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July 23, 2011
July 16, 2011
16th Sunday - A
Commentary
It's the Small Thing
Jesus continues his teaching of the Kingdom of God through parables. The Kingdom of God, enormous as it is, began on earth with these teachings. In fact, it began with one person, Jesus Christ.
And so it continues even until today.
The tiny mustard seed can grow into an eight to twelve foot tall bush, large enough for the birds of the sky to dwell in.
A small amount of yeast is enough to leaven three measures of wheat flour, an amount up to fifty pounds of flour. With that much flour, there would be enough bread for over a hundred people [1].
It all begins small.
Yet, it matters if it is the good seed or the bad seed, the good yeast or the bad yeast.
The Kingdom of God begins with the good seed that the man sows in his field. The enemy does the same in trying to destroy it. He sows weeds.
What kind of seed do I sow? What kind of yeast do I use? Hopefully, it is the good seed of God's Kingdom, the good yeast of Christ's love.
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[1] Daniel J. Harrington, SJ. The Gospel of Matthew, Sacra Pagina series. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1991; p. 205.
July 9, 2011
15th Sunday - A
Commentary
What kind of soil am I?
Last Sunday, we listened to Jesus giving praise to the Father for revealing Himself to the little ones, and not the wise and learned. That passage comes at the end of chapter 11 in Matthew.
Chapter 12 finds the Pharisees debating with Jesus over his teaching. These wise and learned people have a hard time accepting Jesus' words because they accuse him of breaking their understanding of the Sabbath law. They even try to discredit Jesus and the divine power in him by saying that he uses the power of Beelzebul to drive out demons. Consequently, they fail to recognize the presence of the Reign of God in their midst.
Matthew now continues his account of Jesus in Chapter 13 with Jesus returning to teaching "the crowd."
In this context, it is rather obvious that the emphasis of today's parable is the reception of the seed of God's word. Any hearer can be a path, some rocky ground, a thorny patch of land, or rich soil.
The farmer sows the seed of God's word generously and without discrimination. A farmer who is wise and experienced, by human standard, would never just through the seed around everywhere. But that is not how God sows the seed of His word.
It is up to the soil to hear, understand, and bear fruit.
And it is the little ones trusting in God who overcome tribulation and persecution. It is the little ones, without worldly anxiety and the lures of riches, who yield the greatest harvest.
July 2, 2011
14th Sunday - A
Commentary
Who Am I?
"Who am I?" That is one of the key questions that humanity for generations have been asking. Philosophers, thinkers, humanists, religious leaders ... have tried to come up with various answers.
For the people of faith, the answer is rather obvious in this Gospel passage.
We would never have an adequate answer to that foundational question on our own. In fact, it is not just a matter of answering a question or having a philosophical debate. On our own, outside of our relationship with God, we would be nobody.
If we are willing to accept it, we are the little ones. But not just any little ones. We are the little ones chosen by the "Lord of heaven and earth"
In fact, throughout the history of salvation, God has always shown his love to the little ones. The little ones are God's favorite.
However, when Jesus came to bring God's salvation to its fulfillment, the Son of God revealed to us that we are more than God's favorite. We are God's children.
The Lord of heaven and earth is our Father. The Lord of heaven and earth has chosen us to be His favorite sons and daughters.
There, God's gracious will.
And in the love of such a loving Father we belong. There, we exist. There, the answer for the question, "Who am I?"
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