Noise Disturbance

A Reflection on the Gospel for July 12th, 2020:
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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MATTHEW
13:1-23

1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat there; and the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched; and since they had no root they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell upon thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear." 10 Then the disciples came and said to him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" 11 And he answered them, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to him who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says: `You shall indeed hear but never understand, and you shall indeed see but never perceive. 15 For this people's heart has grown dull, and their ears are heavy of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn for me to heal them.' 16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. 18 "Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 When any one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart; this is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."

Pause. Pray.

And then read more...

I don't know about you, but I really like noise. We live in a noisy, busy, chaotic, fast-paced, well-connected, information-overloaded world. The world we live in now is very different from the one we were in six short months ago. But it can still be incredibly noisy – even if that noise is quite different now. All that noise can definitely be distressing and exhausting. But, generally speaking, I like it. I like noise. I like learning new things. I like meeting new people. I like talking to people. I like hearing different perspectives. I like challenging and refining my own opinions. A lot of the good noise around us can come from incredibly wonderful and life-giving things, but noise can also be draining and distracting. And even good noise can go too far, drowning out the things in our lives that really matter.
 
All that noise can affect our ability to hear. Just because we have ears, it doesn’t mean that we are listening. And just because we are listening, it doesn’t mean that we are really hearing what someone else is saying. 
 
In this passage, Jesus challenges His followers to really consider if they are paying attention to what He is saying. Every day I think He invites us to ask ourselves the same question. Are we really listening to the Good News for all people that He was born to bring into the world? Do we hear His message of faith, hope, and love? Do we not only hear it, but do we speak it and reflect it in the way we live our lives too? Of course, the noise around us will pull us away. That’s natural. That’s life. But that doesn't mean all is lost.



I’m very grateful for the promise that His mercies are new every morning. And every day is a new invitation to hear and live His message of love for the world and for each one of us.
 
Praise God.
 
Thanks be to God.





Morgan M.

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