Homily for the Week of July 10, 2011

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2011

The Merriam–Webster Dictionary defines parable as “a usually short fictitious story that illustrates a moral attitude or a religious principle.” This is how the majority of us read the parables of Jesus: short stories with a spiritual point.

The Gospel writers would not have defined a parable this way. Today and for the next two Sundays we will read the entirety of Chapter Thirteen of Matthew. Some give this chapter the heading, “The Day of Parables,” for there are several parables in it, and all are about the Kingdom of Heaven.

The literary form of parable in the Semitic world of Jesus has the sense of meaning a riddle. The word parable, as used in Matthew, is from Greek. On the one hand it means acomparison but in the form of a juxtaposition. The dictionary defines juxtaposition as “the act or an instance of placing two or more things side by side.” The purpose is not so much for comparing how two things are similar; the purpose is to explore a contrast between the things placed side by side. Both the word “juxtaposition” and the word “joust” are derived from the Latin, meaning “close.”

Why this discussion on the meaning of parable? Jesus “spoke to them at length in parables.” For us to appreciate the depth of today’s parable and the ones to follow on the next two Sundays, we must know what Jesus was doing. Parables do not contain knowledge or a moral as we understand a moral tale today. A parable is intended to make the hearer look at something from a radically different point of view.

Matthew very carefully chose the placement in his Gospel of this parable and the ones to follow. He had to strengthen faith. Matthew was a Jewish Christian writing for Jewish Christians. A stumbling block for believers was the reality that not everyone was taking the teachings of Jesus to heart. Why weren’t other Jews embracing the Messiah? Worse, why were many of those who initially accepted Jesus as the Messiah quickly dropping their faith?

This had become a problem in Matthew’s community, and it remains one in ours. Matthew presents this parable completely within the context of a single community: Jewish Christians. We should do the same. We should keep it completely within a single community whether all of Christianity, just Catholicism, or even our own parish.

In the case of Catholics or even in the case of a single parish, many come to Church and yet do not believe. Although they are often present, why do they not believe in the Real Presence? If we have come to believe in Jesus as the Son of God and our Redeemer, why are so many lax in their faith? Why do so many make coming to the Eucharist such a low priority? Why do so many, who once were “on fire” with their faith, disappear? The problem Matthew faced is a problem still.

Today’s parable is usually called “The Parable of the Sower.” In reality, it is “The Parable of the Seed.” The method of planting in Jesus’ area was to sow the seed then plow it under. In the parable, contrary to expectations, the sower sows the seed and leaves. The seed grows without any further intervention; therefore, the focus is the seed. The seed is not so much “The Word,” it is the Word of the Kingdom. The parables that follow over the next two weeks will draw out what the Kingdom of God is like.

Also contrary to expectations is the actual yield of the seed. Unlike today’s scientific farming, harvest yields in Jesus’ day and area were rather low. A seven-fold harvest would have been considered a good year. A ten-fold harvest would have been true abundance. A thirty-fold harvest would have been a miracle; it would feed a village for a year. A hundred-fold harvest would allow the farmer to retire and buy homes for his relatives and friends!

Today’s parable is told in the context of rejection of the Word of God and the Kingdom. It is a parable that gives hope and motivation for the faithful to stay faithful.

The seed that lands on the good soil will produce so abundantly that it will, in turn, cause people to take a second look at God’s Word. To allow this to happen, we have to grow in faith. We have to produce.