First Reading: Isaiah 55:10-11
Second Reading: Romans 8:18-23
Gospel: Matthew 13:1-23
The first reading of today from the Prophet Isaiah gives a succinct yet powerful image of our God. "As the rain and the snow come down from the heavens and do not return without watering the earth.....so the word that goes from my mouth does not return to me empty, without carrying out my will and succeeding in what it was to do". (Is 55:10-11) Whatever God says always happens. Whatever God pronounces becomes a reality. In today's gospel we have clearly portrayed what God expects of us. He is the sower and he expects us to be ingrained in good soil so that we can produce great fruits. We are destined to give fruit. We are not called to go for the little or for the minimum. God's intention is for you and me to produce and accomplish great things in his name. "You did not choose me, no, I chose you; and I commissioned you to go out and bear fruit, fruit that will last". (Jn 15:16)
This is God's plan for you and for me, to make a difference in this life. We cannot do this on our own and this is the reason why we are so gifted by His constant presence and power within us. Right from the start, from the first book of the Bible, the book of Genesis, we find God saying, "Let us make man in our own image, in likeness of ourselves....God created man in the image of Himself, in the image of God he created Him, male and female he created them." (Genesis 1:26-27) We are God's work of art. We are the best creation of God. We are the masterpiece of God's work. No wonder that Paul exclaims, "Now to him by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine." (Eph 3:20) Jesus revolutionised the world with twelve disciples. His intent is to continue this revolution all over the world through you and me. His desire is to make every person intimately bound to Him and you and I are in the frontline of this incredible and powerful mission. Yes we have been truly graced, we have been given the seed to produce amazing results.
However, at times we develop that tend to limit or choke the gifts that God has graced us with. These weeds can arise when losing a loved one, especially when one of our parents died when we were very young. Weeds creep up when we become victims of hatred, of violence, or of bullying, when we grew up in a very difficult family atmosphere, when we have to deal constantly with difficult situations and people. Weeds were certainly evident during this week when we witnessed the bombings in London which resulted in so many deaths and so many wounded. Weeds become choking when we are confronted with evil, with vengeful ideologies and with sin.
We try to cope with our weeds on our own, by ourselves. The result is that we get confused, we loose the sense of reality. We start to live in a world that we create. We make bad decisions and we start to do silly and stupid things. At the moment I am reading the book on Mark Latham written by Bernard Logan. It is entitled "Loner " Inside a Labour Tragedy". The very title itself points to the story behind the book. On the back cover of the book we find these words, "Bernard Logan burrows deep inside that dramatic year (of Latham's leadership of the Labour Party) to uncover the gut-wrenching personal dramas, the plots and intrigues, the loyalties betrayed and a set of demons Mark Latham couldn't keep at bay. From a personal office that fractured around him to a shadow cabinet and an election campaign team he sidelined, Mark Latham was the lone rider in Australian politics." Experience has shown us how loners finish. Indeed the weeds that crop up in our lives cripple us and prevent us from achieving what we have been destined for.
How do we face our weeds? What do we need to do with them. The first thing is not to panic, not to put ourselves down, or to retreat to cover. With the help of others whom we can trust we perhaps need to make certain decisions to change our lifestyle, to change our friends, to change and abandon certain relationships that do not give us life, or to change our way of thinking. However, at the same time we are to keep constantly in our minds and hearts that our full potential is only achieved or greatly helped to become a reality when we nurture a personal relationship with our God. After all he created us. Our hearts will never find rest until the rest in Him. This is the conclusion reached by St Augustine who had to take a serious look at the weeds that were choking his spirit.
God's desire is for each one of us to make a mark in life by living fully our lives. There are so many Christian heroes today who are producing great fruit. Those who visit prisoners, those who do the shopping for the elderly and the house bound, those who regularly phone others who live alone and may feel lonely; foster parents and those who stick with their families and with their children against all odds. These are the 'quiet achievers' but they are achievers. They are touching and influencing the lives of those around them. The teachings and the values of our God have truly found good soil in the lives of many because He is always true to His promises. So courage my friends, let us go ahead with our mission as Catholics and as believers in Jesus Christ. The Lord is with us.
God bless.
Bishop Joe Grech
