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?
