Homily 15th Sunday OT A
Franklin Fong, OFM
Today’s readings are all centered on the WORD of GOD!
The first reading from Isaiah talks about the effectiveness of the Word of God. The psalm 65 talks about God as a good provider. The second reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans talks about our destiny through the Words of the earlier missionaries and Paul. And the Gospel verses of Matthew talks about the Word of God sown on good people, who will produce much fruit. So let’s look at each reading now in more detail.
The first reading tells us that it is God who sends the Word of God to all of us, humans so that we may become productive. It is compared to the rain that falls and nurtures the earth before it goes back to the sky. As people of faith, are we nurtured by the Word of God in our head, heart and hands? IT is so easy to delay the return of the Word to God when we are inattentive or negligent simply disobedient.
The second reading develops the theme of the fruit of the Word of God sown to Christians, who respond to it generously. The fruit is the ability to suffer and to embrace that suffering as a transition to the promised glory. It takes many years of anyone’s faith journey to learn how to sacrifice for the Lord and embrace sufferings, when we are given tasks and mission in our church and community. No one ever said it would be easy !!!
The gospel reading tells us how to receive the Word of God. The Word of God does not grow if the soil is not well prepared. Remember the soil refers to our head, heart and hands ! So, we must be well prepared to receive the Word of God so that once it is sown, it will grow and bear fruit in our head, heart and hands! To be receptive to the Word of God, we must do a lot of work to change ourselves. We must remove sins of materialism or sins of too many distractions, or sins of not being seriously committed from our hearts. A life of sin and distractions impede the growth of God’s Word in us. We have our entire lives to gradually work on cultivating the soils of our head, heart and hands and to free ourselves of temptations and sins.
So now let’s look at the unifying themes between these readings.
The first reading talks about the efficacious and efficient Word of God. The psalm talks about God as a good provider. The second reading talks about our destiny as seen through the Words of the earlier missionaries and Paul. And finally, the gospel reading talks about the different ways that the Word of God can be received by good people, who will produce much fruit with some special effort.
Clearly then it is all about the interaction between God and us. What is most vital in life is what goes on between God and each one of us. It is all about what God initiates and then how we respond. The outcome of this dialogue will be our eternal success or failure, our life or our death.
I am especially affected by the Gospel verses about a farmer sowing seed in all places. It is spoken and heard everywhere, even in the most unlikely places. Despite the different ways that God’s word is challenged, the harvest will be abundant. Ultimately God’s kingdom will triumph and produced much more that expected.
Jesus continues his parable by underlining the importance of the dispositions of those who hear the word of God. They respond to God in different ways. So whether we benefit from God’s loving invitation depends on our openness to him. Do we understand with our hearts and our inner conviction to make it our own? So we appreciate what God wished to communicate to us and achieve in us? How does God speak to us? With what disposition do we listen to God’s word? With what disposition do we listen to each other?
So take some time in the coming week to reflect on these questions:
• Do you pay attention to the Word of God?
• Is there a change in you after having encountered the Word of God in the liturgy and in your private reading?
• How do we best receive God’s Word?
Brothers and Sisters of
the Chinese Catholic Community of St Leander Parish
that is the Good News for the 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time.
Alleluia Alleluia
(中文翻譯.原文以英文為準.)
常年期(甲年)第十五主日 (07/16/2023)
鄺神父主日證道中譯本
讀經一: 依撒意亞先知書 55:10-11
讀經二: 聖保祿宗徒致羅馬人書: 8:18-23
聖瑪竇福音: 13:1-23
今天的讀經都以天主的話語為中心！
讀經一的依撒意亞先知書談到天主話語的功效。聖詠第 65 篇說到上主是個良好的供應者。在讀經二聖保祿宗徒寫給羅馬人的書信中，通過早期傳教士和保祿的說話論及我們的命運。瑪竇福音的經文也談到上主的道撒在好人身上，他們會結出許多果實。現在讓我們更詳細地看看每一篇經文。
讀經一告訴我們，是天主將衪的話語發送給所有人，使我們變得富有成效。它就像雨水一樣，滋潤了大地，然後又回到天上。作為有信仰的人，我們的思想、心神和行動是否受到天主聖言的滋養？天主說過衪的話語不能空空地回到衪那裏去，當我們不專注、鬆懈或不服從時，就很容易延遲了天主話語的回歸過程，因為天主仍在等待我們實現衪的話語。
讀經二開展了向基督徒撒播天主話語，得到果實收成的主題，基督徒對此做出了慷慨的回應。其果實就是能夠承受苦難，接受苦難，並以此過渡到所應許的榮耀。當我們在教會和團體中被賦予任務和使命時，每個人在他的信仰旅程中，都要長期學習如何為主犧牲並接受苦難。沒有人說過這是容易的事情！
瑪竇福音告訴我們如何接受天主的話語。如果土壤沒有準備好，天主的道就不會生長。請記住，土壤指的是我們的思想、心神和行動！所以，我們必須作好充分準備來接受天主的話語，這樣，天主的話語一旦種了下來，就會在我們的思想、心神和行動中生長、結出果實！為了準備好接受天主的話語，我們必須做許多事情來改變自己。我們必須去掉物質主義的罪惡，或者雜念太多的罪孽，或者內心不經意地犯的過錯。罪惡和懈怠的生活會阻礙天主的話語在我們裡面成長。我們畢生都在努力耕耘我們在思想、心神和行動的土壤，使自己擺脫誘惑和罪惡。
現在讓我們看看這些經文帶來的共同主題。
讀經一談到天主話語的功能和效用。聖詠談到天主是個優良的供應者，提供能讓我們結好果實的所有元素。讀經二透過早期傳教士和聖保祿的話語，看到我們的命運。最後，福音談到了人以不同的方式聆聽上主的話語，在思想、心神和行動方面作了充份準備的好人，透過一些特別的努力，就會結出許多果實。
顯然，這些都是上主與我們之間的互動成果。生命中最重要的是上主與我們每個人之間發生的事情。這完全取決於天主在我們身上啟動了什麼事項，然後我們如何回應。這種對話的結果將是我們永恆的成功或失敗，也決定了我們永恆的生命或死亡。
我尤其深受撒種者在播種的福音經文所影響。即使在最不可能的地方，這種說法也隨處可見。儘管上主的話語受到不同方式的挑戰，但收穫總是豐富的。最終，天主的國度將會得勝，並產生比預期更多的成果。
耶穌繼續衪的比喻，強調聽天主話語的人所具備的性情也很重要，他們以不同的方式回應上主， 所以我們能否從上主的慈愛邀請中得到益處，取決於我們對祂的開放程度。我們是否用心理解並堅信將天主慈愛的邀請變成驅動我們前進的動力？我們是否感激上主向我們傳達，並希望在我們身上實現的東西嗎？天主如何對我們說話？我們以什麼心態聆聽天主的話語？我們又用什麼態度來傾聽彼此的聲音？
因此，在接下來的一週花一些時間思考以下的問題：
• 你有聆聽天主的話語嗎？
• 在禮儀和個人靈修閱讀中聽到天主的話語後，你的內心有變化嗎？
• 我們如何更好地接受天主的話語？
聖利安德堂華人天主教團體的弟兄姐妹們，這就是常年期第十五主日帶來的好消息。
亞肋路亞，感謝天主！
