​O God, Who show the light of Your truth to those who go astray, so that they may return to the right path, give all who for the faith they profess are accounted Christians the grace to reject whatever is contrary to the name of Christ and to strive after all that does it honor...
Collect for the 15th Sunday

readings

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The Power of the Word
​by Msgr. Richard Henning

First reading: Isaiah 55:10-11
Responsorial: Psalm 65:10, 11, 12-13, 14
Second reading: Romans 8:18-23
Gospel passage: Matthew 13:1-23

Agriculture is always a partnership. True, the farmer must work hard to prepare the ground, plant the seed, cultivate the plants, and reap the harvest. But at every stage, the farmer is really working with the elements of nature. He cannot make the sun shine or the rains fall. He does his best to shape the environment that will permit growth and new life, but he cannot force or control it. His own work, tough as it may be, is only part of the equation. And when it works, the results are a wonder of creation. With the farmer's effort, nature can produce far more than it would otherwise, left in its original state.

In the first reading, the inspired prophet Isaiah harnesses this imagery to provide a metaphor for the effectiveness of God's Word. The poetry is a promise that God's Word is alive and will have miraculous effects. And yet this assertion of God's sovereign power points indirectly to another surprising aspect of the mystery. This image bespeaks partnership. God's Word may be effective, but its effects will only be present in those who respond - who participate in it. The Word of which Isaiah speaks had deep resonance in Hebrew culture. The word was an extension of the speaker, part of his creative interaction in the world - and an expression of the meaning of the world. Therefore, the Word of God must be the stuff of creation itself. Recall Genesis: "And God spoke...and so it was." The presence of God, by the power of the Word, is written into creation itself - a truth understood by our Psalmist today and by the Apostle Paul.

The Psalmist praises the will and purpose of God in providing life giving nourishment to human beings through creation and the participation of men and women. We hear of the elements that produce that bounty - elements of nature and human effort. Of course, the Psalm praises the very real and concrete need of people for nourishment. Nonetheless, the Psalm may also be read as analogy - for this same generous Divine participation and invitation to response characterizes the process of creation itself as well as all of God's interaction with human beings.

In this passage from Romans, Paul looks to creation itself and reminds his fellow Christians that God's life creating, preserving, and restoring power is at work all around them. For Christians oppressed by conflict and persecution, these words are a powerful reminder of their place in the entirety of God's plan. Even as they pray and long for redemption, they are encouraged by God's power of renewal on display all around them. When Paul wrote this letter, he did not intend that it be "Scripture." He was writing to a particular community of Christians at Rome and with very specific purposes - namely to introduce himself and his ministry to them as he travelled to Rome to seek their help in a new mission to the West. Nonetheless, we look to these words of Paul and call them the Word of God. Early on, the Church recognized the inspired content of this and other Pauline letters. And so Paul's own ministry illustrates the Isaiahan prophecy. In a man such as Paul, whose participated so wholeheartedly in the work of God, the Word was and is effective beyond expectations.

The passage from Matthew offers the first of seven parables of Jesus in a lengthy discourse devoted to parables. The passage itself is complex as it moves between three moments - a parable, a comment on the purpose of parables, and an exposition of the original parable.

First, Jesus offers the parable of the seed. Like the passage from Isaiah, the parable reminds the listeners of the powerful effect of God's Word. Unlike the Isaiah passage, the question of response is explicit. Even as the Word produces results, some will fail to participate in that fruitfulness.

The question and passage that follows elaborates on this truth. Jesus cites another passage of Isaiah - one of the more tragic. Isaiah acknowledges that people may or may not respond with open hearts to God's presence. He touches on this great mystery that God will never force a response. The All Powerful One permits and desires only a free response. And there will always be those who will turn away. Jesus cites this truth as the reason for speaking in parables. On the surface, it might appear that He purposely obscures the message. But really, the issue is one of invitation to hear, listen, understand, and respond.

The third part of the passage shifts the analogy. Whereas the first part offered a parable that looked like Isaiah's comparison of seed and Word, now the seed becomes the person. Again, the emphasis in this interpretation is upon the question of response. Remember that this passage introduces a series of parables. It is a fitting beginning, then, to remind the hearer of the importance of their hearing and responding to the teachings of Jesus.

These readings celebrate the life altering power of the Word of God. As we hear them in the context of the Eucharist, we do well to remember that the Word of God is a person, Jesus Christ. His presence and action in our midst offer the promise of life in abundance. But even this gift will never be forced upon us. We must work the ground and cultivate the shoots of new life - we must participate in the miracle.