Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Mark the parable of the Sower…In the story Jesus presents three scenarios…In each a person hears the Truth of the Gospel, two of the three abandon the Truth and one embraces it……How can two people hear something that is Truth and “walk away” from it?…..”The sower sows the word. These are the ones on the path where the word is sown. As soon as they hear, Satan comes at once and takes away the word sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground who, when they hear the word, receive it at once with joy. But they have no roots; they last only for a time. Then when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Those sown among thorns are another sort. They are the people who hear the word, but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches, and the craving for other things intrude and choke the word, and it bears no fruit. But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold”……..The words of Jesus Christ divide!….Never forget that….People must choose a side - There is no sitting on the fence….And what we say with our mouths does not reflect our commitment to God - Its how we live our life……We can not have it both ways…Following Jesus Christ in this world means that you will have to renounce the world and that decision, like it or not, will bring with it consequences…That translates into - Some people will not like you…One could ask - How could someone not like a person who embraces the Truth? - A good question indeed - The answer is - Those who reject Christ also made a decision - They have embraced the world and everything in it…And if they were to embrace Jesus, they would have to “put down” the “things” of the world…And they are not willing to do this…..Jesus was very clear when he gave to the world the Beatitudes……”Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you”…….As Catholics in the world today, to think we can have it “both ways” is a fallacy……..The Cross is forever before us and the reality of the Cross is the very thing the world rejects….And if you “pick up the Cross” - The world will reject you as it did Jesus Christ…..This my friends is reality and this is why two of three people in the Parable of the Sower walked away from Jesus - They did not want to suffer and sacrifice for the Truth…..A great choice is put before us today……..”I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the LORD, your God, obeying his voice, and holding fast to him. For that will mean life for you, a long life for you to live on the land which the LORD swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give to them”………Make the right choice - Choose Life!
“The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower; all who come to him will live forever”
Jesus tells us in the Gospel that - “The Last will be First and the First will be Last”……Over the course of my life I have traveled many times into what is known as the “third world” serving the poor - And when I walked among the poorest of the poor in countries like Haiti, India, Vietnam, Cambodia…I have often reflected upon the words of Christ - “The Last will be First and the First will be Last”….That means when Jesus Christ returns again as he said, the power structures of the world will flip!….Think about that for a second - The people right now who control everything, many of them will have nothing and will be “cast out into cold” - While the multitude across the globe who “hunger and thirst for righteousness” will be on top…..That is a wild concept to imagine but that is exactly what Jesus is telling us…..Here is some cold hard reality - Following Jesus Christ as Catholics means we must “not be of the world” - But - That does not exempt us from working and raising a family in the world - What does that imply? - That means to a larger degree, because we do not “follow the rules of the world”, Catholics are at a great disadvantage - What I mean by that is, we follow the laws of God and the Natural law - And in doing so, we will in many ways be “passed over” by those who embrace secular thinking…That could mean loss of jobs - That could mean not being as comfortable as you may like - That could even mean in some parts of the world physically suffering or even being killed……The Truth to this very day has a cost!…Jesus today in the Gospel asks us - Are you willing to pay that cost?…..Many say they are - And that is great - However, mere words do not address the question…..It’s how we live that says everything….The daily choices we make as Catholics tell the world and God himself - Did you follow me!……This is how we will be judged at the end of time…..But for those who do follow Jesus Christ - For those who do “embrace the full weight of the Cross” - For those who endure and persevere until the very end - For that select group of people - Jesus makes a promise……..Those “seeds sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold”……That is a guarantee!…..Catholics must stay connected to the vine - That means doing things God’s way - All day! - Everyday! - Come hell or high water……“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay everyone according to his conduct. Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom”………We can not have other both ways - Choose life - Choose the Cross - Live, breath and die as a Catholic!
“I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant: I will make your dynasty stand forever and establish your throne through all ages.”
Today at Mass St Mark tells us all a story many know very well - The Parable of the Sower…While Catholics have heard this story many times - Do we really know what is asked of us when it is told?…..In this story we are presented with Life and Death and two of the three people in this parable choose death - Have you ever thought about that?…..So what do you choose?…..Most people reading this reflection will immediately say - “I choose life!”…..And that is the correct answer - But do you really mean it?…I ask that question because if we do indeed mean it - That means we must live a certain way…..The Cross is forever before us as Catholics - There is no such thing as “cheap grace” and there is no Easter Sunday without Good Friday…..As American Christians, we can not “sanitize” our belief in Jesus Christ…..Jesus was a man on a mission - He came to live and speak the Truth and he also came to die for the sins of the world…Now its our turn - What do I mean by that? - We have a “mission” too!…..To know the Truth - To Speak the Truth - To Live the Truth - And to Suffer for the Truth….The suffering part is not optional - And while we most likely will not be asked by God to be nailed to a cross - Make no mistake - As Catholics, we are all called to “die to our selfish nature” - And that takes time - And that takes grace!……So cooperate with God…Bend your will until it breaks!….And in turn, Jesus will form you into the person you were born to be……”I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus”……..And in the process, if you do as I suggest - You will bear fruit that will last in the here and now……..”The ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold”……….JMJ
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