“Not Yet” – but “Already”

Scripture Reflection for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (July 10, 2011)

Scripture Readings:
Isaiah 55:10-11
Psalm 65
Romans 8:18-23
Matthew 13:1-23 or 13:1-9

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I think all of us in ministry have had this experience: We work really hard to come up with new programs and ideas; we work on the details; we invite people; we post it on Facebook; we spread the flyers… And two days before the event we have to cancel, because of low registration numbers. It can be really frustrating. And even when we look at the bigger picture of our Church, the negative news seem to prevail: Roughly one out of every ten people in America is a former Catholic, and ex-Catholics are almost as numerous as the America's second biggest religious group, Southern Baptists. (Time Magazine, 2008) According to a 2010 Pew Research Center survey of people 18 to 29, about 25 percent list their religion as “none.” Only 15 percent said living a “very religious life” is one of their most important goals. (The Catholic Review). All this can be very discouraging.

This Sunday’s Scripture readings present a strong contrast to this image of an increasingly deserted and barren Church. All three readings speak about abundant fruit. But if we take a closer look, we will realize where the fruit comes from. “Just as … the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, … so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; my word shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.” It is God’s word that brings fruit, like the water in the first reading and the seed on fertile ground in the Gospel story. The reason for our hope and for our faith lies solely in the power of God’s word. Our efforts may seem useless at times, but God’s word always brings fruit – sometimes in unforeseen ways. Paul in his letter to the Romans describes very beautifully the tension of the “already” and “not yet” we live in. We have received the gift of the Holy Spirit and are waiting for the redemption brought to us by Jesus. We are already experiencing the “firstfruits of the Spirit.” But in the meantime, humankind together with all creation is “groaning in labor pains.”

I think that many times we find ourselves in this tension between the “already” and “not yet.” And the temptation can be to focus exclusively on the “not yet.” It doesn’t happen only to us. The same thing happened to Jesus’ disciples. Most likely the original background of the Parable of the Sower was that some of Jesus’ disciples got frustrated about the fact that not everybody was following Jesus. In fact – compared to the entire people of Israel very few people followed Jesus; and some of them left because they didn’t agree with the radicalness of the message. The interpretation that was added later makes us focus more on the different reasons why people would not correspond to Jesus’ message of God’s forthcoming kingdom. But if we change this perspective, we realize that the real climax of the parable lies in the last sentences: “But some of the seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.” Commentators agree that this is an astonishing and unthinkable amount of fruit. The normal harvest in a good year might be sevenfold, never thirty, sixty, much less hundred! Jesus wants us to switch our focus from the “not yet” to the “already” and admire the life-bearing potential of the seed that is beyond imagination!

I think statistics are important and we shouldn’t ignore them. But we should also follow Jesus’ advice and not only look at declining numbers, but at the marvelous fruits that God’s word is producing even today. The Word of God is never proclaimed in vain. And as followers and witnesses of Jesus we should imitate that same generosity and sow the Good News wherever we can, without being concerned about the type of “soil” they fall onto.

As we gather for the Eucharist this Sunday, let us ask God for the grace to be “fruitful soil” and bring abundant fruit for the kingdom. Let us also pray for a generous and courageous heart that doesn’t worry about the future but abundantly pours out God’s love to others.

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