15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Isa 55:10-11
Rm 8:18-23
Mt 13:1-23
“For anyone who has will be given more…”
Matthew 13 vividly describes the enthusiasm of the crowd as they sought out Jesus. On that day, a large crowd gathered round him, so much so that he got into a boat. The whole crowd stood along the shore. Jesus spoke to them in parables saying, “Imagine a sower going out to sow…”. You and I know the rest of the story and its meaning.
At least the huge crowds then had enthusiasm!
For the Singapore Catholic church today, Cardinal Goh has lamented many times on its lukewarmness. His favourite refrain is that our churches are full on Sunday, yet the faith is weak. The majority does not have true faith. Hardly any Catholic evangelises to their friends (unlike our Protestant brethen). It is always the same people who help out, and most are retired! Everybody is busy and all of us are in ‘maintenance mode’.
Sadly, Cardinal Goh is correct. Jesus as the sower has done his part. His seeds have been sown in the world. His message is easily available and constant. We, the people, are the soil. The aim for us is to be the good soil to yield rich harvest. My own 30-year faith journey has given me the confidence to cultivate my rocky soil to one filled with thorns. Allow me to share my story.
When I was 26 years old, I met a wonderful Protestant lawyer. Within 6 months, we were planning marriage. Her Christian faith was fervent, and her bible knowledge excellent. The first time she attended Sunday mass with me at SFX, she was perturbed by the statue of our Lady. That night, our conversation confirmed that this would be an insurmountable issue. There and then, I had to decide — marry her and give up being a Catholic, or walk away. I wanted to marry her but I really could not give up Mother Mary. I have now been married for 29 years and my beautiful wife is not only Catholic, but strict, being a member of Opus Dei. Our Lady had kept me on the rocky Catholic path; it’s rocky because at that time, I knew very little about my faith.
When I was 45 years old, I joined an all ladies evangelical Christian healthy lunch group at my workplace. I was the stereotypical Catholic who knew nothing about the Bible and confirmed their belief that Catholics were the infidels of Christianity! Fortunately, I joined the IHM BAT 24-week Bible Adventure programme. The desire to prove my colleagues wrong made me the best student. After two months, I actually read through half the Old Testament with clarity. I still remember that day at lunch when, during a discussion of Exodus, I astounded the group by naming all 10 plagues in correct order and their significance. I even threw in the part of Joshua’s Altar and the Blessings and Curses on Mt Gerizim and Ebal. There and then, I had graduated to the soil with thorns. I knew the Bible, but the cares of this world still distracted me.
Brothers and sisters, today I am still the soil with thorns, but I am trying to be better….
(Today’s OXYGEN by Andrew Sia)
Prayer: Lord, help me to be the good soil.
Thanksgiving: Thank you Lord, for letting me be a Catholic and remaining so.
OXYGEN 
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