This Sermon is prepared by
Rev.Fr.Peter Jayakanthan sss
Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament
Corpus Christi Catholic Church,
Houston, Texas, US
15th Sunday of Ordinary TimeHis Word is : Ever Alive & Active !Is 55:10-11; Rom 8:18-23; Mt13:1-23Dear Sisters, Brothers and Children, we gather once again on this Lord’s Day to renew our covenantal love with God and with one another. We are called to recognize the power of the word of God and to experience it personally in our life. Then, it will be part of our community gathering and living. We shall enter into today’s liturgy by opening our ears and thoughts attentively to the word of God. Janet sent a clip art pictures through text message to her elderly mother. Her mother did not respond, Janet was worried so sent another picture, again there was no reply from her mother, finally she decided to call, but her mother was silent, Janet asked Mom are you ok? Did you get my messages? Mother expressed her upset and anger saying, don’t send any pictures, I don’t want your picture messages, . I want your words, if you can’t express in words, don’t send anything. Nothing can express oneself except words. No communication is better than uttering words. We say we are in the world of images and short cuts. So, our communication is fancy and creative with clipart pictures and symbols but it does not communicate anything real. We wait eagerly for the day when our new born babies will utter a first letter and first word, because it is a true and real expression. Long silence widens the gap in relationship. Do we make time to listen and embrace the speech and word of God in our daily life? Or do we say like the People of Israel that God stopped communicating and God is silent? God constantly expressed in words and spoke through leaders, kings, prophets and Judges. He proved that His love is unconditional, His covenant is eternal and He thoughtfully accompanied them. Today’s first reading expresses words of consolation. Isaiah expresses to his exiled companion in Babylon in the year 6 B.C, it was just before their return to Judea. They believed that God became silent and speechless during their exile; they concluded the forgotten God is no more, His promise is broken half way and their release from exile will not make any difference. In these situations, to the break their unbelief, Isaiah communicated God’s word. . God’ word is full of life, it will fulfill the task and it will remain always powerful because the voice or word of God is His presence. He asks them, to return to their free homeland, return to their own territory, return to the Lord of Yahweh, return to His covenant and return to their faith. He compares God’s word to rain and snow, to show that as it gives life to the land and the seed to sprout, the word of God is full of life and it will fulfill its purpose. . No one can stop or hinder the fulfilling of the act of God’s word. Seed offers fertility, word of God provides spiritual fertility. In the gospel, Matthew is offering the experience of disciples to the Judean Christian community as they faced opposition by fellow Jews and Roman. . No one can stop the power of the word of God is the message of Matthew to the growing Christian community. Disciples were totally in confusion because Jesus was facing threat and opposition from Scribes, Pharisees and Priests. Jesus was stopped from preaching and teaching in synagogue. But, Jesus was preaching on hillside, at seashore and in streets. It upset and discouraged the disciples as they thought that Jesus’ words and preaching power was stopped and was put an end. In such situation focusing on the natural working situation in Palestine, Jesus compares His word and teaching to the seed, irrespective of whether the land has life, it is up to those who receive the seed of the word, or not. But. the power of the seed cannot be diminished, limited or stopped. Word of God cannot be stopped by any force of evil and enmity because it is ever powerful. Matthew affirms the power of God’s word to the unsteady Christians showing the examples of disciples. Seed comes from the Greek word sperma, which is new life, power and strong. Hebrew scripture clearly reveals that God communicated words in three ways, through prophecy, through law and through creative utterance. The following creative utterance of the Lord affirms that word of God is full of power and life which cannot be stopped by any force in fulfilling its act. . Word of God: Jer 20:9 “it becomes like fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones; I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it”. Is 40:8 “it stands for ever”; Is 49:2 “ it is a Sharp sword”; Heb 4:12 “it is two edged sword” Jer 23:29 “it is fire and hammer”; Ps 119:105 “it is lamp for my feet, light for my path”. There is a common opinion that Catholics don’t give importance to word of God. It is totally wrong. The Church Fathers emphasized the power of the word of God in their writings and teachings. Synagogues had only a place to proclaim the word of God, since early Christian community we follow by. gathering around altar of the word and altar of bread. We are called to recognize and adore the presence of the Lord in word of God and the Body of Christ according to Vat II ‘Dei verbum” 11 & 103. In 1964 the Romanian government released religious and political prisoners. One of them, Richard Wurmbrand, had spent nearly three of his fourteen years in prison in solitary confinement. In his book entitled In God’s Underground (pages 106-107) Wurmbrand describes how one day a new prisoner named Avram arrived in the prison. The upper part of his body was in a plaster cast. When the guards left him he drew out a small tattered book from behind the plaster cast. None of the other prisoners had seen a book for years. They asked him what the book was. It was the Gospel of John. Wurmbrand wrote that he took the book in his hand and no life-saving drug could have been more precious to him. From that day the tattered little book went from hand to hand, many learned it by heart and each day they would discuss it among themselves. The powerful and lively word stimulated their life and created hope in them. How often do we sit with word of God personally, as a family and in a community? Which passage, word or character continues to inspire and motivate me? How do I communicate to others with words or with only pictures and symbols? God continues to scatter His seed and is ever alive and active word; it is we who need to recognize and explore personally – Amen. 
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