HOMILY FOR SATURDAY OF THE 24TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME CYCLE II
THEME: DON’T JUST LIVE, BE PRODUCTIVE
BY: Fr. Karabari Paul
HOMILY FOR SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 17 2022
‘And some fell into good soil and grew, and yielded a hundredfold’
In the Gospel (Luke 8:4-15), Jesus explained the parable of the Sower. The seed landed on four different places, producing four different results. ‘The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away. The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced. And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce hundred times as much as had been planted.
One significant point but not emphasized in this Gospel is the fact that a sower wont just sow to reap nothing. It was the very intention of the sower to have fruits. However, He could sow but never had power over the soil type. So there were different results according to the types of ground. Your fruits depend on your soil texture and strength.
God does not just create human beings. He does so out of purpose. Thus, before we were born, He has known us. We existed in the mind of God even before our physical existence. This is why we are precious. Every human being is God’s investment. Christ talks of our relationship with Him in comparison with a tree and its branches; expected to bear fruits. It is the reason He cursed the fig tree when He got no fruit from it.
The Sower never had issues with the seeds on good soil that produced a hundredfold. The problem is with the ones with no returns. The first three types of ground made the efforts of the Sower useless. God is never asking you to exceed your nature. For we are gifted differently. And this is acknowledged. But let us not make our purpose on earth useless. It becomes an issue if we produce nothing at all. So how productive are we?
So if God’s purposes aren’t being fulfilled in your life, ask yourself, ‘What kind of soil am I?’ Are you a surface person – thin-skinned and easily offended? A shallow person with no spiritual root system? Are you thorny ground? Are ‘the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things’ choking the spiritual life out of you? Or are you rich, fertile ground that produces results? Check the soil of your heart. God desires fruits from us. And to have a good soil for fruitfulness we must stay close to Jesus. He has said if we are cut off from Him, we can do nothing. GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE. May God have mercy on us, heal our world, bless and protect us all through Christ Our Lord Amen. Good morning