Sunday A in the 15 t week. Mt 13,1-23

What experiences do we have with God’s word, the Holy Scriptures, and human words? Do you agree that our time is hungry for God’s word? What do the Holy Scriptures mean to me? Do I read it and follow it? Have you experienced that the human word attacks from all sides, that it pours down? An inappropriately and needlessly spoken word makes our heart restless for twenty-four hours. We know we are masters of our words, but we must also bear responsibility when we speak them. You need to learn the principles: Speak well of everyone! Talk about others as you would like others to talk about you. Don’t forget that good and bad words, when you say them, can have the same long-lasting response, but one causes joy, enriches, and the other destroys, hurts, and injures. Therefore, let our words be a light that enriches.

Jesus draws attention to the importance of the word of God and man with the parable of the sower, which ends with the lesson: “And whoever sowed on good ground, that is the one who hears the word and understands it, and it brings forth a harvest: one a hundredfold, another sixty fold, and another thirtyfold” (Mt 13:23).

At the beginning of the parable, the evangelist Matthew reminds us that Jesus taught everywhere and under all circumstances. It was also the case when he told the parable of the sower: “He got into the boat and sat down; and the whole crowd stood on the shore” (Mt 13:2). When Jesus spoke about the four types of the field into which the seed of the sower falls, he wants to prepare all the sowers of God’s word for their effort and also so that they do not become disheartened and influenced by failure in their work and diligence. The preacher of the gospel, the sower, must be a realist. Problems and difficulties must not be taken more seriously than necessary.
The soil and human hearts are different. He does not live in a false illusion but faithfully fulfills his duties. He feels the importance of the need for his involvement. One must not be discouraged by anything, not even failure. The announcer, that is, not only the priest preacher, but every believer and parent who announces the gospel to their children, brother to brother, that is, all of us who have received baptism, we are the sower, but we are also the seed. It is said about the martyrs that they were the seed for new disciples, believers, and witnesses of Christ. The prophet Isaiah already predicted about Christ’s followers: “My word that goes out of my mouth will not return empty, but it will do what I wished and accomplish what I sent it for” (Is 55,11).
The parable does not speak of those who have not heard God’s word, to whom God’s word has not been proclaimed, but of those who have heard and can take their stand on it. Matúš talks about four possibilities. The reactions of human hearts to God’s word are different. Jesus uses a familiar thing, the image of a field, along which paths lead, which is stony, on which bushes grow, but which is also fertile. Even if the sower strives to achieve a rich harvest, he cannot avoid the fact that the seeds will fall on different soils and hearts of people because each person is free. Reactions to grain are different. The square field does not mean a different state of the heart but a different attitude towards God’s word. How many times has God’s word been announced, and although they have heard it, their lives go on as if they did not hear it? They listen, and they don’t hear. “For whoever does not love the brother whom he sees cannot love God, whom he does not see” (1 John 4:20). Reactions after hearing God’s word speak volumes. Concrete deeds and behavior towards others are the measure of authentic listening.
It is not enough to accept God’s word with enthusiasm and joy. This would be the case for grain in rocky soil. That’s when everyday life, with its difficulties, destroys enthusiasm. Enthusiasm does not belong in the church. God’s word must be like a hammer that breaks a rock. “For the word of God is living, effective and sharper than any two-edged sword…” (Hebrews 4:12). Whoever is genuinely touched by God’s word will sober up from sin. Illusions will dissolve, especially those about oneself, one’s abilities, and holiness. God’s word makes one sober. Enthusiasm does not last. Why is a person immediately angry, upset…? Only with Christ can we resist the wind, storm, and frost of life.
Character traits, hereditary character traits, inclinations, and others are thorns that quickly grow and choke the word of God. How many times does such a person start the new year, Lent, after a good confession, after a pilgrimage or other celebration with the resolution to improve – and the result? The remark applies here that the more such a person moves away from the moment of resolution, the faster he moves away from God. Why? You have to do what a good gardener does. It will destroy the weeds. In the struggle for faith, with God’s help, a person first pulls out the weeds of character flaws and shortcomings, then lives God’s word so that hereditary burdens do not prevail during everyday life, but God’s word, which is to be strengthened.
Who does not desire a rich harvest? Who can enjoy it? “Blessed are those who hear God’s word and keep it” (Lk 11:28). In life, it is valid for them that to listen correctly means to listen “carefully” even during weekdays, and with God’s word, they are formed, and cooperate with the Holy Spirit.

The parable of the sower covers the whole breadth of life. It is and will always be timely and up-to-date. It touches us because we have accepted baptism, and thus also the obligation to proclaim the gospel, that is, to be a sower and to receive God’s word, that is, to be a grain, to be a role. And what is the purpose of our life? Or not bring a rich harvest? God wants to reward us. But?

When the Spanish conquered new territories, they committed many acts of violence. This also had terrible consequences. A Cuban was sentenced to death for being petty. The Catholic priest took pains to prepare him for eternal life. The convict asked him the last question: “Will Spaniards be in heaven?” When he received a positive answer from the priest, he refused to be baptized, saying: “If there are Spaniards in heaven who commit injustice, I don’t want to be in that heaven!” And today

? The “believers” declare that he confesses his dishonesty and everything is fine. What soil can we talk about here? The world needs those who are genuinely salt, light, and leaven.

A new priest came to the parish on the border. In front of the church, a man tells him: “Don’t think that you can easily attract someone to the church here. Many indeed went to church here. Especially when they suffered from poverty, injustice, and no money, now people have money, they can travel, and don’t need the church anymore.” And the man continued down the road to the pub. And the priest? He didn’t force anyone; he didn’t order anyone… Several years passed. Indeed, the church was rarely attended. But the situation slowly began to change. Those born earlier began to return first. Did they feel the proximity of eternity? Perhaps. But they saw the life of a priest. He preached but also lived God’s word. One parishioner even advised him to stop preaching because a scoundrel would remain a scoundrel. The priest believed in the power of God’s word. He used to say: “If a tree is to bear fruit, it needs years of care. To tame a wild beast, she needs a lot of love. And a person who has turned his back on God also needs someone to help him save his soul.”

Allegedly, some magazines turned to graphologists to say something about the people whose writing and handwriting they presented to them. They were not told to whom the scripture text belonged. They were St. František Salesky, Bishop of Geneva, and St. Katarína Sienská, Church teacher. The answer of the graphologists was: “The woman was sensual. She had the character traits of a street girl. The man had the nature of a troublemaker and a violent man. The magazine concluded this examination by stating: And the Church elevated such people to the altar, as saints.”

The result of the research of the graphologists can also be presented as follows: Look – they managed to become saints with such natures! And shouldn’t we prove it? St. says to Augustine at the beginning of his conversion: “If this one was able to do it, and if that one was able to do it, why couldn’t you, Augustine?” It is enough to realize what Jesus is telling us with the parable of the sower and to fill in the part where it is said: “And with whom was sown on good ground, that is he who hears the word and understands it, and it brings forth a harvest: one a hundredfold, another sixty fold, and another thirty fold” (Mt 13:23).

The proverb says: “Words move, examples attract.” St. Catherine and St. František are proof of that. God’s word does not lose its power, meaning, or necessity; it just needs to be accepted as Jesus wants us to. Yes, our human words are also necessary. It is time for us to ask for, acquire, and adopt the right relationship to God’s word and our honest and faithful relationship to the word of man.