Kung Ano ang Itinanim

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 

16 July 2017

First reading                                                                                                                Isaiah 55:10-11

Thus says the Lord: ‘As the rain and the snow come down from the heavens and do not return without watering the earth, making it yield and giving growth to provide seed for the sower and bread for the eating, so the word that goes from my mouth does not return to me empty, without carrying out my will and succeeding in what it was sent to do.’

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 64(65):10-14

Second reading                                                                                                     Romans 8:18-23

I think that what we suffer in this life can never be compared to the glory, as yet unrevealed, which is waiting for us. The whole creation is eagerly waiting for God to reveal his sons. It was not for any fault on the part of creation that it was made unable to attain its purpose, it was made so by God; but creation still retains the hope of being freed, like us, from its slavery to decadence, to enjoy the same freedom and glory as the children of God. From the beginning till now the entire creation, as we know, has been groaning in one great act of giving birth; and not only creation, but all of us who possess the first-fruits of the Spirit, we too groan inwardly as we wait for our bodies to be set free.

Gospel Acclamation Alleluia, alleluia! Speak, Lord, your servant is listening: you have the message of eternal life. Alleluia!

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Gospel	Matthew 13:1-23

Jesus left the house and sat by the lakeside, but such large crowds gathered round him that he got into a boat and sat there. The people all stood on the beach, and he told them many things in parables.

  He said, ‘Imagine a sower going out to sow. As he sowed, some seeds fell on the edge of the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Others fell on patches of rock where they found little soil and sprang up straight away, because there was no depth of earth; but as soon as the sun came up they were scorched and, not having any roots, they withered away. Others fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Others fell on rich soil and produced their crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Listen, anyone who has ears!’

  Then the disciples went up to him and asked, ‘Why do you talk to them in parables?’ ‘Because’ he replied, ‘the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven are revealed to you, but they are not revealed to them. For anyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. The reason I talk to them in parables is that they look without seeing and listen without hearing or understanding. So in their case this prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled:

You will listen and listen again, but not understand,

see and see again, but not perceive.

For the heart of this nation has grown coarse,

their ears are dull of hearing, and they have shut their eyes,

for fear they should see with their eyes,

hear with their ears,

understand with their heart,

and be converted

and be healed by me.

‘But happy are your eyes because they see, your ears because they hear! I tell you solemnly, many prophets and holy men longed to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard it.

  ‘You, therefore, are to hear the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom without understanding, the evil one comes and carries off what was sown in his heart: this is the man who received the seed on the edge of the path. The one who received it on patches of rock is the man who hears the word and welcomes it at once with joy. But he has no root in him, he does not last; let some trial come, or some persecution on account of the word, and he falls away at once. The one who received the seed in thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this world and the lure of riches choke the word and so he produces nothing. And the one who received the seed in rich soil is the man who hears the word and understands it; he is the one who yields a harvest and produces now a hundredfold, now sixty, now thirty.’

Reflection

by Nats Vibiesca

Gusto ko sanang magtanim ng mga gulay sa aming bakuran, pero wala naman kaming bakuran, o kahit man lang sana sa paso at baka makapagpatubo ako ng kalamansi, kamatis, sili at iba pa. Kaso’y wala akong magandang lupa na makuhaan, kadalasa’y puro sementado na ang lugar sa Maynila. Ang kumpare kong pari ay nagpapalaganap ng sistema ng Bokashi, ito ‘yung makakagawa ka ng organic na fertilizer mula sa mga mismis ng pinagkainan o pinagbalatan ng mga prutas at gulay sa kusina. Kaya nga lang ay walang lupa na makukuha at binibili na rin ang lupa na mapagtataniman. Ang saya sigurong maging magsasaka, naisip ko lang nang mabasa ang ebanghelyo.

Ang totoo’y paubos na ang mga magsasaka sa ating bayan. Bibihira na sa mga kabataan na mangangarap na maging magsasaka sa ngayon. Karamihan sa kanila, sa kagustuhan na rin ng mga magulang, ay nakatuon ang pangarap na makapangibang bansa balang araw upang doon makapaghanapbuhay at mabilis na umasenso. Ayaw nating maging magsasaka dahil ang konsepto natin dito ay salamin ng kahirapan. Kakaunti lamang ang may interes na magtanim kahit man lang sa kanilang bakuran o munting hardin. Paminsan-minsa’y nakikita natin ang mga adbokasiya sa pagtatanim ng puno para sa kalikasan, pero bihira nga lamang ito. Kaya nga halos wala na tayong danas sa tamang paraan ng pagtatanim, hindi natin nauunawaan ang halaga ng tamang panahon sa pagsisimula ng pagsasaka, at wala tayong alam kung papaano pumili ng magandang lupa para pagtaniman ng binhi. Ngunit ito’y karanasan para sa pangangailangan ng ating katawan. Ang kwento ni Jesus ay talinghaga ng paghahasik ng binhi para sa pangangailangan naman ng ating puso at kaluluwa. Sa simpleng salita, ang pagninilay ko sa ebanghelyo ukol sa mga metapora o simbolismo ng parabula ng paghahasik ng binhi ni Jesus ay nakatuon sa pag-big ng Diyos sa atin.

Kung si Jesus ang tagapaghasik ng binhi sa kwento, siguradong kabisado niya ang magandang lupa na kanyang pagtataniman, ito ang ating mga puso. Hindi ba’t malaking biyaya ang pag-ibig ni Jesus na itinanim sa ating mga puso? Walang duda na mamumunga rin ng pag-ibig ang binhing ito, pag-ibig na handang ipamahagi rin sa iba. Papaano? Kusang mamumulaklak tayo sa pamamagitan ng pagtulong sa ating kapwa na higit na nangangailangan. Ang halimuyak ng ating bulaklak at ang ganda nito ay magsisilbing lakas at sigla ng mga nawawalan ng pag-asa. At kalauna’y magiging bunga na nga ang bulaklak na ito upang mapagkuhaan ng mga binhi na muling isasaboy sa mabuting lupa, pero sa pagkakataong ito’y tayo naman ang magiging tagapagsaboy ng bagong binhi, at muling sisibol ang bagong pag-asa, kaya’t hindi natatapos ang pag-ibig ni Jesus.

Sa kabuuan, ang pag-ibig ng Diyos na ibinigay sa atin ay biyayang magpapakilos at magpapasigla sa kagustuhan nating makatulong sa ating kapwa. Maaaring nagsisimula ito sa sarili nating pamilya. Ang pagmamahal sa pamilya ay higit na nararamdaman kung naipapakita sa gawa. Kung labis ang pagpapakita ng pagmamahal sa pamilya’y tatawid naman ito sa ibang tao na nangangailangan din ng pagmamahal at kalinga na hindi lamang sa salita naririnig kundi makikita rin sa mga gawa.

Prayer

Panginoong Jesus, itulot Mong magbunga ang pagmamahal na itinanim Mo sa aming mga puso upang maibahagi namin ito sa mas nakararami. Amen.