A fertile heart produces rich fruits....
A fertile heart produces rich fruits....
A fertile heart produces rich fruits
I recently came across an overview of John Powers’ book called The Unoriginal Sinner and the Ice Cream God. It is about an ambitious and gifted boy named Tim Conroy who struggled in growing up. One day Tim confesses to a friend, “I come from a family of practicing Catholics. But do you know something? The more I practice, the worse I get.”
Have you ever felt like Tim? Maybe we are not getting worse, the question is whether we are moving forward. This weekend all three readings reading talk about the power of the Word of God and its impact on our life. The more we read the Word of God and observe, it transforms our lives. The first reading Isaiah reminds us that like rain and snow it fertilizes the earth for the seed to grow and bear fruits which provide bread. The Word of God will bear fruit and Israelites will be brought from Babylonian exile. This passage connects Isaiah 40 to the Lord’s glory in the Israelites' liberation, especially it recalls 40:5, 8.
In the second reading, Paul tells the community Romans that in the midst of persecution he finds peace in preaching the Word of God. Paul reminds us of the fall of Adam and brought the corruption (Genesis 3:17-19). CCC 208 says, “Creation is the foundation of "all God's saving plans," the "beginning of the history of salvation" that culminates in Christ. Conversely, the mystery of Christ casts conclusive light on the mystery of creation and reveals the end for which "in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth": from the beginning, God envisioned the glory of the new creation in Christ.”
Next three weeks we are going to listen to the parables from the Gospel of Matthew 13. Jesus took the life story of the people and tried to teach them the Word of God. Christ often spoke in parables that use images or metaphors to illustrate mysteries about the kingdom of God. Through these parables, Jesus instructs us to reflect on the nature of the Kingdom of God and how it grows within us. This week we listen to the parable of the sower.
Since in Palestine sowing often preceded plowing, much of the seeds are scattered on the ground not necessary to bear fruit. Even though much is wasted the seeds fall on good ground and bear fruits in an extraordinary way. This parable describes how those who receive the Word of God wholeheartedly will grow in holiness and bear fruit. On the other hand, those who reject him or do not fully accept the Word of God will not bear fruit (CCC 546,1724). This parable has a reference to Isaiah 6:9-10 where God commissioned Isiah to preach the judgment to the Israelites for their covenant infidelity. In a similar way, Jesus uses the parable to proclaim God’s judgment on the faithless generation.
In the Gospel of Matthew chapter 4 we read the temptation of Jesus. In 4:4, during his temptation, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8:3 and says ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.’” The seeds bring new grains which are used to make bread. The reception of the Word nourishes our life.
Jesus is the sower, and Word of God is the seed and our hearts and minds are the soil. Jesus in this parable invites us to look at our heart and ask how fertile our heart is to receive the Word of God. It depends on where we are in our life. In the parable, the seeds fell in different places like, on the path, rocky ground, among thorns, and rich soil. If we want to produce much fruits we need to have a receptive heart.