Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle C

I always begin and end our OCIA year with the parable of the Sower and the seed from today’s gospel. It not only is appropriate for those just starting their faith journey, but for every one of us as well. On the surface, this parable talks about the faith that each of us has. Faith is often defined as the belief in something unseen, but a better definition of faith is trust. Faith is what you put your trust in. Faith requires action. Like the seed that the birds ate up, some only trust in themselves. Their love-of-self always ends in emptiness. Others’ trust is only as deep as the rocky soil. Like Saint Peter, their faith is unshakable until it is tested and then it disappears like the dust in the wind. Still others’ trust changes to follow the latest guru, social media expert, or infomercial. At the end of the day, their trust is only an illusion that can be swayed by the slightest breeze. Those who put their trust in God and are filled with his Holy Spirit are capable of producing great fruit. Their trust is built upon a foundation of stone and cannot be moved.

If we dig a little deeper, we will find that faith is what happens after the seed germinates and starts to grow. The actual seed that is planted is the invitation to a relationship with God. Our hearts are the soil in which this seed has been sown. God put this seed into our hearts even before time began. He so loves you and wants to be in relationship with you that he created you out of nothing and brought you into this world. His only hope is that the seed that was sown into your heart will one day germinate, grow, and bear fruit. God planted the seed, but it is up to you to nurture it and help it to grow. God is love and for love to exist there has to be a choice. Love can never be forced. God planted the seed, but he leaves it up to you to decide what you wish to do with it. You can nurture this seed so that it will grow and flourish or you can pluck it out and let it die.

Christians are a people consecrated to God, that is, we are a people set apart for God. We have to live in the world but we are not to be of this world. Being in this world means to be surrounded by thorns. Thorns are the things or people that lead us away from a life with God. In the military we have a saying. You perform the way you train. If you want your faith to grow and you want to grow closer to God, you must surround yourself with things that lead to God. For many of us, this means changing our way of life. We have to give up things that the world believes are OK but our faith teaches are not. These are things like pornography, artificial birth control, and support for abortion.

The choice that lies before you today is how you will respond to Jesus’ invitation to a loving relationship. Will you ignore his invitation to pursue your own passions? Will this relationship start out strong only to fade and die the first time you face a difficulty? Will you allow the influences of the world draw you away from his love? Or will you embrace and live fully the faith you will profess before Jesus as you receive him in the Eucharist?

This is a decision only you can make.

Evangelizing Worldwide

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