Friday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time
Knights of Columbus Board Meeting
Orlando, Florida
July 28, 2023
Introduction
Since all of us are church-going Catholics, we remember that this afternoon’s Gospel was also proclaimed a few Sunday’s ago. Since then, no doubt, you have hung on to every word of that Sunday’s homily, so there is no need for me to go into a lengthy explanation of the parable … not to mention that fact that Jesus himself explained his parable to his disciples. And since the readings are long and our time together is short, I will offer only a brief reflection on today’s Scriptures.
Beginning with this. Jesus’ parable stands as an invitation to look into our own hearts. No matter how many times I have listened to this parable or read it prayerfully, it never grows old or stale; it always speaks to my heart of hearts – and why? It’s because a parable is not merely a story with a moral but rather the living word of Christ, whose heart speaks to our hearts. When we read this parable, he not only invites us to look into our own hearts, he also “reveals us to ourselves”, he dispels our illusions, presumption, self-deception. He does this, not simply to make us morally upright, but rather to cultivate our souls, to prepare them to receive his word, to enable us to encounter him anew and participate more deeply in his love and life.
In the Letter to the Hebrews we read that God’s word is a sharp, two-edged sword. It can cut through our innermost thoughts and expose the true condition of our hearts. This means it can plow the soil in our hearts, even if it is hardened by sin, rocky by superficiality, or choked with the thorns of worldly cares and pleasure. And speaking just for myself, the soil in my heart has been all of those things, at one time or another. Perhaps that is another reason why this parable never grows old for me. It resonates in my conscience, where I am alone, not with my thoughts, but with God.
The Commandments
So, Jesus not only attempts to sows the seed of his Word, but he also invites us and enables us to cultivate the soil in our hearts. One of the ways he does this is through the commandments, yes, the Ten Commandments we memorized as we were coming of age. Often thought of as mere rules of behavior, the Commandments reveal the majesty of God’s love and the great dignity with which God has endowed us, his creatures. For if the first three proclaim the beauty of his divinity, the last seven lead us to embrace our status as sons and daughters of God, created in God’s image, children of God who love as we have been loved. Examining our consciences daily according to the Commandments is a good way to allow the Lord continually to cultivate the soil in our hearts. That’s the moment when we begin to see whether the seed of God’s Word is growing to maturity, not in some idealistic sphere but in the rough and tumble of daily life. When we finish examining our consciences, then it is that we should say, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of everlasting life.”
The Abundant Harvest
That is the key to the rich harvest Jesus offers us. Much as we would like to think that it is due to our natural goodness, or an arcane devotion or prayer technique, or self-aggrandizing heroism – the rich harvest is none of those things. It is the Lord – whose Word and Love are everlasting – at work in us, doing immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine. He it is who brings forth the harvest from our souls, so long as we give him permission and cooperate with the graces he sends.
And just one more question. First, why do some souls produce a hundred-fold while others produce only sixty or thirty? If, at the particular judgment, the Lord tells me that I’ve produced thirty-fold, I’ll be very relieved and happily take my place in whatever niche he’s reserved for me! Who is to say what yield the Lord is expecting from any of us? But somewhere he did tells us that ‘to whom much is given much is expected.’ That’s another line in Scripture that I never tire of mediating on, because I have been the recipient of untold and undeserved blessings and graces. I guess I had better hope that I’ll yield sixty, not just thirty!
I would imagine we can all say the same. Yes, we all have inner and outer obstructions to the seed of God’s Word, but all of us taking part in this liturgy have been blessed, not merely with material prosperity but with abundant spiritual gifts, not the least of which is the grace of being a part of the Knights of Columbus, inheriting the legacy of Blessed Michael McGivney, living the principles of charity, unity, fraternity, and love of country, experiencing the love and support of fellow Knights and their families, and being able in turn to extend love and support to them – a love and support that overflows massively onto the Church and the wider society.
As we prepare for the forthcoming convention, let us invite the Lord of the Harvest to cultivate our hearts as we listen intently to his Word, spend some time in Eucharistic Adoration, avail ourselves of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and seek the strength we will need over these coming days to advance the mission of the Order entrusted to our care. And may God bless us and keep us always in his love! Vivat Jesus!