Why is the Word not accepted into our hearts?

Jul 14, 2023

                     Reflecting on our Sunday Readings with Fr William Pillai

15th Sunday of Ordinary Time (A)
Readings: Isaiah 55:10-11
Romans 8:18-23;
Gospel: Matthew 13:1-23

This Sunday we have the special privilege of hearing Jesus Himself interpreting one of His parables. He gives three basic reasons why the Word is not accepted into our hearts: lack of understanding, lack of discipline, lack of prioritisation.

Our passage for today opens in this way: “Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea and begins to preach.”

Jesus leaves a confined space, goes out into the open air and enters an open space and began to preach to the people. This is the Word of God being preached to the world. We are all meant to listen to His parable. It is meant for the whole world.

Jesus speaks of the parable of the sower. We know that the sower sows far and wide, some of the seeds landing on the path where the birds eat them; some of the seed fall on rocky ground and are choked off; some fall on thorns, some on rich soil where they bear 30, 60, and 100-fold.

Before we get into the details, we must keep in mind that Jesus Himself in Person is the seed. Jesus is the Logos, a Greek word that means Word. The Word must take root in us! Jesus sows far and wide through various means, because He is destined for the whole world.

Think of the image of a sower sowing the seed far and wide to those who are receptive, and also the unreceptive, to those who are likely to get it, and also those unlikely to get it.

Jesus says the seed sowed on the path stands for those who hear the Word of the Kingdom without understanding it and the evil one comes and steals what is sown. I would venture to guess many Christians and churchgoers know the basics of this Gospel story; they know something of the story of Jesus but the Word takes no root.

Why? Because they don’t understand, they don’t get it. We will not understand God’s Word until we are prepared to understand it. Israel had the extensive and complex preparation for the reception of the Word.
Why did the Word come to Israel? Because the Jews were the first to hear the Word of God. Israel was the means by which the Word could be understood and received.

Next the Lord says the seed sown on the rocky ground are the ones who hear the Word but it cannot take root in them. This is because of difficulties and persecution felt by those who hear the Word but lose confidence because of worries and persecution, and their faith withers away. This happens all the time.

A lot of people get turned on by the Word. That is good, the way that God chooses to plant the seed. But because the listener lacks discipline, lacks a sense of the religious tradition, the person lacks receptivity and perseverance. The initial glow of the Word dims in time and fades.

Nothing we take seriously which is not accompanied by discipline will last. What is the sign that we don’t take things seriously? The sign is when we do not receive what is sown in us with discipline. Yes, it’s a nice thing but I am not going to fuss about it or I am not disciplining myself to practise it.

But when you take something seriously, you surround it with some kind of rigour. Is it not true that for many a sense of rigour, discipline, are lacking and with the passage of time, the practise of the faith fades?
Are we surprised that people’s convictions do not last? Are we surprised that religion is fading or is ephemeral and is regarded as a superficial reality?

Attendance at Mass has dropped tremendously throughout the world, the recent pandemic making things even worse! “Yes, I go to Mass when I feel like it,” say some believers. Some weary churchgoers shrug their shoulders and say, “Oh yeah, I watch it online,” as if that were enough to count as attendance at Mass.
The third problem. The seed sown around thorns, hears but is beset by worldly anxieties and hence bears no fruit. Some people hear the Word; they listen to it, but then are unable to maintain their focus and prioritisation.

The Word of God must be the central and defining dynamic of one’s life. To know the will of God, the mind of God, one has to understand His purpose and path. Without it you lose your way amidst all the conflicting voices and inclinations of the world. It does not mean that you should not be interested in a lot of other things. It is the Word of God that orders and organises all the other interests in our lives.

The Lord tells us that worldly anxieties and the lure of riches are lesser concerns. They obscure and compromise what ought to be the primary concern in our lives. How much time you spend worrying about particular concerns — home, family, reputation, work, money-making and saving — will determine how much quality time you spend pondering and praying over the Word of God.

Obviously, we have to think about daily concerns, but should they be allowed the dominant role in our lives? Do these worldly concerns, and the lure of riches choke off your interest in the Word of God? How much time in the course of the week do you even think about the Word of God? If the answer is maybe a few minutes on Sunday; then, it is not good enough. The Word of God ought to be the central organising principle of your life, otherwise it will bear no fruit.

So, what’s the nature of the good soil, in which the Word will grow? It is the soil that characterises our understanding of the faith. Therefore, take time to read the Catechism of the Catholic Church, study the Scriptures, and how to feel with the Church. Good soil is marked by perseverance, discipline and practice. You must surround the Word by those things or it won’t grow!

Finally, it’s good soil that is marked by a keen sense of prioritisation. When the Word of God comes first, the other concerns of your life will revolve around it, not in a way that causes burdens and anxieties. As Scripture says, “My yoke is light and my burden is easy.”

When that soil is in place then the Word will bear 30, 60, or even 100-fold. Some bear more fruit than others. St Thomas Aquinas succinctly described this distinction in his commentary as: “Thirtyfold – ‘ordinary’ Christians who observe the law; Sixtyfold – those who seek to do more than their bare duty; Hundredfold – those who take a delight in doing their very best.”

Our Lord clearly points out that birth alone does not entitle us to become members of His Kingdom. Membership in the body of the Church is no guarantee of membership in the soul of the Church. Faith comes by hearing, but salvation comes by keeping the Word and living up to it.