HOMILY FOR THE 15TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A.

Isaiah 55:10-11; Psalm 64:10-14; Romans 8:18-23; Matthew 13:1-23.

“MY HEART: A SEED-BED FOR GOD’S WORD!”

By: Rev. Fr. Charles Onyeka Ezejide.

· We live in an era where it is increasingly becoming difficult to listen and put into practice the word of God. People are rather ashamed to profess their faith in public for fear of incurring the rot of their friends, colleagues, or family members. They know the truth of the gospel and yet refuse to practice it.

· Examining these trends, a lot of people point to the fact that they fear the ridicule of their friends, some fear the loss of their jobs, and some want to feel accepted by the public. So, they suppress their conscience and the word of God in their hearts. The question that comes to mind is, who are we to be afraid of, a man who is temporal or God who is eternal? Whose friendship will pay us more, friendship with God or with a man?

· Jesus challenges us today in the readings to make our hearts the seedbed for his word. To allow his word to penetrate our hearts and to bear fruits that will last. Our hearts can only be seedbeds for God’s word if we learn to put away fear and sycophancy knowing that with God on our side nothing can harm us.

· In the Gospel reading (Matthew 13:1-23), Jesus illustrates why we must make our hearts the seedbed of God’s word by dishing out to us the parable of the sower leaving us with the fundamental question which we must ask ourselves, which is, what kind of soil am I for God’s word? 

· Dear friends in Christ, we must realize that no matter how often we allow the seed of God’s word to fall on either the edge of the path, patches of rock, among thorns, etc., what ultimately counts is the seed that fell on rich soil. That is the seed that bears fruit, that is the seed that blossoms, that is the seed that is fruitful bearing fruits in a hundredfold, sixty and thirty. That is exactly the kind of soil God wants us to be.

· Jesus mentions to us the various categories of parishioners or Christians in his parable as represented by the various soil types. The first, is the seed that fell on the edge of the path which symbolizes those who hear the word with so much excitement when they come to church but make no conscious effort to deepen their encounter with the word of God through personal studies and daily meditation of God’s word. Hence, soon after lose their passion and forget all that was said in church.

· The second category, the seed that fell on patches of rock represents those who come to church only as an obligation. Yes, they are happy to come to the church but they are full of distractions, they are present at mass but remember little or nothing said at the mass. Their minds are closed, they are in a hurry to go home, and they are always absent-minded, some may go as far as chatting in the church, discussing, or distracting themselves during mass. When you do this, how can the word of God take root in your heart? Since your heart is closed, the word of God heard goes through one ear and leaves through the other.

· The third category is those whose love for God is never in doubt. They study their Bibles daily; the things of God interest them, and they make a conscious effort to live good and holy lives. When they are faced with a serious challenge in life, they do not fall back to the word of God that they have learned to inspire them, they easily give up, due to fear or to win public approval.

· The last category and the only acceptable category is the rich soil which receives the seed of God’s word and bears abundant fruits. Today having known that as Christians our utmost priority is to make God’s word grow in our hearts through words and actions, we must get rid of every other category that must have held us spellbound and begin to make a conscious effort to let the word of God that we hear every day start bearing fruits in our lives.

· Dear beloved in Christ, we must also remember that in the first reading (Isaiah 55:10-11), the Prophet Isaiah specifically charges us not to allow the word of God to return without achieving its aim in us, comparing it with the rains that come down from heaven. Today, God has rained down his word once again into our hearts, will you let it fall again on the edges of the path or rocky soil, or soil filled with thorns, or on the rich soil – the seedbed of God’s word? The decision is ours.

· Friends in Christ, we must bear in mind that to be a veritable seedbed for God’s word, challenges must come, and persecutions and insults must come. We must brace up for that. And that is why St. Paul in the second reading (Romans 8:18-23), encourages us that no matter what we suffer on account of God’s word, it is nothing compared to the glory that awaits us in God’s kingdom.

· Therefore, we must continue to allow the word of God to inspire us daily to strive to live life in the spirit which brings us true freedom, true peace, true progress, true faith, true hope, and above all fruitfulness. Because what use is it to listen to the word of God and not bear fruit that will last?

· Being a Christian in this era is a challenge we must be prepared to live with daily if we must make our hearts the seedbed for God’s word. We must constantly fight off every kind of distraction from focusing on God’s word and allowing it to bear fruits in our lives, that is the only time we can join in the beautiful psalm “Some seed fell into rich soil and produced its crop” (Lk.:8:8).

· May the good Lord bless his word in our hearts, through Christ our Lord, Amen!

· Happy Sunday!!!