A sermon on Matthew 13:1-23

By Fr. Mike Paraniuk
St. Mary Catholic Church (Hillsboro,
St. Benignus Catholic Church (Greenfield),
Saint Mary Queen of Heaven Catholic Church (Peebles)
Holy Trinity Catholic Church (West Union)

Jesus uses the simple story of a sower to teach us about our behavior. Behavior is how we act toward others. How we behave is based on two things: thoughts and feelings. How you think influences how you feel which determines how you act. 

In the story of the sower the seeds are your thoughts, the soil is your feelings and the fruit is your actions. Jesus explains your good thoughts (seeds) may not become good deeds (fruits) because the soil (emotions) is bad. Jesus says this is what makes your soil bad – hardness of heart. Both the hardened soil of the path or the rocks would choke off like thorns any of your good thoughts bearing the fruit of love or compassion. Jesus quotes Isaiah 6:10 who wrote, "Harden is the hearts of these people. Plug their ears and shut their eyes. That way, they will not see with their eyes, nor hear with their ears, nor understand with their hearts and turn to me for healing.”

My heart becomes hardened any time I judge others or harbor prejudices. This produces a bad thought that I am better than them which makes me feel contempt and act unlovingly. I thank God that when I feel judgmental, He puts me in my place. I share with you a story where God gave me an immediate "attitude adjustment." 

When I eat at the Hillsboro Ponderosa, it angers me when someone reaches for a plate and then accidentally drops it on the floor. The loud sound of the plate hitting the hard floor startles me. I think to myself, "What a klutz." Then I judge that person as not very bright. Last week, I had lunch there. I reached for my plate at the buffet stand. Suddenly, three plates fell off the stand and hit the floor. Boom, Boom, Boom! Everyone was looking at me. Some laughed and others looked at me with an expression that screamed, "What a klutz!" I was mortified. I looked at my captive audience and said, "Be careful with these plates. They can jump right out of your hand." A few people chuckled and returned to their meal. 

I sat down at my table hoping to eat my meal in peace. That was not to be. God was not done with me yet. I put fried chicken on my plate which made my hands greasy. I reached for my glass of water. The glass jumped out of my hand like a cannon ball. Water spilled all over my table. The flying ice sounded like throwing dice at a Yahtzee game. For a second time, everyone turned to look at me. I said, "Watch out for the glasses. They're jumping too!" A man turned to me and said, "You're having a bad day for sure." I replied, "I think God is teaching me humility."

How many times have I judged others for doing the same thing I did myself? Jesus does not like hypocrites. Listen to what He said to the Pharisees. "You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.'" (Mt 15:7-8) St Paul said very clearly why we should not judge, "You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things." (Romans 2:1.)

A follower of Jesus must think and act like Jesus did. God says, "Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." (Romans 12:2.) What did Jesus think? Jesus thinks everyone is special to God. He feels love for all God's children. Jesus put His love into action by giving up His life for you. 

My Ponderosa story has a funny ending. During the meal, a violent rainstorm pummeled the restaurant. Lightening boomed loudly from the sky. The man turned to me again and said, "Don't feel too bad. Even God is dropping plates in Heaven." 

I replied, "With all this rain, He must have spilled his water, too."