July 10, 2010
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time A
By Rev. Joe McCloskey, SJ
For just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down And do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, Giving seed to him who sows and bread to him who eats, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:10-11
We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now; and not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, we also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. Romans 8:22-23
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear." Matthew 13:7-9
Piety
The Lord compares himself to the rain and the snow that come down from the heavens and accomplishes their purpose by watering the earth and making it fertile and fruitful. Our piety is our fruitfulness. We see what the Lord is doing in our lives by the good actions we perform. There is no shortcut on piety. The good deeds of our lives are how piety rings true as the good works of the Lord. Our piety is not a static thing. We are always living in the present moment when we are open to the work of the Lord on us. The work of the Lord takes place in the newness of our lives. Only now touches the eternal now of the work of the Lord on us. The word of God comes down on us in the challenges we face by taking on the challenges of the Lord in the hungry, thirsty, sick, naked and imprisoned that we encounter as we move along. There is no living in the past with the Lord’s word working on our hearts. There is just the moment we are in that is the purpose of our whole life. It takes this moment to make our whole life worthwhile. The word of God in our heart does not return to t he Lord void. It is forever speaking out the love of God in the reality that it only takes this moment to make our whole life worthwhile.
Study
The Lord has a purpose for us in whatever we are doing in his name. The value of our lives is not what we are doing, but the how much love we work with in this moment. We study where the seed of the Lord is falling in our lives. We work our soil so that we absorb all the moisture of the rain and snow that is the word of God. It is the heart pierced on the cross that is the source of the stream of life. As we accept each of the Sacraments in our lives, they are the outward signs of the love of the Lord. We study how best to prepare for each Sacrament and how best to receive it. We see with our hearts how the Lord is offering himself to us. We accept each Sacrament to unite ourselves more deeply to the Lord.
Action
How often we receive Eucharist is important. It is the food of life that gives the Lord’s life to those who receive it. Weekly is not enough for one who is serious about living their life in the nourishment of the Lord. Starvation rations are what the people who infrequently receive Communion are living on. Daily Eucharist is for those who can do so because frequent receptions bring untold graces and growth that touches on the hundredfold that the Lord talks about in his parable of the sower. If the seed of the Lord’s word has fertile soil to work with the hundred fold is possible. Our actions are never limited by bringing the Lord into all that we do. The Morning Offering is a good prayer to turn the day over to the Lord. We have to decrease so that the Lord can increase in all that we do.
