The Happy Priest on Freedom and Our Response to God

The Word of God is the same for each person.  Each responds to the truth in different ways.  There are the generous souls who sit down to enjoy the entire banquet.  Then there are those who pick and choose what they are going to eat.  Amazingly, enough, there are others who though famished choose not to eat at all, or simply choose to eat garbage.

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX (Catholic Online) - Chapter thirteen of St. Mathew's Gospel is comprised of seven different parables.  For this reason this chapter is usually called the parable discourse.  Because the subject matter and themes are similar, the parables are called the kingdom parables.

Jesus' parables are very effective.  By drawing on the ordinary routines of daily life, he sheds light on the deepest supernatural mysteries. Thus by reflecting upon the parables we may get a  glimpse at the humanity of Jesus and his kindness toward those crowded about  him, eager to hear his message of truth.
 
Jesus taught the seven parables on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, sometimes called Lake Gennesaret or Lake Tiberius.  Visitors to this fertile plain west of the Sea of Galilee can appreciate Jesus' description of the sower in the parable (Matthew 13: 1-23).
 
In the Holy Land at the time of Jesus, the fields were laid out in long narrow strips.  The ground between the strips served as a footpath for those who crossed through the fields.  Over time these paths were beaten hard by the feet of countless villagers who passed through the fields to get to their destinations.  As the sower went about his task in the fields, the wind  carried the seed and some would fall on these hardened paths.
 
I have always been amazed at the different groups of people that attend church.  I am not judging anyone; I am just making an observation.
 
Some come only a few times each year.  The pews on Christmas, Ash Wednesday and Easter fill with many new faces.  Perhaps some of these people may return, but only for special occasions such as a wedding or a funeral.
 
There are those who attend Sunday Mass once a month.  For some reason they have other priorities that keep them from worshiping on the Lord's Day.
 
Most parishioners attend Mass every Sunday and never miss.  Then there are others who may be able to attend Mass every day and who for some reason choose not to do so.  More often than not they are present at daily Mass on First Fridays or during the season of Lent.
 
On any given weekend, the priest who celebrates a large number of Masses will notice a certain pattern. Generally, each Mass develops its own characteristics. Usually, the responses and the singing at the Sunday morning Masses will be more vibrant and lively, than those of the Saturday evening Mass which tend to be more subdued.
 
 Why is this phenomena true?
 
The answer may be found in the mystery of free will.  The Word of God is the same for each person.  Each responds to the truth in different ways.  There are the generous souls who sit down to enjoy the entire banquet.  Then there are those who pick and choose what they are going to eat.  Amazingly, enough, there are others who though famished choose not to eat at all, or simply choose to eat garbage.
 
 "A sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up" (Matthew 13: 4).  
 
There are those whose minds are shut.  The Word of God has no more chance of taking root than the seed that is sown on the hard path. Their pride erects barriers to the truth which makes them unteachable.  Deliberate blindness caused by immoral lifestyles and error destroys any hope of peace and joy.  Such attitudes endanger their eternal salvation.
 
"Some fell on rocky ground, where it has little soil.  It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots" (Matthew 13: 5-6).
    
Then there are the hearers who have minds like the rocky ground.  Some people begin well but do not have the will power to persevere.  Sloth and superficiality make them dance to the whim of every new Pied Piper.
 
"Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. (Matthew 13: 7).
 
Some hearers have so many worldly interests that the things of God get crowded out.  Visits from relatives or the prospect of a Sunday excursion allow them to excuse themselves from Sunday Mass. They may put off Confession for six months to a year. They relegate daily prayer to the last moment of the day. Thus the potential saint remains like one of Michelangelo's unfinished masterpieces.
 
"But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirty fold" (Matthew 13: 8).   

Finally, there are those who are like the good ground.  This is where we find the true disciples of Jesus.  Their minds are open and they have the willingness to listen.  Their humble and peaceful souls are always attentive to the Holy Spirit.  Their souls listen and understand. They accept the Word and put it into action.  Their lives are transformed; they have become new persons in Christ.  The real hearers are those who listen, understand and obey.

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Father James Farfaglia is the founding pastor of Saint Helena of the True Cross of Jesus Catholic Church and is currently the new pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church.  Both parishes are located in Corpus Christi, Texas.  Visit Father James on the web at http://www.fatherjames.org and purchase his new book Get Serious! A Survival Guide for Serious Catholics and his first book, Man to Man: A Real Priest Speaks to Real Men about Marriage, Sexuality and Family Life.  Father has a hard hitting blog called Illegitimi non carborundum.  You can contact Father James at fjficthus@gmail.com.  

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