15th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle A - July 16, 2023

 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Cycle A

July 16, 2023 – 5pm and 8:30am

Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton 

 

“The Mother of all Parables” 

 

Pope Francis has made an insightful comment about the parable in today’s gospel.

 

He calls this Parable of the Sower “the Mother of all parables.” – “the Mother of all parables.”Why does he say this? Because it is about listening to the entire word of God.  

 

It is about our listening to all other parables and, for that matter, our listening to everything in the gospels. Pope Francis states that each of us is the ground on which the Word falls.

 

So, the point, to use the image of this parable, is that we are called to be good soil for the seed, the Word of God. I decided this weekend to talk about a way for our doing this.

 

It is called Lectio Divina – the Latin words for Sacred Reading. It is a way for reading or praying the Word of God that helps us to be good soil and allow the Word to take root and grow in us. 

 

Lectio Divina has its origins fifteen hundred years ago in the days of Saint Benedict. The form of Lectio Divina – Sacred Reading – that I offer today has four steps and they are rather simple.

 

Step 1: Reading 

 

Step 1 is obvious: Reading.

 

The question here is: What does the passage say? So, read a passage of Scripture – maybe today’s’ gospel.  

 

By the way, I especially recommend the gospels. So, read the passage, and then make sure you understand what it is saying.

 

Maybe look at a footnote in your Bible or a commentary on the passage. For example, the footnote in my Bible on today’s gospel explains that in Palestine of Jesus’ day, they would first toss seed everywhere and only then plow the field. 

 

So, read the passage and try to understand anything that is unclear. What does the passage say?

 

Step 2: Meditation

 

Then, Step 2 of Lectio Divina is Meditation.

 

Here the question is: What does this passage say to me personally? Begin this step by re-reading the passage. 

 

Is there a word, or phrase, or sentence that really grabs my attention? It could be positive or negative.

 

By that I mean that it could be something that consoles or comforts me.  Like last Sunday where Jesus says, “Come to me all you who are burdened, and I will give you rest.”

 

Or it could be something that bothers us. Like Jesus saying, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me” and we may not feel welcoming of migrants or refugees.

 

So, what in the passage grabs my attention and makes me stop and think? What does the passage say to me personally? 

 

Step 3: Pray

 

Next, Step 3 is Prayer.

 

Here the question is: What do I want to say to God about this passage? Maybe I want to thank God for his support and presence.

 

Maybe I want to ask God to help me with something. Maybe I want to express to God my struggle with what the passage is saying to me.

 

This is not formal, memorized prayer here, but simply my own thoughts and feelings and words. What do I want to say to God about this passage?  

 

Step 4: Action

 

Finally, Step 4 is Action.

 

Here the question is: What difference can this passage make in how I live? What possibilities does this open up?

 

What challenges does this pose for me? So, for example, today’s parable may call me to pay better attention to the Word of God here at Mass or to make reading the gospels part of my personal prayer at home.    

 

Or maybe last week’s passage calls me to trust more in God and let go of my worrying about so many things. What difference can this passage make in how I live?

 

Conclusion

 

So, I am recommending a way of reading and praying on the Word of God that may help us to be the good soil that Jesus talks about in today’s Parable.

 

Lectio Divina – Sacred Reading.

 

Four Steps. 

1.    Reading. What is the passage saying?

2.    Meditation. What is the passage saying to me personally?

3.    Prayer. What do I want to say to God about this?

4.    Action. What am I going to do about this?

14th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle A - July 9, 2023

 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Cycle A

July 9, 2023 – 5pm and 11am

Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton 

 

The Amish and Jesus 

 

On a number of occasions, I have driven through Lancaster County in Pennsylvania.

 

As you know, this is the heart of the Amish country. One of the things that you can’t miss is the beautiful landscape and rich farmland. 

 

And one of the images I have in my mind is of Amish farmers working their fields with horses. Some of them do not use modern John Deere farm equipment.

 

Instead, there are two horses pulling a plough. I am thinking of this image today because in Jesus’ time, it was very similar.

 

They used a pair of oxen to plough the fields. And there was something called a yoke – spelled Y-O-K-E.  

 

The yoke was a wooden collar that fit around the neck of the oxen and connected the two animals to each other and to the plough. A yoke had to be carefully made so that it would fit the oxen just right.  

 

If the yoke fit well and was comfortable, the oxen could go on ploughing for hours. But if it did not fit well, it would dig into the oxen and really hurt.

 

It would sap their strength, and they would not be able to plough for a long time. This is the image that Jesus has in mind in today’s gospel.    

 

“My yoke is easy”

 

He says, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

 

The yoke that Jesus is speaking of is his way – his way of living. Now I think a fair question is: can we really say that Jesus’ way or “yoke” is “easy”?

 

I mean, practically speaking, is it easy to love our enemies? Is it easy to share what we have with people who are in need and whom we do not even know?

 

And on top of all that, doesn’t Jesus say that following him means taking up our cross? So, isn’t it a bit of a stretch to say that Jesus’ yoke is easy?

 

Why Is It Easy?

 

Maybe comparing Jesus’ way with other ways of living is the best way to evaluate how difficult or easy his yoke is. 

 

For example:

Do we really think that a dog-eat-dog approach – maybe in the workplace – an approach where it’s every person looking out just for themselves – do we really think that this is easier on our nerves, or would a more respectful and team-like approach be easier?  

 

Again, are we better off emotionally by holding on to our resentment, or are we better off by forgiving someone even if that doesn’t mean returning to the closeness we once had?

 

Again, does it make me feel better about myself when I judge others as useless or lazy or bad, or do I feel better about myself when I try to put myself in their skin and try to see things from their perspective?  

 

Similarly, does prejudice – racial, religious, or gender prejudice – does this expand me as a person, or am I bigger as a person when I try to be open and inclusive?  

 

Again, do we feel inner peace by just going along with whatever our peers are doing, like bullying a classmate or doing some kind of drug, or do we feel more at peace by sticking to what we believe is the right thing to do?  

 

And finally, is it easier to live with myself when I don’t tell the truth, or do I live more easily with myself when I own up to what I did or did not do?

 

Conclusion

 

These are just some comparisons of the effects of following Jesus versus following other ways of living.

 

I recommend that we think about these alternatives. If we try Jesus’ “yoke,” we just might find that it contributes more to our happiness in the long run, and it may even be lighter and easier in the short run of life.