hearts, through prayer and contemplation and discussion with other believers. These spiritual practices can transform us from Shallow Hearts to Deep Hearts.
Third, Jesus talks about seed that takes root and sprouts but gets choked off by worldly distractions. Jesus mentions worldly anxieties and the lure of wealth. Wealth can be money, but it can also be stuff – the material things we accumulate. Once again, I have this feeling that Jesus is pointing a finger directly at me. Even if we’re not wealthy in money, many of us are wealthy in distractions and entertainment. I’m thinking in particular of how we allow ourselves to be distracted by screens – cell phones, social media, television and so on. We spend more time amusing ourselves than focusing on what is important. We have Distracted Hearts. I know I’m a card-carrying member of the Distracted Hearts Club. Those of us with Distracted Hearts must change our priorities. We can fast from screen time and then use that time for more worthwhile things – like tending to our relationships with our family and friends, and with God. Every day, I have this renewed sense that life isn’t very long. When I was a kid, it seemed to take forever, but now it races by. Life is too short to stare at screens all day. Let’s use the little time we have for what’s important.
Open Hearts, Deep Hearts, Focused Hearts – these are the hearts in which God’s seed will sprout and then blossom and bear abundant fruit. If our hearts aren’t ready, then – today is as good a day as any to let God help us change our hearts.
Good thoughts, Jim. I like this parable too. Makes me think of a song called "Parable": https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=esPSS12s0dw
ReplyDeleteIt's in our music edition, sometimes used at funerals.
Hi Katherine, thanks for that link. I have heard that song before - it is very nice. She was a very fine composer.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that M.D. Ridge had passed away, but I see that she did in 2017.
DeleteWe social psychologists are not very big on explaining behavior in terms of personality traits, motivations, values, etc. We recognize however that most people interpret other people’s behavior in those terms. We look to social situations to understand human behavior.
ReplyDeleteHow would a social psychologist interpret this parable.
What is the roadside in terms of our social situation?
I would suggest the well-travelled roads of our society are the pursuit of money, status (e.g. a career) and power (control over others).
These are not evils in themselves but can easily divert us from the pursuit of good.
If the seeds of life are our gifts, e.g. talents, skills, etc., one can see easily that they are likely to be trampled underfoot and eaten up by the birds on the road of life.
What is the rocky, shallow soil in terms of our social situation?
I would suggest shallow religion, shallow patriotism, shallow family values, shallow business ethics, shallow political values, etc. These all good things that would seem to have promise but really lack the depth to develop our giftedness.
Ignatius understood that once we have given up evil ends, we are tempted to choose lesser goods rather than the greater glory of God and salvation of soils (i.e. love of God and others).
What ae the weeds of our contemporary situation?
Drugs. Racism. Sexism. Nationalism.
While the roadways of money, status, and power may be used to good ends, the weeds are definitely bad ends.
I think the pulpit would sound very different if there were more social psychologists in it.
I think it would be great if social psychologists would give homilies!
DeleteJack, if there were more homilies like this, more of the people in the pews might just begin to “get” the gospels. Unfortunately I think too many homilists have to pull their punches because of fear of blowback - fear of angering the people in the pews. Because of politics.
ReplyDeleteAnne, I am actually grateful that some homilists pull their punches. Because if they didn't, I'm sure we would hear more rightwing talking points.
DeleteI think raging about drugs from the pulpit is kind a time-honored right-wing sermon talking point. And Satanic books!
DeleteI do talk about racial justice and immigration from time to time. I didn't go in that direction this time, though.
I admit I've never mentioned sexism or nationalism. If nationalism is just a euphemism for "people who like Trump", then I agree with Katherine that it becomes nakedly political at that point. I'm more likely to preach that we can't write off the nationalists - we have to maintain our relationships with people whose world views we disagree with.
Maybe as a deacon you feel that you have to “maintain relationships” with people with a “different” “world view,”
DeleteBut often it’s not simply different but a worldview that is diametrically opposed to the gospels - including sexism and nationalism. And as I recall, part of the point of homilies is teaching the gospels. Jack’s homily clearly highlights how one can teach the gospels quite clearly.
What is the rocky, shallow soil in terms of our social situation?
I would suggest shallow religion, shallow patriotism, shallow family values, shallow business ethics, shallow political values, etc. These all good things that would seem to have promise but really lack the depth to develop our giftedness. ….
What ae the weeds of our contemporary situation?
Drugs. Racism. Sexism. Nationalism
Nationalism is a form of idk worship, worshiping false gods, so it definitely belongs in the list of weeds.
"Nationalism is a form of idk worship, worshiping false gods, so it definitely belongs in the list of weeds."
DeleteSure, could be. I'd just like to know what people think it means. 10 minutes ago (or, let us say, 20 or so years ago), nationalism equated to "adherence to the idea of a nation" (as opposed to, say, a tribe or ethnic group) and was considered a neutral-to-virtuous characteristic. Now, it seems the term has been coopted by Trump followers - or coopted by Trump's political opponents to apply to those who deplore Trump and his followers. So what is nationalism?
Nationalism is not seen as positive by many. It is not the same as patriotism. The growing movement towards white, christian nationalism in the US is cause for concern, especially in light of récent SC rulings that are gradually breaking down separation of church and state. This movement is uncomfortably reminiscent to the nationalism embraced by Germany during the 1920s-1945. Trumps nationalistic rhetoric is also.
DeleteMy religious prism sees it as idolatry - placing one’s country above all others, which goes against God’s commandment to love one’s neighbor as oneself. So nationalism is a way to put country above everything, even love of God. And it distorts the true meaning of patriotism.
Looking at definitions I came across that compare and contrast patriotism and nationalism I found a couple of succinct definitions ( there are many lengthy, erudite articles on the subject that provide extensive histories of nationalism).
The difference between nationalism and patriotism is that the patriot is proud of his country for what it does, and the nationalist is proud of his country no matter what it does..
Thus we now have successful efforts to literally whitewash US history in many states’ school systems, (among other distortions), especially on slavery, the Confederacy, and the treatment of our Native Americans. Whites celebrate Christopher Columbus but the indigenous peoples of the Americas and the Caribbean do not - understandably.
As one Facebook pundit put it, “The people who threw rocks at Ruby Bridges when she was trying to go to school don’t want their grandchildren to know that they threw rocks at Ruby Bridges”
Another definition
Nationalism is a belief that your nation sits that the top of a hierarchy of nations. You believe your nation's interests are inherently more important than those of any other country in the world. Nationalists in government are reluctant to engage in global cooperation because they see geopolitics as a zero-sum battle of nations. ( sounds very much like trump and the MAGA movement).
PATRIOTISM
Patriotism is the love of your country and culture. Patriots know that you can love your own nation without thinking it's objectively better than anyone else's. Patriots will usually engage in global cooperation because they believe cooperation, trade treaties, and the global spread of ideas can benefit everyone.
The key difference between nationalism and patriotism is that nationalism is the belief in an exclusionary and insular nation-state, while patriotism is the non-exclusionary love of your own nation.
HELPFULPROFESSOR.com
The anti- war fervor in the US before we entered World War II as an Ally was nationalistic. And isolationist. Very trumpian/MAGA.
Nations and their governments naturally tend toward centralization of power, autocracy, control of media. Only explicit willful effort can stop or reverse it. Nothing wrong with being patriotic if that means wanting the welfare of your fellow citizens, and I mean ALL of them. Concern for fellow human beings comes before any patriotism. But I'm done with the rah-rah flag stuff. It's become idolatrous. It's a way to counterract your humanity. Also, it's a sham. The capitalists sold out our industrial might for increased profit. If patriotism doesn't supercede profit, then there is no patriotism.
DeleteI'm done with the rah-rah flag stuff. It's become idolatrous.
DeleteStanley, I agree.