Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Today we hear a parable recounted in chapter 13 of Matthew’s Gospel. And for the next two weeks we will hear a series of parables.

So what is a parable?

Is it just a folksy story that touches your heart?

Is it a quip that makes you laugh?

Is it a profound statement of human wisdom?

Well, probably all of those things.  However, in the context of Jesus in the Gospels the best and simplest definition of a parable that I have heard is that a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.

An earthly story with a heavenly meaning.      

So today’s parable about the sower who went out to sow and some seed fell among thorns reminds me of a personal story about my experience with weeds.  A sort of parable if you will.  Some years back, after we had built a summer cabin, I wanted to do some landscaping by establishing a large expanse of grass and create a park like atmosphere on the property.  However, the land that I had to work with was pretty much covered with nettles, tall Canadian thistles, and multiple varieties of weeds.  It seemed like my dream of a park in the woods would be an impossible task.

Then I received some good advice from a neighbor. He said what you need to do is begin by mowing the weeds and then start spreading grass seed over the area that you want to be covered with lawn.  Then, just keep mowing the weeds with the newly planted grass on a regular basis and, eventually, the grass will take root and the weeds will be overtaken.

So, trusting in that advice, I embarked on a many year process of mowing and seeding, mowing and seeding.  Every time I would visit the cabin, the first thing I would say is, “I need to go out and mow the weeds.”

And you know what? We do now do have a large expanse of lawn where nothing but weeds once grew.  However, it is still necessary to go out and mow on a regular basis because in the surrounding areas.  Every year, every month, new weeds spring up waiting to spread their seeds and begin choking out the grass.

So how does this parable, this earthly story, have a heavenly meaning?

Well, let’s say that the field that was covered with weeds in the beginning is like our human condition when we were born.  Our souls were covered by the weeds of original sin and,the grass seeds that were sown are like the graces that we received and continue to receive from our Baptism.  Those graces are there to help us overcome the surrounding weeds of evil that can creep into our spiritual lives and the constant mowing and maintaining is like the cultivation we need to do for our souls - nourishing our spiritual lives with prayer, frequent reception of the sacraments, good works, like loving and caring for God’s creation, and one another.

By living active Christian lives, staying true to the Baptismal call to love God and one another, and having humble and complete trust in God’s plan for us, as I did with my neighbor when he laid out a plan for my lawn, we are be able to keep the weeds of the secular world from taking root in our lives.

There is also another real, practical and concrete lesson we can take from this earthly story with a heavenly meaning and that came from the advice of the neighbor. His hidden and unspoken message was to focus on the positive and not on the negative. Don’t fret about the hard and fruitless work of trying to remove the weeds. That will never happen. They will only come back next year and you will spend all your time to no avail.  Rather, focus on the positive.  Focus on spreading the good seed that will yield the results that will last.  Spread the Good News of the Gospel.

Use our time and energy to mend a broken relationship, send a note to a friend when they least expect it, hug that child or teenager more often, invite a friend who has been away from the Church to come to Mass, look for the goodness in others, and recognize and celebrate the gifts and talents God has given to all of us. Eventually, the negative weeds will be removed and overtaken.

The positive approach turns out to be easier, more fruitful, and everlasting.

And, so it is with our lives as Christians. There will always be things in our lives that can have a negative impact. There will be sorrows, sufferings, and trials. Focus on the fact that we have a loving God who is showering us with graces that give us strength to endure the difficult times.

What will happen is that we will realize the hope and dream that is promised in today’s gospel.

By being fruitful wheat in a world that is often choking in weeds, we will one day, as Jesus says, shine like the sun in the Father’s Kingdom.          

So, until that day, as we come before this altar in thanksgiving for all the good and positive gifts God has given us, let us be strengthened by this finest wheat, the Body of Christ, and when this Mass is over let us go in peace with uplifted hearts and spirits to love, serve, and build His kingdom here on earth. 

Deacon Larry McDonald