![]() ![]() For first century Palestinian sowers did not plough or prepare the ground before planting or sowing seeds. So to describe this way of God, this dream of God, Jesus tells a parable that is true to life and one that Jesus’ hearers would be familiar with. Shalom, in short, is the way things ought to be. Shalom is a state of wholeness and well-being, where no one lacks for essential needs, where all have what they need for full and abundant life. The parables of Jesus are not about us-at least not directly. You often translate this word as “peace.” But which means so much more. And God’s Vision can be summed up in the word: Shalom. Jesus tells parables to describe God’s vision of the world and how God wants things to be for us. The reign of God, which some describe as the dream of God, or God’s vision. Jesus tells the parables to describe the reign of God and what the reign of God is about. But this focus is misplaced.īecause the parables of Jesus are not about us-at least not directly. But at least we can take credit for not being the roadway or the path and allowing our seeds to be swallowed by birds-unlike those who aren’t even bothering to be in church this morning to hear the gospel. And some of us, perhaps many of us, have heard homilies where preachers-or retreat leaders-usually pose the challenge or the question: What kind of soil are you? Are you the rocky ground that the gospel cannot penetrate? Or the shallow soil that lacks depth-which is, of course, the most popular answer since no one of us is completely faithful, and honesty forbids us from claiming to be the good soil. A farmer sows seeds that fall on all different types of ground. ![]() This is the situation that’s underneath today’s gospel. What do you do when you give your all and it isn’t enough? There are times when our best efforts don’t seem to make a difference. There’s that sinking feeling when we wonder: “What’s the use?” “Why do I bother?” “Why keep going?” “All this work? All this effort? And, for what?” Sooner or later, most of us encounter situations where the task we face seems beyond our ability. What do you do when you give your all – and it just isn’t enough? Homily for the Solemnity of the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, by Bryan N. Parables of Jesus, Joachim Jeremias, SCM Press, 2003, 201pp.Preaching the New Lectionary: Year A, Dianne Bergant, Liturgical Press, 2001, 488pp.You can find the full text of the readings here. Scripture Readings for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A The preacher is someone who stands in the pulpit as an authentic faith witness who wrestles with who God is. ![]() Listen to Bryan’s homily for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, on this week’s episode of “Preach.” After the homily, he shares with host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., a less-rehearsed reading of the well-known parable of the sower in the Gospel of Matthew. “Anything with Star Trek is a sure home-run with me.” I have blueprints for the Starship Enterprise,” he says. “I have books on the physics of Star Trek, the philosophy of Star Trek, the theology of Star Trek. It is little known, but Bryan is also a huge fan of Star Trek. This year is the 40th anniversary of priestly ordination. Resurrection and All Saints, the mother church for Black Catholics in the Archdiocese of New York. He is a leader in the quest for faith-based racial and sexual justice, especially within the Catholic Church, and regularly presides and preaches at the The Parish of St. “Someone who stands in the pulpit as an authentic faith witness who wrestles with who God is.”īryan is a priest of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, and presently lives and works in New York City as a professor of theology at Fordham University. ”We will never solve the crisis of preaching in the Catholic Church, unless we emphasize that the preacher needs to be someone who is constantly learning about the Scriptures and what they mean in their context, but also that the preacher needs to be a person of prayer.” says Father Bryan Massingale. ![]()
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