Fruit Of Faithfulness

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to examine our faithfulness and ponder the fruit that results from the seeds we plant in life.

Bread for Life

In the Reading from the Second Letter to the Corinthians, Paul exhorts them to be grounded in God’s own pattern of behavior.

* [9:8–10] The behavior to which he exhorts them is grounded in God’s own pattern of behavior. God is capable of overwhelming generosity, as scripture itself attests (2 Cor 9:9), so that they need not fear being short. He will provide in abundance, both supplying their natural needs and increasing their righteousness. Paul challenges them to godlike generosity and reminds them of the fundamental motive for encouragement: God himself cannot be outdone. (2 Corinthians, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 112 details the blessings received by those who remain close to God

* [Psalm 112] An acrostic poem detailing the blessings received by those who remain close to God by obedience to the commandments. Among their blessings are children (Ps 112:2), wealth that enables them to be magnanimous (Ps 112:3, 5, 9), and virtue by which they encourage others (Ps 112:4). The just person is an affront to the wicked, whose hopes remain unfulfilled (Ps 112:10). The logic resembles Ps 1; 111. (Psalms, PSALM 112 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of John proclaims The Coming of Jesus’ Hour.

* [12:24] This verse implies that through his death Jesus will be accessible to all. It remains just a grain of wheat: this saying is found in the synoptic triple and double traditions (Mk 8:35; Mt 16:25; Lk 9:24; Mt 10:39; Lk 17:33). John adds the phrases (Jn 12:25) in this world and for eternal life.

* [12:25] His life: the Greek word psychē refers to a person’s natural life. It does not mean “soul,” for Hebrew anthropology did not postulate body/soul dualism in the way that is familiar to us. (John, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB, n.d.)

Rev. Larry Gillick, SJ, reflects upon the phrase, “hate his life” or “Loves his life”, what can that mean! Try this on for further thoughtfulness and prayer.

Now imagine a person who loves his/her life so isolatedly that she/he holds the self apart from giving life, but only taking it in. This is not exactly “love”, but absorption. Yes, self-creation is not creation, but destruction. The seed has a built-in longing for its being more than a seed, but for fruit and life. The seed in one sense, “hates” itself for not being able to be fruitful merely by its “seedishness”. It needs the earth, the sun and the rains, quite dependent on that little seed.

We, as with the martyrs, have our interior battles between loving the self enough to hate radical self-preoccupation, self-establishness, and hiding. Like the seed, we love what God’s faithful love will bring to the lives of others by bringing life to, and so, through each of us. The great life to come is not a reward, but the final produce of a productive and creative life through our dying to our self-centered un-creational existence. Rather it will be a continuation of God’s creative love within, around and with us. God’s love, like the nourishing soil, sun and rains, serves us and so we serve God, in Christ, by serving God’s people. After all, serving others is a graceful way of loving the goodness of ourselves, good enough to live and give away. We cannot do it alone! (Gillick, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “The seed must die before being resurrected,” by Irenaeus, 135-202 A.D.

"A cutting from the vine planted in the ground bears fruit in its season, or a kernel of wheat falling into the earth and becoming decomposed rises and is multiplied by the Spirit of God, who contains all things. And then, through the wisdom of God, it serves for our use when, after receiving the Word of God, it becomes the Eucharist, which is the body and blood of Christ. In the same way our bodies, being nourished by it, and deposited in the earth and suffering decomposition there, shall rise at their appointed time. The Word of God grants them resurrection to the glory of God, even the Father who freely gives to this mortal immortality, and to this corruptible incorruption (1 Corinthians 15:53). This is so because the strength of God is made perfect in weakness (1 Corinthians 15:43; 2 Corinthians 13:4) in order that we may never become puffed up, as if we had life from ourselves, or become exalted against God with ungrateful minds."(excerpt from AGAINST HERESIES 5.2.3) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments in this letter to the Corinthians, Paul makes an appeal to help the poor in Palestine. The Gentiles will remember the poorer Palestinians than they in Greece and Turkey. God loves a cheerful giver who is generous without grudge or resentment. Some scholars have expressed that which is in excess is robbed from poor. The Gospel of John reminds us that the grain of wheat has to die. The Israelites had a ceremony for the death of the seed and our willingness to be generous. By generosity we are already living in eternal life. Friar Jude reminds us it is a measure of how caring and loving we are.

The Word Among Us Meditation on 2 Corinthians 9:6-10 comments that, like all martyrs, St. Lawrence received seeds of hope from the Lord, which grew into a harvest of heroism and a witness that has inspired millions.

Don’t think you have to keep scrounging in a dwindling interior silo. Instead, develop the habit of returning to your Creator. He takes joy in giving you all you need for a rich harvest of love and generosity.

“Father, give me all I need so that I am able to give to others!” (Meditation on 2 Corinthians 9:6-10, n.d.)

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, explores how Franciscan mysticism invites us to encounter divine presence in our concrete, specific lives. People all over the world are rejecting the ideological (top-down) form of religion—and they should, because this is not the path of Christ himself.

By taking the mystery of the Incarnation absolutely seriously and gradually extending it to its logical conclusions, the seeming limitations of space and time are once and for all overcome in Francis. The Christ Mystery refuses to be vague or abstract and is always concrete and specific. When we stay with these daily apparitions, we see that everything is a revelation of the divine—from rocks to rocket ships. There are henceforth no blind spots in the divine disclosure, in our own eyes, or in our rearview mirrors. The only hindrance to our seeing is our own lack of fascination, humility, curiosity, awe, and willingness to be allured forward.

Franciscan spirituality emphasizes a real equivalence and mutuality between the one who sees and what can be seen. There is a symbiosis between the mind and heart of the seer—and to what they will then pay attention. Francis had a unique ability to call others—animals, planets, and elements —“brother” and “sister” because he himself was a little brother. He granted other beings and things mutuality, subjectivity, “personhood,” and dignity because he first honored his own dignity as a son of God. The world was a transparent two-way mirror for him, which some of us would call a fully “sacramental” universe.” (Rohr, n.d.)

We implore the insight of the Spirit as we ponder the truth that full life requires a death to our focus on ourselves and our surrender to the Plan of God that we are seeds that will nurture our environment in our death to self.

References

Gillick, L. (n.d.). Daily Reflection August 10, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-august-10-2026 

John, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/12? 

Meditation on 2 Corinthians 9:6-10. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/08/10/1643161/ 

Psalms, PSALM 112 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/112?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). The Infinite in the Finite. Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-infinite-in-the-finite/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). If It Dies, It Bears Much Fruit. Daily Scripture Readings. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2026&date=aug10a 

2 Corinthians, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2corinthians/9?6 

Faith Endurance and Growth

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today recognize the need for endurance and recall of the events that brought us closer to God as we ponder the mystery of life and growth.

The mystery of growth

The reading from the Letter to the Hebrews exhorts us to endurance in Faith.

* [10:32] After you had been enlightened: “enlightenment” is an ancient metaphor for baptism (cf. Eph 5:14; Jn 9:11), but see Heb 6:4 and the note there.

* [10:37–38] In support of his argument, the author uses Hb 2:3–4 in a wording almost identical with the text of the Codex Alexandrinus of the Septuagint but with the first and second lines of Heb 10:4 inverted. He introduces it with a few words from Is 26:20: after just a brief moment. Note the Pauline usage of Hb 2:4 in Rom 1:17; Gal 3:11. (Hebrews, CHAPTER 10, n.d.)

Psalm 37 is an exhortation to Patience and Trust.

* [Psalm 37] The Psalm responds to the problem of evil, which the Old Testament often expresses as a question: why do the wicked prosper and the good suffer? The Psalm answers that the situation is only temporary. God will reverse things, rewarding the good and punishing the wicked here on earth. The perspective is concrete and earthbound: people’s very actions place them among the ranks of the good or wicked. Each group or “way” has its own inherent dynamism—eventual frustration for the wicked, eventual reward for the just. The Psalm is an acrostic, i.e., each section begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each section has its own imagery and logic. (Psalms, PSALM 37, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus shares the Parable of the Growing Seed and the Parable of the Mustard Seed as He explains the use of Parables.

 

[4:11–12] These verses are to be viewed against their background in Mk 3:6, 22 concerning the unbelief and opposition Jesus encountered in his ministry. It is against this background that the distinction in Jesus’ method becomes clear of presenting the kingdom to the disbelieving crowd in one manner and to the disciples in another. To the former it is presented in parables and the truth remains hidden; for the latter the parable is interpreted and the mystery is partially revealed because of their faith; see notes on Mt 13:11 and Mt 13:13.

* [4:13–20] See note on Mt 13:18–23.

* [4:26–29] Only Mark records the parable of the seed’s growth. Sower and harvester are the same. The emphasis is on the power of the seed to grow of itself without human intervention (Mk 4:27). Mysteriously it produces blade and ear and full grain (Mk 4:28). Thus the kingdom of God initiated by Jesus in proclaiming the word develops quietly yet powerfully until it is fully established by him at the final judgment (Mk 4:29); cf. Rev 14:15. (Mark, CHAPTER 4, n.d.)

Cindy Murphy McMahon comments that the dry little seed contains a life force, and so does the Kingdom.

The Kingdom of God starts small in our hearts. Just an idea, a glimmer, an inkling. A kind word or blessing from someone else. But if it is allowed to grow, if it is nurtured with faith, hope and love, just like the seed that receives the sunlight and water it needs, it will grow in us – and through us to others. (Murphy, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “God gave us what was most precious,” by Isaac of Nineveh (a Syrian monk, teacher, and bishop), 613-700 A.D.

"The sum of all is God, the Lord of all, who from love of his creatures has delivered his Son to death on the cross. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son for it. Not that he was unable to save us in another way, but in this way it was possible to show us his abundant love abundantly, namely, by bringing us near to him by the death of his Son. If he had anything more dear to him, he would have given it to us, in order that by it our race might be his. And out of his great love he did not even choose to urge our freedom by compulsion, though he was able to do so. But his aim was that we should come near to him by the love of our mind. And our Lord obeyed his Father out of love for us." (excerpt from ASCETICAL HOMILY 74.28) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Hebrews 10:32-39 comments that when we look back on our difficulties, we realize that they weren’t the end of our story. God used them to strengthen us and build our confidence. And he still does today. As we keep our eyes on all that God has brought us through already, we deepen our ability to endure. We grow in trusting that even now, God is faithful and will be with us. We come to understand that he will give us the stamina we need to do his will. And so we become like the Hebrews: “those who have faith and will possess life” (10:39).

One practical way you can remember God’s work in your life is by keeping a journal. Is there any better way to remember God’s goodness than by writing it down and revisiting it from time to time? As you do something as ordinary as recording and reviewing your experiences and lessons from the Lord, you might be surprised at how much this can fill you with confidence in him.

Remembering made the Hebrews bold and helped them persevere. And it can do the same for you.

“Jesus, thank you for being faithful to me in good times and bad. I trust you to deepen your life and strength in me.” (Meditation on Hebrews 10:32-39, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler notes that the author of Hebrews intersperses narrative and exhortation as he comments on the suffering of those who follow Christ. Two wisdom sayings in Mark underline the mystery of the spread of Love in the Kingdom of God. Friar Jude reminds us that forgiveness, smiling, prayer, or kindness are contagious contributors to spreading Love.

Brian McLaren comments that we understand Jesus more clearly when we consider him through the lineage of his Jewish faith and the Hebrew prophets. Amy-Jill Levine, a Jewish scholar of the New Testament, names ways Jesus’ life and actions echoed those of prophets familiar to her from her religious upbringing. In spite of many similarities between Jesus and the Jewish prophets, Levine stresses that the Gospel writers view Jesus as more than a prophet.

 

Jesus fusses at priests, just like Amos. Jesus tells parables, just like the prophet Nathan and a number of rabbis whose stories appear in postbiblical Jewish sources. Jesus heals and raises the dead; so too Elijah and Elisha. Jesus survives when children around him are slaughtered, just like Moses. I didn’t have to read Matthew 2–7 to know that the rescued baby would take a trip to Egypt, cross water in a life-changing experience, face temptation in the wilderness, ascend a mountain, and deliver comments on the Law—the pattern was already established in Shemot, the book of Exodus. [2]... 

Although Jesus himself may be perceived as heir to the legacy of Amos and Jeremiah, the Gospels present him as more than a prophet. He is, according to the Evangelists, the Son of God, who adds something new to the prophetic concern for justice. He goes well beyond the role of Isaiah and Micah, who seek what is called in Hebrew t’shuvah, return and repentance. Jesus of the Gospels seeks something new, specifically, following him. He is important not only because of what he says, but also because of who he is. [3] (McLaren, 2023)

We have access to the Holy Spirit to inform our life as we contemplate the teaching of Jesus in parable and action.

References

Hebrews, CHAPTER 10. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved January 27, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/hebrews/10?32 

Mark, CHAPTER 4. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved January 27, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/4?26 

McLaren, B. D. (2023, January 27). Jesus' Prophetic Lineage — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved January 27, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/jesus-prophetic-lineage-2023-01-27/ 

Meditation on Hebrews 10:32-39. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved January 27, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/01/27/595101/ 

Murphy, C. (n.d.). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved January 27, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/012723.html 

Psalms, PSALM 37. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved January 27, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/37?3 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). What the Kingdom of God Is Like. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved January 27, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=jan27 

Transformed Life

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to accept our path of transformation to a lifestyle in accord with the Divine Plan.

Plan for Life

The reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians describes the Resurrection Body.

* [15:35–49] Paul approaches the question of the nature of the risen body (what kind of body?) by means of two analogies: the seed (1 Cor 15:36–44) and the first man, Adam (1 Cor 15:45–49).

* [15:36–38] The analogy of the seed: there is a change of attributes from seed to plant; the old life-form must be lost for the new to emerge. By speaking about the seed as a body that dies and comes to life, Paul keeps the point of the analogy before the reader’s mind. (1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 15, n.d.)

Psalm 56 is a prayer to trust in God when under persecution.

* [Psalm 56] Beset physically (Ps 56:2–3) and psychologically (Ps 56:6–7), the psalmist maintains a firm confidence in God (Ps 56:5, 9–10). Nothing will prevent the psalmist from keeping the vow to give thanks for God’s gift of life (Ps 56:13). A refrain (Ps 56:5, 11–12) divides the Psalm in two equal parts. (Psalms, PSALM 56, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus teaches the Parable of the Sower, the Purpose of the Parables and explains the Parable of the Sower.

* [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. (Luke, CHAPTER 8, n.d.)

Eileen Burke-Sullivan comments that we can say – as theologians have- that all of the created order is kenotic or practices kenosis, a Greek word that means pouring itself out that others may have what they need.  The term is most often used to describe Jesus’ death on the cross, the full kenosis of human and divine life that nurtures all creation for all time. Kenosis is not something forced from us, but an act we undertake, generously, so that others may have the fullness of life.  Humans engage in genuine kenosis only out of love and freedom.  The rest of creation practices it because it is its nature which mirrors Divine existence. 

In the Gospel, Jesus warns that seed must die in a hospitable place – and we who are rational seeds, can look around us and realize what brings us to grace and what locks us in hatred and unfreedom.  For us the good soil is the locus for dying because the good soil will draw out our true life as the husk of ourselves dry up and return to nature.  The good soil is obviously the place of companionship with creation that mutually gives itself to others, it is the place away from weeds of various idolatries that choke and kill by refusing the truth of real life.  It is the place where we can thrive by giving away our gifts of self and have them received with welcome. 

Just as all “natural matter” helps make good ground, we must seek the truth of our human condition and dwell therein – not trying to be gods for ourselves.  Then we will discover the embodiment of beauty and glory that dwells within us. 

“I will walk in the presence of God, in the light of the living.” Ps 56. (Burke, n.d.)

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) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Corinthians 15:35-37, 42-49 comments that Christianity is more than a moral code followed by the hope of eternal rest for our disembodied souls. Jesus’ body, the same body that he had in his earthly life, is now at his Father’s side. And in Christ, our bodies too will be with him on the last day.

So join with God in taking the long view. Before creation, he had a plan for you that extends past your fleeting natural life. You were made to be with him, transformed in body and soul, forever.

Today, take some time to lift your mind above the hustle and bustle of daily life. Try to imagine what it will be like to be glorified in heaven, freed from weakness, fear, self-interest, decay, and even time and space. As you do, ask God to fill you with hope—a hope that will sustain you in this life and help you look forward eagerly to the next.

“Jesus, help me to live in hope of the glorious life that awaits me.” (Meditation on 1 Corinthians 15:35-37, 42-49, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the response of Paul to questions about the nature of the resurrected body. In the accounts of Jesus' resurrection, His body is sometimes not recognized. Friar Jude reminds us of the connection of the Parable of the Sower to the Great Commandment.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Spiritual teacher Cynthia Winton-Henry who finds dance a useful tool in making space for forgiveness and nonviolent conflict resolution.

Take a deep breath. Let it out with a sigh.

With one arm or your whole body, make a shape.

Breathe into the shape, becoming present to it.

Shifting from one shape or posture to another, it is important to indulge the stillness.

Incorporating music, dance with 80 percent stillness (or whatever is the best percentage for you right now). Your shapes can transition with quick energetic shifts or slow ones.

It is essential to breathe. Sometimes sighing or “toning” while moving keeps the breath alive and the quiet energy flowing.

Dancing with gestures and stillness, invite forgiveness for yourself or others. Lift those you cannot forgive to your higher power.

If you like, imagine creating ripples of peace out into the world. (Rohr, 2022)

We ask the Spirit to help us identify the life limiting practices that restrict our growth in the good soil.

References

Burke, E. (n.d.). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved September 17, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/091722.htm l

Luke, CHAPTER 8. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 17, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/8?4 

Meditation on 1 Corinthians 15:35-37, 42-49. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved September 17, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/09/17/490206/ 

1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 15. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 17, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/15?35 

Psalms, PSALM 56. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 17, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/56?10 

Rohr, R. (2022, September 17). Forgiveness: Weekly Summary — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 17, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/forgiveness-weekly-summary-2022-09-17/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 17, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=sep17