Christ the Firstfruits of the Spirit Has Sawn His Word on Us to Grow, and Now We Have Been Sent on Mission to Saw the Word in the World Groaning for New Birth - 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, A

The Liturgical Color for Ordinary Time is green.  It suggests that Ordinary Time is for us to grow in faith through the Word and the Eucharist at Mass. There is a very important motif of growth in the Scriptures for the 15^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A.

During the post-Paschaltide Ordinary Time, we read and listen to the Word of God in order to remain as good disciples, which literally means “learners” (μαθήτριες /mathítries),  as we have been sent on our apostolic mission since Pentecost.  And, the Word (Λόγος/Logos) has been sent to us, as incarnated in the human flesh of Jesus, through Mary, the Immaculate Conception, the Virgin, by the power of the Holy Spirit, as the greatest gift from the Father in heaven. This Logos incarnate is also God Himself. Therefore, God has sent His self-gift to us, and this greatest gift is found in the Word, as we read and listen.

Do we really read and listen to the Word, who is God Himself (John 1:1)? It means, do we really listen to  Christ, who is Logos incarnate in the human flesh of Jesus, full of grace, as the Father’s only begotten Son (John 1:14)?

In the Gospel Reading (Matthew 13:1-23), which is Jesus’ Parable of the Sower (cf. Mark 4:1-20//Luke 8:4-15), Jesus implicates that he wants us to really read and listen to the Word and take it to our heart so that we can grow in faith and wisdom as it grows from within us, as we receive it as good soil receives a seed. And those who understand the parables of Jesus are the ones who receive the Word in their hearts to grow as good soil receives a seed. Jesus speaks in parables so that only those who can understand and appreciate find the meaning of the Word out of his mouth and let it grow. He knows that those who cannot understand his parables are like rocky surface and thorn, upon which seeds are wasted. Just as the Father keeps His wisdom hidden from those who are arrogant and self-righteous but reveals only to those who are humble enough to seek to be yoked with His only begotten Son (Matthew 11:25-30, Gospel reading for the 14^th Sunday, A).  Both the Father and the Son understand that neither the Wisdom of God nor the Word of God shall be wasted.  Therefore, the Wisdom and the Word are not to be like pearls cast to swine – not revealed and given to those whose eyes are blind and ears are deaf to what God offers and send.

By the Word, dabar (דָבָר), which comes out of the mouth of God in his mighty breath , ruah (רוּחַ)(Psalm 33:6) has Created the universe, through and for His Son, Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:16), who is the image of the invisible God and the firstborn of all creations (Colossians 1:15). And he is the Word incarnate (John 1:14) and the Wisdom (Proverbs 8:22-31), preexisting the Creation. In the fullness of time, the Father decided to send him as the greatest gift to us through Mary’s womb, by the power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18; Luke 1:35) – making the Word, as well as the Wisdom, visible and tangible, to us.

During the Advent Season, we prepared ourselves to receive him on Christmas, and throughout Christmastide, we rejoice over receiving this greatest gift from the Father, while reflecting on how he grew from the infant placed on the manger to be a young man on mission upon his Baptism. Then, until Ash Wednesday to begin Lenten Season, we briefly reflected on his teachings and actions during his early mission during the pre-Lenten Ordinary Time.

Throughout Lenten Season into Paschal Triduum, we focused on how our sins brought him to death, and reflected on him as the Passover Sacrifice Lamb of God to take away sins of the world so that we may be saved. Then, throughout Paschaltide, we made more intense Christological reflections not only to better understand his salvific Gospel teaching but also to prepare ourselves for Pentecost to be sent out on mission.

As we go on our respective mission, we serve Christ as sower of his Word, reflecting his commissioning words in Matthew 28:20; Mark 16:15; Luke 14:23. But, for us to be qualified to be bearers and sowers of the Word in the world, first and foremost, we must have received the Word and let it grow in us, while the Father has revealed His Wisdom, as we are yoked with Christ, united with him (Matthew 11:25-30 cf. John 14:20) by Christ’s Ascension.  If not, we would need to start over at least from Ash Wednesday.

As the First Reading (Isaiah 55:10-11) reflects, what God has sent, including His dabar (Word) is not be put in vain and wasted in the world and among us. Karl Rahner considers that it is God’s “self-communication”, when He sends grace (gift) to us, including the Word, the Word incarnate, Christ the Son, in the human flesh of Jesus, Parakletos (1 John 2:1) ,and the Holy Spirit, another Parakletos (John 14:16, 26). We must receive not passively and let it be wasted but rather actively so that it grows into “constructed grace” through us and our works on our mission.

As reflected in the Second Reading (Romans 8:13-23), we have been sent on mission into the world, which has been groaning in labor pain for something new to be born. And, we are sent as agent of this new birth that the world has been suffering for.  It is, indeed, the establishing the Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven, growing out of the seeds of the Word that we sow on behalf of God. For this, we may suffer. But, our suffering on this mission is nothing, knowing that we do now have the firstfruits of the Spirit (the Holy Spirit), Christ, who was raised by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11). So, we, too, groan with hope for the redemption of our bodies, meaning that our bodied may be the second fruits from the dead (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:20-58).

Reflections:

Do we desire to give a new birth to the word from a seed of the Word of God that we receive, willing to suffer for its labor pain?

Are we like the good fertile soil where seeds grow and yield abundant harvest in terms of receiving the gift of the Word, whether incarnated or not, through us, being fruitful in our mission work to sow the Word?

Do we recognize how the world we serve with the seeds of the Word has been groaning to bring new birth, which grows out of this seed we saw, the Word that we have received from God through Christ?

Are we willing to suffer for this mission, knowing that we are to be the second fruits of the Spirit, the second fruits from the death, having the firstfruits of the Spirit, the firstborn of the dead, in us?