Dear Parishioners of Saint Polycarp,
The Gospel message for this Fifteenth Sunday offers us Jesus’ teaching on the reception of the word of God, through a beautiful parable on mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven, which contains the image of the sower, the seed, and the various types of soil or ground in which the seeds are sowed or planted (Mt 13:1-23).
The Sower is God, who plants the seed which is the Word of God or Jesus Himself; and different soils which represent the various attitudes of how people accept the seed. The first sowing of the seed falls on the path, on which the birds eat it; the second falls rocky ground which has little soil. As a consequence, the seed cannot take root and is scorched by the sun. The third falls on rich ground which yields a fruitful harvest.
To make the message easier for us to understand, Jesus explains:
“The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it, and the evil one comes and steals away what was sown in his heart. The seed on the rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lastly only for a time. When tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away. The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bear no fruit. But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears and the word and understands it…” (Mt 13: 19-23).
Today, we can apply the message of this beautiful parable to our family, society, and even our parish of Saint Polycarp. God as the Sower who sows His love, who is His only Son Jesus, in us tirelessly. And Jesus who is God’s love for us is waiting for us to accept Him in our hearts, family, and society. The question for us to answer for ourselves is: Am I the path, the rocky soil, or the rich soil that yields fruitful harvests?
Throughout the years, God has sown many priests who are in persona Christi to the soil of Saint Polycarp parish. I pray that with the new parochial vicars, who are assigned to us by Bishop Vann, will be well received by all of us, who represent the various soils in the parish. I thank the Parish Pastoral Council—namely Pat and the English-speaking community; Celina and Nicolas and the Hispanic community; Calvin and the Vietnamese community; and the Youth Ministry—for organizing the welcoming reception for the newly ordained Father Francis Ang to our family last week. It was a delight to see you coming to and surrounding him after Mass. May you continue to yield abundant fruits to his preaching, pastoral ministry, and most important of all, his ministry of presence among us.
May God bless you all.
Fr. Viet Peter Ho
Pastor