Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Gospel: Matthew 13: 18-23

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Hear the parable of the sower.
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 sown on rocky ground
is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy.
But he has no root and lasts only for a time.
When some 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 bears no fruit.
But the seed sown on rich soil
is the one who hears the word and understands it,
who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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There are different ways of accepting the Word of God. The fruit it bears depends on a person’s heart.

In the Gospel today, the same Word is spoken to different listeners. Some receive it without understanding; the Evil One whispers lies in their heart, stealing what was sown.

Others receive the Word with joy, but their faith lacks any root. Once a trial comes their way, their faith is the first thing to go.

Others receive the Word, but prefer the things of this world to the things that are eternal.

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Finally, there are those whose hearts are like rich, fertile soil. They hear the Word and are permanently changed by it.

But consider the effort it takes to make soil fertile – and by extension, a human heart deeply open to the Word of God.

In order to make soil fertile, you must dig into it; break it; and repeatedly separate it. That period of chaos is what opens the ground, allowing it to receive seeds, and ultimately, to give life.

Any sturdy plant was once a tiny seed placed inside broken, fertile soil.

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What does this mean for us?

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Our hearts are most fertile after being broken. 

Think of any stressful, frustrating, or traumatic experience. In those moments, it feels like we’ve been tossed about – broken inside – much like rich, fertile soil.

They are blessed, Jesus says, the ones who turn to him in that hour. It’s then that the Word of God has the greatest chance to take deep root within us, to change us, and to bear good fruit.

As Saint Paul says, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

These gifts come from within; they’re the fruit of a broken heart receptive to the Word of God.

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“The seed sown on rich soil,” Jesus says, “is the one who hears and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”

May we turn to the Lord in our darkest hours, knowing that when we’re broken, the Word has the greatest potential to take root, transforming us for the better.

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Image credits: (1) Be Still… (2) Christ Fellowship (3) Facebook

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Gospel: Matthew 13: 10-17

The disciples approached Jesus and said,
“Why do you speak to the crowd in parables?”
He said to them in reply,
“Because knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven
has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.
To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich;
from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
This is why I speak to them in parables, because
they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.
Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:

You shall indeed hear but not understand,
you shall indeed look but never see.
Gross is the heart of this people,
they will hardly hear with their ears,
they have closed their eyes,
lest they see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts and be converted
and I heal them.

“But blessed are your eyes, because they see,
and your ears, because they hear.
Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people
longed to see what you see but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Pope Benedict once likened the Catholic Church to a large stained-glass window.

From the outside, stained-glass windows look dark, dusty, and gloomy. It is only when viewing them from within that they become radiant, often revealing a story from the bible or highlighting a mystery of our faith.

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Similarly, those who gaze upon the Catholic Church from the outside – either without faith or good will – may see an institution that’s backward; outdated; or gloomy. 

The Church’s teachings, like the divinity of Christ, his Promised Presence in the Eucharist, God as a Trinity, the grace of the Sacraments, or certain moral teachings may not make sense to those who long to say, “I did it my way.”

But if you enter into the Church with eyes of faith, then these mysteries are not only illuminating, they are also beautiful. 

Viewed with eyes of faith within the Church, Mass no longer resembles a group of people eating pieces of bread and drinking cups of wine; they are, in fact, receiving their Savior. 

Baptism is not another version of baby bath time; it’s the moment a child receives eternal life. Moral boundaries are not impositions on our freedom; rather, the path to freedom.

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As Jesus says in today’s Gospel, “Knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.”

This does not mean that we understand everything the Church teaches all at once; growth in understanding is a gradual process. But those who make an honest search for the Truth can find it.

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If each of the Church’s teachings were like a stained-glass window, then what are examples of ones I view from within? Conversely, are there any I still struggle to understand?

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May Christ bless our eyes, ears, minds, and hearts so that we may see and understand all he teaches through Mother Church. 

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Image credits: (1) Christianity.com (2) Strasbourg Cathedral, Wikimedia Commons (3) Our Lady of Strasbourg Cathedral

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Gospel: John 20: 1-2, 11-18

On the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don’t know where they put him.”

Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping.
And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb
and saw two angels in white sitting there,
one at the head and one at the feet
where the Body of Jesus had been.
And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
She said to them, “They have taken my Lord,
and I don’t know where they laid him.”
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there,
but did not know it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?
Whom are you looking for?”
She thought it was the gardener and said to him,
“Sir, if you carried him away,
tell me where you laid him,
and I will take him.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
She turned and said to him in Hebrew,
“Rabbouni,” which means Teacher.
Jesus said to her,
“Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.
But go to my brothers and tell them,
‘I am going to my Father and your Father,
to my God and your God.'”
Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples,
“I have seen the Lord,”
and then reported what he told her.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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I find it to be a fascinating truth that the two most important events in world history – the creation of the world in the Book of Genesis and the redemption of the world at Easter – both take place under the cover of darkness, with no eyewitness other than God himself.

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What we do have at Easter is the testimony of holy women, one being Mary Magdalene. 

She loves Jesus even after his death, which is why she travels through the murky fog of early morning to visit the cemetery where his body lay. 

As the sun begins breaking through, Jesus appears – not only to console her – but also to send her out on mission. “Do not be afraid,” he says. “Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

Just as some women have the unique honor of bearing life in their womb, so the Lord entrusts the life-giving truth of his resurrection to Mary Magdalene, who bears it joyfully, instructing the disciples to return to the place where it all began.

Galilee.

There Jesus would meet them, filling their hearts with Easter faith.

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There’s one minor detail tucked within Mary’s Easter message which I find deeply consoling. 

Mary assures the disciples that Jesus still refers to them as his “brothers.” In spite of their denial, their cowardice, their spiritual indifference, their blaming and cursing, they are still his “brothers,” indissoluble members of God’s family.

There was nothing they could do – nor is there anything we can do – to weaken God’s love for us.

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While the Lord was raised from dead under the cover of darkness as the world slept, may the message he first entrusted to Mary burn within our own hearts today, causing us to tell others, “Let nothing disturb you. Jesus is alive! Alleluia!” 

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Image credits: (1) The Autism and ADHD Diaries (2) Christ Appears to Mary Magdalene, Peter Paul Rubens (3) Christ is Risen from the Tomb, Bergognone