Sunday in the 15th Week of Ordinary Time (A)
The Birds, the Bees and Bible Sunday

Readings: Isaiah 55:10-11; Psalms 65:10, 11, 12-13, 14; Romans 8:18-23; Matthew 13:1-23 or 13:1-9
Picture: CC jmtimages

Dear sisters and brothers, on this Bible Sunday, as we reflect on the significance of our celebration, I’m reminded of something about which many of you probably know much more than I do. I’m not a parent so I’ve never had the experience. But I wonder what it feels like for parents when the time comes to speak to their children about the facts of life. Perhaps there is some embarrassment and hesitation, even an attempt to pass the buck to someone else. Go ask your mother, or father, or teacher, for example. And that’s understandable since, although ours is a modern and increasingly cosmopolitan society, it’s still very Asian. And, traditionally, Asians don’t talk about such things, especially not to their children.

But, however strong the embarrassment, the responsible parent will probably also have a sense of the importance of this moment. Because, like it or not, the child is going to find out, if not from mom and dad, then from friends, or the TV, or the Internet. And we all know how terribly inaccurate and even dangerous the information obtained from such sources can be. If we love our children we will want to give them the complete picture. We will want to tell them the whole story. And, simply put, there are at least three parts to this story.

The first part has to do with FIT. Here, we will emphasize the beauty of what happens between a woman and a man. We will speak of how they are made for each other, of how marvelously they fit together, as well as the pleasure that both should experience when that happens. And, of course, more importantly, we will speak also of how their physical intimacy is only an expression of something even more wonderful. It expresses a profound union of persons – of hearts and of spirits. And it is their bonding at this deep level that allows the couple to experience true ecstasy – a standing outside of oneself in intense awe and wonderment.

But there is also a second part to this story. And this has to do with FREEDOM. If there is really to be more than a mechanical movement of body parts, if there is indeed to be a true exchange of persons, then each partner must be capable of freely and wholeheartedly giving oneself to the other and receiving the other’s gift of self. And the final part of this story has to do with FRUIT. For when the conditions are right, this mutual exchange of persons results in new life. The love between the woman and the man quite literally takes on flesh. And when this happens, their lives are changed forever. And not just their lives, but also the whole world will never be the same again.

But this three-part story is, of course, only an ideal. It’s likely that the reality will often fall short. So many things can get in the way: busy schedules, a lack of communication, illness or fatigue (whether physical, mental or emotional)… But even so – even if we don’t often reach the ideal – the responsible parent will still want to let the child have the complete picture. Otherwise, how will the child know what to aim for? Especially in a world that often degrades sex from a profound expression of love into an oppressive instrument for making money and manipulating people, it’s so easy to settle for less. In such a world, it’s important not just that we tell the whole story but also that we ourselves remember and continue trying to reach for the ideal.

In similar fashion, the whole story is also what we are being invited to remember on this Bible Sunday. Like children needing to hear from their parents about what goes on between a woman and a man, we the daughters and sons of God need to hear about the proper relationship between the Word of God and the human heart. And as with the birds and the bees, it’s important that we hear the whole story. It’s important that we remember that today is more than just a day to buy and sell more bibles, or perhaps to flirt with the idea of signing up for a scripture class, as important as these activities are. Today, we are celebrating something much deeper. We live in a time where it is not uncommon for the Word of God either to be ignored or even, like sex, to be used as an instrument of manipulation and for making money. Especially in such a world, it’s crucial that we appreciate the whole story of what we are celebrating today. This story also has three parts corresponding to those in the story of sex.

Again, we begin with FIT. Notice what is said in today’s readings about the Word of God on the one hand, and the human heart on the other. The seed of God’s Word is designed to bring growth. Like the rain and the snow, the word that goes from God’s mouth does not return to God empty, without carrying out God’s will and succeeding in what it was sent to do. And it is for this same growth that the human heart hungers and thirsts. As Paul tells us in the second reading, together with the whole of creation, we groan inwardly. Like a married couple, our hearts and the Word of God are meant to fit together in a deeply satisfying way.

But in order for us to experience the marvelous beauty of this match, like a married couple, we too need to have the FREEDOM to give and to receive. Like the good soil that both willingly welcomes the seed, and selflessly nourishes it with the nutrients that the soil contains, we too need to learn to receive the gift of God’s Word and to give of ourselves – the resources of our time and energy – to allow that Word to take root and to grow in our hearts and in our lives. More than that, in addition to being good soil, we are also called to become zealous sowers of God’s Word, both through what we say, as well as in what we do.

And when we truly do this, the seed that is sown and cultivated in us will begin to bear FRUIT. Our lives will begin to change. Not only will we become more peaceful and just and loving, but we will also become agents of peace and justice and love in the world. In other words, God’s love will become visible in and through us. Jesus, the Word-Made-Flesh, will be born again among us.

But, as with the story of sex, this story of God’s Word also presents us with an ideal. And – let’s face it – this is an ideal that is not often reached. On how many Sundays, for example, do we experience a connection with God at Mass that comes even close to being ecstatic? On how many occasions do we find ourselves leaving this church feeling pregnant with the Word of God? How often do we exit this sacred space with our hearts on fire, bursting with enthusiasm to go forth and cultivate the seed that has been sown in us, and to share its fruit with a hungry and thirsty world? Sadly, is it not more often the case that some, if not many, of us find the Mass tolerable at best and, at worst, painfully boring? Isn’t this why so many of us try to minimize our time here by coming late and leaving early?

Of course, the obstacles to receiving God’s Word are many. It must be admitted that we priests, who preside and preach, can sometimes be more of a hindrance than a help. The music can also sometimes be a source of distraction instead of inspiration. In other words, the sowers of the seed may well contribute to the problem. And yet, even if this is so, we cannot escape the fact that the obstacles highlighted in our readings today have to do mainly with the soil: some seed fell on the edge of the path… others on patches of rock… others among thorns… Hearing these words, do we not find ourselves challenged to do more than just buy a new bible today? Are we not invited to reach for the ideal – to examine our own hearts to see the areas that may have become coarsened by the difficulties and distractions of daily living, and to get in touch again with our own deep hunger for the Word of God? At the very least, isn’t this, what we should be moved to do in this celebration?

Sisters and brothers, how are we being invited to become both good soil and generous sowers of the seed of God’s Word in the world today?