The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today exhort us to commit to the ancient covenant of Love of God as our source of full life.
Commitment and Life
The reading from the First Letter to Timothy consists of exhortations to Timothy including ‘keep the commandment without spot or blame’.
* [6:11–16] Timothy’s position demands total dedication to God and faultless witness to Christ (1 Tm 6:11–14) operating from an awareness, through faith, of the coming revelation in Jesus of the invisible God (1 Tm 6:15–16).1
Psalm 100 declares that all lands are summoned to praise God.
* [Psalm 100] A hymn inviting the people to enter the Temple courts with thank offerings for the God who created them.2
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus teaches the Parable of the Sower and He describes the purpose of the Parables.
* [8:4–21] The focus in this section is on how one should hear the word of God and act on it. It includes the parable of the sower and its explanation (Lk 8:4–15), a collection of sayings on how one should act on the word that is heard (Lk 8:16–18), and the identification of the mother and brothers of Jesus as the ones who hear the word and act on it (Lk 8:19–21). See also notes on Mt 13:1–53 and Mk 4:1–34. * [8:4–8] See note on Mt 13:3–8. * [8:11–15] On the interpretation of the parable of the sower, see note on Mt 13:18–23.3
Mary Lee Brock comments that Kevin O’Brien, S.J., in The Ignatian Adventure, describes Ignatian indifference not as an unfeeling lack of concern but rather holding all of God’s gifts reverently, gratefully but also lightly. Fr. O’Brien reminds us to embrace God’s gifts or let them go, all depending on how they help us fulfill our vocations.
Despite the turbulent times in which we live, I have recently been experiencing a profound sense of Ignatian indifference. Although people sometimes confuse indifference with complacency, indifference is not a passive abdication. I am guided to be attentive to God and indifferent to created things… Today I pray for a generous and good heart. I pray to be aware of the temptations of life such as social media, 24 hour news cycle, fearful gossiping that do not allow the word of God to take root. I continue to pray for the grace of indifference when worries about friends and family and community abound and pull me away from God.4
Don Schwager quotes “The Devil snatches good seed off the path,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).
"The seed is the Word of God. Those on the way are they who have heard. Afterwards, the devil comes and takes away the Word from their heart, that they may not believe and be saved. We see in a moment that the hardness of the ground causes the seed on the pathways to be snatched away. A pathway always is hard and untilled, because it is exposed to every one's feet. It does not admit any seed into it, but it lies rather upon the surface, ready for any birds that will to snatch it away. All whose minds are hard and unyielding, and so to speak, pressed together, do not receive the divine seed. The divine and sacred admonition does not find an entrance into them. They do not accept the words that would produce in them the fear of God and by means of which they could bring forth as fruits the glories of virtue. They have made themselves a beaten and trampled pathway for unclean demons, yes, for Satan himself, such as never can bear holy fruit. Let those who are awake, whose heart is sterile and unfruitful, open your mind, receive the sacred seed, be like productive and well-tilled soil, bring forth to God the fruits that will raise you to an incorruptible life."(excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 41)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 8:4-15 comments that perseverance is key to every aspect of our spiritual journey. We need to persevere as we battle temptation and the lies of the devil. We have to persevere to fight the distractions that take our focus off of God and place it onto lesser things that don’t satisfy us. And most important, we need to persevere in prayer.
It’s not always easy to stay faithful to daily prayer. So often, life gets in the way. If you’re struggling in this area, ask God to help you. He can point out times in your busy day when you might be able to get away for some precious time with him, even if for only a few minutes. Perhaps you could ask a friend to intercede for you. Just keep trying, and know that over time, your daily “appointment” with God can become the most treasured part of your day—one you won’t ever want to miss! “Jesus, help me persevere in prayer so that I can bear fruit for you.”6
Friar Jude Winkler notes that the author of the Letter to Timothy calls for faithfulness until the coming of Christ. The Parable of the Sower is a restatement of the Great Commandment of Israel to Love God with our whole heart, mind, and strength. Friar Jude reminds us that the presentation in the parables makes clear our choice to embrace life with Christ or not.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that St. Catherine of Siena purportedly said, “It’s heaven all the way to heaven,” and he has come to believe that “it’s hell all the way to hell” if we choose to make it so. If we can’t experience God and love and happiness and everything that matters today, in whatever moment we find ourselves in, we probably won’t experience it tomorrow either. It isn’t a matter of being “saved,” although that can be an ecstatic experience that gets us started. Rather, it’s a matter of getting in touch with the grace-filled reality that is always available to us. Fr Richard appreciates how Carlton Pearson puts it.
Getting born again is something we need to do daily as we discover more of our own souls with each new life encounter. For the true Christian, evangelizing should begin with oneself, being born again with each new day, conveying the message of hope, and re-creating this world as a place of love, compassion, preservation of beauty, respect for nature, and peace—peace and love above all else. [1]7
The Great Commandment of Israel underlines the primacy of Love as the basis for the fruit of full life on our journey.
References
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