Sunday Gospel Reflection, July 23, 2023: Those who are just must be kind...

Those who are just must be kind… 

What is the kindness of the Lord capable of? 

    The people addressed in the Book of Wisdom have a clear sense of God’s justice. Surprisingly, perhaps, this sense is not predominantly about punishment, but about clemency: your might is the source of justice, the author writes, your mastery over all things makes you lenient to all. God is ready to forgive those who disbelieve God’s power or who exhibit temerity, because God desires that we should be one with him and trust in his power in our lives. And if we are one with him, then we too must learn that those who are just must be kind, just as the Lord is, in Psalm 86: Lord, you are good and forgiving. 

    Matthew’s Gospel might, at first glance, seem harsh on this count: Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, we are told, so will it be at the end of the age. There will be wailing and grinding of teeth. These lines are a late addition, however, and to focus on them would belie Jesus’ message to the disciples in the three parables he shares with them. In each case – the parable of the weeds sown among wheat, the parable of the tiny mustard seed that grows in to a large bush, and the parable of the yeast – Jesus is clearly saying that the kingdom of heaven is greater than anything we can imagine, and those who dwell in it are not up to us to select. Notice that even the weeds are useful to the man who sowed them, as he uses them for fuel; God desires to save everything for his purpose! A mustard seed may not look like it can produce much, but be patient and the result will be much greater than the seed promises, just as even a small amount of yeast can leaven an enormous amount of flour. In each case, Jesus recognizes that God has invested so very much in creating us and God wants very much for each of us to fulfill our purpose – even if it requires being patient and waiting just a little. In the end, God’s forgiveness will gather in more sinners than we could ever imagine! 

    Leniency and mercy and forgiveness themselves have a purpose, that we might know depth of God’s love for us and then respond more profoundly to that depth. God has gone to extraordinary efforts to help us see this, and, in case we have difficulty, Paul tells the Romans, God sends the Spirit, who comes to the aid of our weakness, particularly in the context of prayer, interceding for us with inexpressible groanings when God searches our heart, ensuring our connection to God, who incessantly seeks ways to show us his mercy and forgiveness, that we might go forth and do the same for our world. 

This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class. 
Image source: www.wordclouds.com

Sunday Gospel Reflection, July 16 2023: The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest...

The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest…

How is God’s Word effective? 

    The prophet Isaiah knew that growth depends upon nourishment: the heavens send rain and snow to water the earth, making it fertile and fruitful. Seeds planted under such conditions can thrive. As Psalm 65 reminds us, the seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest. These images were used to remind the people of Israel of how the Lord continues to care for them, season after season, year after year, bringing life and filling them with hope for future success. The images also serve as a useful metaphor for God’s communication to God’s people: like the rain and snow that come down,… so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth, the Lord tells Isaiah; my word shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it. God’s word needs to be received by open hearts to it in order to be transformative, to nourish the growth of God’s people. In order to for that word to be effective, we must participate in God’s word, and in God’s will. 

   Jesus will similarly use the imagery of growth in Matthew’s Gospel when he wants the large crowds that have gathered around him to understand his message about the kingdom of God. Despite hardship and difficulties, Jesus explains, the Word of God is effective and will produce the fruit that is his kingdom. Indeed, the yield in some cases will be extraordinary: some seed will fall on rich soil, and produce fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. God’s harvest is miraculous, so long as we allow the seeds that are planted in our hearts to thrive. Not everyone is open to God’s Word, as Jesus knows: I speak to them in parables, because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen, he tells his disciples. But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear, he goes on. The people gathered to hear Jesus have an opportunity to understand, but many are not yet ready; the seed is sown so that later they will remember the Lord’s miraculous Word and participate in his extraordinary harvest. 

    What produces openness in us? What makes us willing to let the Word of God keep speaking to us? Why do we allow ourselves to open further to what they Lord is speaking to us, that we might know the growth and transformation to which Jesus call us? Perhaps it is the promise that the kingdom of heaven will be even more extraordinary than we can imagine, more effective than anything we can produce, because it is grounded in the power of Jesus’ death and rising which effects our salvation, as Paul reminds the Romans: the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us. We are invited to participate in the kingdom on earth by living in faith for the hope that is ours, the glorious freedom of the children of God. When we surrender entirely to salvation its glory, we are allowing the Word of God to be effective, and our world will overflow with a rich harvest! 

This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class. 

Image source: www.wordclouds.com