Homily for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

The Seed Is The Word Of God

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, July 16, 2023

By definition, a parable is a fictional story meant to teach a lesson. During his public ministry, Jesus used parables to teach deep spiritual truths. Because some of his parables are not explained, theologians, preachers, writers etc. have over the centuries struggled to explain them. But this dilemma is not what we are dealing with in Matthew’s account of the parable of the sower. At the end of the story, Jesus gives us an explicit explanation of the parable. Today’s Gospel opens as follows, “Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.” After being surrounded by a large crowd of people, he got into a boat, sat down and began to teach. He sits down just as he did when he delivered the sermon on the mount. He takes the posture of an ancient teacher who would sit and is surrounded by his disciples. And the first parable he speaks is the parable of the sower: “A sower went out to sow,” Jesus says. As he spread the seed far and wide, some seed landed on the path and were immediately eaten up by birds. Some fell on rocky ground and got destroyed by the scorching sun. Some that fell on thorns were choked to death. But some seed fell on rich soil where it produces thirty, sixty, and hundred fold. 

As I said already, this particular parable has an explicit explanation of its meaning. Some of the parables in the Gospel are not explained. But in the parable of the sower, we have the privilege of hearing from the lips of Jesus its meaning. So, there is no ambiguity here and it would be a mistake and unwise to assign a different meaning to it. But before we venture into its meaning, keep in mind that Jesus himself is the sower in this parable. Pope Benedict XVI contends that in a certain way the parable of the sower is autobiographical: “Jesus identifies himself with the sower who scatters the good seed of the Word of God and notes the different effects it obtains, in accordance with the way in which people hear the proclamation.” What’s the interpretation of this parable? Let’s listen to Jesus. He says, “the seed sown on the path” stands for the one who hears the word of God but does not understand it. Almost everybody in our society has heard about Jesus. Jesus is the most recognized figure in the history of the world. A lot of people in the West can actually tell you the basics of the Gospel and tell you something about Jesus. But the word does not take root because they don’t understand. If you take me to a baseball game or ask me to watch American football, I can watch it as long as I can but wouldn’t get it. The first time I watched the Super Bowl, those in the room were full of fun, energy, screaming, yelling, jumping up from their seats, and sometimes kicking their legs while seated. Why? Because they understood it. They got it. As for me, I was there completely lost and oblivious of what was going on. I simply didn’t get it. This is also what happens in spiritual life. The word of God has to be understood before it can be taken in. This and other factors are the reason why for the first time in the history of the country, the proportion of Americans who are religious is now below 50%. In 2021, the Gallup survey showed that only 47% of Americans identify themselves as religious. 

Next, Jesus says, “the seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the Word and receives it with joy. Because it has no root, it lasts only for a time.” These are people who are fascinated by the spiritual or religious. They may be attracted by a charismatic personality or by an intense experience or by the choir. Now, there is nothing wrong with that, it could be the way God has chosen to plant the seed. But the problem with this group is that when difficulties, trials and persecution arise, they lose confidence. They fade away. They stop coming to church, stop praying and stop attending any religious gathering. Because they lack the discipline, a keen sense of religion, the intuitiveness and perseverance required, the initial glow of faith evaporates with time.  The original excitement dims with time. Whatever you take seriously must be accompanied by discipline. One of the signs that you don’t take something seriously is the lack of discipline. A student who is not really interested in making good grades and graduating with honors will not crucify himself on the reading desk. He will have no appetite to discipline himself, wrestle with his books and study hard. But if making excellent grades and graduating top in his class is so important to him, he will discipline himself and surrender to the rigor of studying. Lack of discipline and perseverance is another reason why religious practice is dwindling in our culture. Going to Mass on Sunday is no longer a top priority for many Catholics. If there is no football game and I emotionally feel good, I will go to Mass. But will a student who goes to school when he feels like graduate? Would you like a pilot who went to school when he felt like fly you? Would you like a surgeon who skipped many classes to perform surgery  on you? Will you still have a job if you only go to work when you are in a good mood? Not at all! If you take something seriously you surround it with discipline. This is also required in religion. 

Third, the seed sown among thorns are those who hear the word but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches chokes the word and it bears no fruit. What are these “worldly anxieties and lures of riches?” Power, honor, wealth, pleasure, prestige etc.  Some people hear the word, take it in, but they are unable to cultivate and set their priority right. A Christian should know the will of God. A Christian should understand God’s purpose and consider it a top priority. Without it, you are going to lose your way and succumb to the voices and inclinations of the world. It does not mean you cannot be interested in other things like sports, entertainment, politics, social issues etc. but the word of God is what orders and organizes all those other interests. What Jesus calls “worldly anxieties and lures of riches” should be a lesser concern to you. Be concerned about your finances, family, reputation etc. but don’t let any of them have a dominating role in your mind. Don’t let them off your interest in the word of God. If they do, you will bear no good fruit. Finally, what would enable the seed of the word of God to grow and bear fruit? Understand the faith. Read the Bible. Share the faith with others. Practice the faith. Persevere in your faith. Surround your faith with disciplines. Let God come first in everything you do. And when you do, the word of God will bear fruit— thirty, sixty, and hundred fold.