homily 15-A

15th Sunday- Year A 

Good morning every one.  

Once an old man sent a letter to his son who was in prison saying, "Son, when you were with me, you used to help me digging up the garden for me to grow tomatoes. Now I am old and I cannot do any digging and I miss you son. The very next day, he got an answer from his son saying, "Dad, please do not dig up the garden. That is where the bodies are buried". Love you son Vincent. The next morning at 4.00 o'clock Csis (Canadian intelligent agents) and police came and dug up the whole garden without finding any bodies. They then apologized to the old man and went away. The next day, the old man got another letter from his son saying, "Dad, now go on and plant tomatoes. That is the best I could do for you under the circumstances". 

About five years ago, when we got some strange weather, my TV stopped working because of not getting proper signal from the satellite dish. So I called bell and the man who talked to me said, "our signal is very strong and our sender is working well but your receiver has some problem. I could send someone by tomorrow and it will cost $150 for the visit". I said, "you are answering me from India and why don't you do something for your countryman. You know what he said, he said, "why don't you go out and remove whatever on the top of the receiver and tell me how it works". I removed the snow that was on the top of the receiver and everything worked well. The satellite position was good and the signal was good but the receiver wasn't good, so I had to fix the receiver.   

The sower is good and the seed is good and what if the soil is not good, then it will not produce as 30, 60 and hundred folds. We need good soil that can produce much fruits.  

Almighty God our Father, after creating everything out of nothing, at least took the soil or the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. He made him from the dust so that he could be good soil to receive the word of God. 

You are a good soil when you and spouse are for each other and keep the wedding vows saying "I will love and honor you all my life and especially in good times and bad and in sickness and health... and thus you raise children according to the commandments of God.  

Once a man said, "You know what I have seven children and they all practice their faith and I am so proud of them. I am extremely happy that they are well grounded morally. How did that become so possible while so many people are having tough time to talk to their children about God, faith and going to church? It's because he was very good in his prayer life. People often say, "My children do not go to church and all I can do is just pray for them". Prayer is not that easy. If we dedicate our lives in prayer whole heartedly everything will completely change". Instead we have to say, "My children are not going to church, I am going to learn how to pray". 

Yes, you are a good soil when you pray with all your heart, mind, body and soul. Thus you will produce as 30, 60 and hundred folds of happiness and joy.  

Once a woman who moved from Angola to the states went to church and in there, they were talking about how to bring more people to church by giving out flyers, bulletins and so on and then someone looked at her and said, "What do you do in Angola if you want to bring more people to church and she said, "we used to send two people to a village and they would live among them and by seeing them, many would convert and come to church". Only by practicing our faith, we can bring more people to church. 

You are a good soil when you are part of a faith family. There are people more and more getting isolated and are feeling alone. We cannot blame it on the societal structure or custom and culture any longer. If we want to be with a solid faith community, we are not only coming to church but also should join any faith groups and activities that fit for you. Even if you would like to start a faith based group, you should not hesitate and thus you will become a good soil producing 30, 60 and hundred folds of joy and happiness. 

You are a good soil when you have a spiritual passion. There are so many people coming and going in the world. They live and they die without any hope and we are so fortunate to have Christ with us. Christ is our sower and let Him sow the goods in the good soil of our hearts and thus let us produce fruits of compassion, love, kindness and forgiveness. 

Conclusion: The satellite position could be stronger and the signal could also be stronger but if the receiver is not positioned properly, then the TV will not work. Yes, the sower can be good and the seed can be good too but the soil is not good, nothing will be produced. So let us be good soil and produce fruits as 30, 60 and hundred folds. Amen.