God’s grace abounds, beckoning us to be holy

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday, July 10, 2011
Fr. Joseph Eddy, O. de M.
Gospel: Matt. 13:1-23 Sowing on good soil.

Entire homily text: Summer is upon us. In fact, it has been upon us practically for several weeks. The calendar tells us that summer begins on June 21^st, but in American culture it begins on Memorial Day. Those first few days of summer are filled with excitement, especially for children. When I was a child, the first month and a half of summer was at the park, which was full of my classmates. But after the 4^th of July, things changed. Children were not around as much.

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For my family it was a constant battle for my mom to get us out of the house and away from the TV. Now, with video games it is even more of a temptation to stay in the house. Childhood obesity is on the rise, because children do not get enough exercise. They spend their free time sitting and playing video games all day. One parent I know tried to remedy this by getting a Wii for the family. Her hopes were that the children would play video games that involved more physical activity.  Unfortunately, the Wii sits in the corner, while the children prefer the traditional sedentary type of system.

This parent was really clever in her idea. It was a graced moment for the children. They do not want to be overweight. Childhood obesity leads to diabetes and so many future health problems. Yet, the children missed this chance to respond to an opportunity to have a healthier life. Sad, yet as adults we too often miss opportunities to improve the quality of our lives as well.

Sin of our first parents affected all creation

The second reading tells us that “creation is made subject to futility.” The sin of our first parents affected all of creation. Evil, suffering, natural disasters and all kinds of sins came forth from the choice of our first parents to not trust God. Adam and Eve distrusted God to provide for their every need. They “took” seeking to be like God, who is the generous giver of all things. Sin, or a lack of love, enters in and communion between man and God is broken. Also, communion is broken between persons and even between man and nature. The reason is that now man has a tendency to sin, or concupiscence. It is a tendency within all of us to distrust God and seek to do things our way.  Unfortunately, our way is often not the most loving way.

Thanks be to God that he has sent his Son into the world to free us from our sins. Jesus’ passion, death, and Resurrection has taken away our sins.  The restoration of creation has begun. However, we still have the tendency to sin, or concupiscence. As the scriptures say, “they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears…”  Often times, we do not do what is best for us. We are just like those children who would rather snack and play video games than be healthy. God gives us his grace like “rain” that comes down upon the earth. This grace is the very life of God and He gives it to us in our baptism. Actual grace is given to us each day to help us perform good acts like going to church. But, unfortunately we are unfaithful to so much grace that God gives us. It comes down like “seed” but never “bears fruit.”

Giving grace at every moment

Oh, that we could have back all the opportunities to respond to grace, we would be holy very quickly! Yet, we are stuck in the same patterns of sin, which hurt us and our families.  First, we need to be more attentive to God’s presence among us. We do not recognize that the Holy Spirit is with us because we are too attached to things and our lives are too noisy. God is all around us and is giving grace at every moment, but we don’t listen or can’t hear him. We, like our children, have so many gadgets and things to occupy our time and we have little time for silence. It takes real detachment to be faithful to God’s grace. We must step back from some of our gadgets and activities.

Listening is a habit that develops over time. It takes practice and discipline. We can start small by shutting off the cell phone on Sundays or taking 15 minutes on our ride to work to pray the rosary. It is not easy. We can expect that we will come against some opposition from within ourselves. But we must keep in mind that the benefits far outweigh the cost. The more we get in touch with the Holy Spirit, the more we will experience a peace that the world cannot give. We will recognize God walking with us on this pilgrimage. We are not alone. We are called to communion with the living God. This communion begins on earth and is fulfilled in heaven.

So, as difficult as it is for children to deny themselves the Xbox, it is just as difficult for adults to open themselves up to God’s presence. Our Father wants to give us the gifts of peace, joy, and true happiness. What do we have to be afraid of? Trust in his love. Be open to his grace which is all around us calling us to communion with the living God.