This requires a lot of context.I’m going to try to give it briefly.Start with the Italian city of Nola, a city that goes back to
(328 BC) before the Romans conquered the Italian peninsula.It’s a city in the Campagna region of Italy,
the region from which I’m from.Nola
today I think would be considered a suburb of Naples.
Fast forward to 410 AD, where the town of Nola selected a
priest by the name of Paulinus
to be their bishop.Paulinus died in 431
AD.Somewhere in between these years the
Goths, a Barbarian tribe, invaded the Italian peninsula.Men were taken as hostage and slaves.Legend has it that a particular widow had her
only son taken, and Bishop Paulinus offered himself as an exchange for that
widow’s son.It was accepted and for a
number of years Paulinus was a slave working farms.The legend has transformed the barbarian
Goths into the “Turks,” probably during the Middle Ages when the Turks raided
the Italian coast.
As a slave Paulinus performed miracles for his masters, and
the legend has it the Sultan took notice.He asked about Paulinus’s background and learned he was a man of
stature.He offered Paulinus his
freedom, and Paulinus got the release of all the captured men of Nola.When he sailed back to Nola, the populace
greeted him with swarms of lilies.Lilies are called giglio in Italian, and so the Feast of the
Giglio was started.
At some point the Feast of the Giglio incorporated a carrying
a structure that symbolized the Giglio.I don’t know the process in which this structure grew to be massive, but
that is what happened.It developed into
a tradition.Immigrants from Nola
brought this tradition to the United States, and specifically to a region in
Brooklyn, New York called Williamsburg.The feast in Williamsburg has been going on
since 1903!
One last thing to understand.The feast day for St. Paulinus is June 22nd.The feast day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is
July 16th.Because feast
celebrations run a couple of weeks long, the two feasts were merged.The “Dancing of the Giglio” is performed as
part of the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, and the devotions that come out of
this feast have a Carmelite association.
Now this video is going to give you what the feast, the
Italian-American tradition, and the Dancing of the Giglio entails.
So here are some raw facts of the Giglio tower.It’s seventy feet high—that’s six or seven
stories.It weighs eight thousand pounds!It takes 122 men to lift it, traverse it, and
dance it.
The pastor at our parish on Staten Island, Fr. Eugene of St.
Rita Catholic Church, grew up in Williamsburg, and many times has referenced it
in his homilies, especially in our celebrations of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.It never dawned on me the full extent of this
tradition.This mid-July, he arranged
for a bus to take a number of us interested to the feast.We went for the vigil of Our Lady of Mt.
Carmel, the evening of July 15th.I believe this was the first night of the celebration.
First a few pictures.Here is the Giglio before its initial coming out and dance.You can see it is taller than the apartment
buildings on the street.
Every year there are new decorations and holy images to the
Giglio.Here is some detail to this year’s
construction.
Here is the initial coming out.Enjoy the music!It’s a mix of
Italian and American.
Now over the course of the evening, they would slowly take
the Giglio up the street in manageable spurts—remember the 122 lifters
underneath are each carrying anywhere from 65 to 100 lbs—past Our Lady of Mt.
Carmel Church, up another street, and then return for the night.Here is another clip.
You can hear the captain calling out commands in his Neapolitan
dialect.
Here is a picture of the lifters trying to get into
position.
And here is a clip of the lifters and a “dance” from their
point of view.
Finally inside the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church.
A statue of St. Paulinus.
And on the side of the church, OLMC shrine.
Now you know how Italians get into their feasts.Plus I didn’t even mention the food.The zeppole were great!
St. Paulinus, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, pray for us.
This is the third post of
a series of posts on J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.This series focuses on the first volume
of the trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring.
The next morning the
hobbits awoke to find the elves gone, but they had left some of their delicious
bread.From the elves’ warning the night
before, Frodo wanted to leave for Bucklebury immediately and insisted that the
other hobbits let him go alone.The
other hobbits refused leaving him and reaffirmed their commitment to their
journey.Frodo then insisted that they
take a shortcut through the forest rather than travel by the road.As they started off, they heard a distant
shrieking cry which made they move on.
Once they came to the end
of the forest they were forced to turn southward and they came upon a section
of land that was “well-ordered.”They
recognized it as the land of Farmer Maggot, a farmer who many years before had
terrified Frodo with his dogs when Frodo was a lad.Frodo then had been caught stealing some of
Maggot’s wild mushrooms, and Frodo had never forgotten.As they approached the house, they were
confronted by Maggot and his three dogs.After recognizing Pippin and then the others, Maggot invited them in for
supper with his wife.After supper and
reminiscing discussion, Maggot with his sons decided to drive them in his wagon
the five miles to the ferry.At the
ferry they met Merry who has been waiting for them.Maggot had left them a surprise of mushrooms.
Chapter 5: A Conspiracy
Unmasked
Merry led the others to a
flat-bed ferry boat which he had moored at a bank, and climbing on board with
the ponies they pushed off.During the
slow float across the river, Frodo felt his life transformed.When they got to the other side, Sam and
Frodo looked back across the river and could see a dark figure that had been
following them.
It was still some
distance to go from the Brandywine River to Frodo’s house at Crickhollow, but
that dark figure on the other side without a boat would have to spend a day to
get to a crossing bridge and another day to get down,The hobbits felt safe enough to spend one night
at Frodo’s house before moving on.Once
they got to the house, where the fifth hobbit, Fatty Bolger, was waiting, Frodo
felt it was just like home since the other hobbits had moved his old furniture
in.Each hobbit took a bath, singing and
splashing each other, and they had a late supper.Again Frodo wanted to leave the other hobbits
behind because the quest was going to be too dangerous, but to his surprise the
other hobbits revealed that they knew about the ring and the quest all along
and insisted on going.So they ate,
drank, and sang a song of fellowship.They decided in the morning to be off and not go by the road but through
the Old Forest.Fatty would not be
going.
Chapter 6: The Old Forest
The hobbits got up very
early in the morning and headed out.Fatty Bolger was happy he would be staying behind.
It was difficult making
it through the forest, and it seemed that the surroundings were forcing them in
directions they did not want to go.At
one point they realized the trees were shifting to guide them in a particular
direction.At another point the trees
allowed them to pass into an opening in the forest, and the hobbits rushed
through it.Merry recognized the valley
as leading to the Withywindle River, and they realized they were headed in the
wrong direction.So they veered
northward, into a dense wood again.
It was hot and they were
tired.They had been traveling a
fortnight by now, and suddenly as they reached a bank of a stream drowsiness
came upon them.Frodo felt this was an
unnatural drowsiness and wanted to move on.But they laid down, Merry and Pippin down against a huge willow
tree.Sam got up to look for the ponies
when he heard a plash.Frodo was in the
water, and when he got out said the tree had pushed him in.When they looked for the others, Merry and
Pippin were trapped inside the crevice of the big willow tree. The tree had swallowed them up.They didn’t have an axe, so they decided to
try to burn the tree.
Suddenly they heard a
strange singing and a man came upon them singing a nonsensical song.It was Tom Bombadil, and when Frodo and Sam
told him about Merry and Pippin, he yelled at Old Man Willow to let them
out.He broke a branch off the willow
and started hitting the tree.Tom
started singing inside the crack and lo and behold the willow tree let Merry
and Pippin out.Tom invited the four
house to his house for supper, and they accepted.Tom moved too fast for the hobbits to follow
but they followed his voice which continued to sing his nonsensical song.
###
Michelle Comment:
Tom Bombadil is almost like an angel, appearing
suddenly when needed, and advising the hobbits 🙂
Ellie Comment:
What I noticed in these chapters was the emphasis on
companionship and fellowship, which I think is very important not only in
Catholicism but in Christianity in general. Frodo could have left alone, but
his friends were there to support him and I think Tolkien wanted to show how
important companions are for an individual.
I've also always thought of Tom Bombadil as Tolkien
personified in his own book and looking at chapter 6 as well as future
chapters, I think Tom Bombadil might be Tolkien, the 'subcreator' who knows a
whole lot about what's going on but also he seems like some sort of God-figure,
if I can call it that... but that's for future discussions. I think Tom
Bombadil is a really fun character but one who has a lot of wisdom to share,
somebody who doesn't judge and takes in these stray hobbits
My Reply to Ellie:
Yes, I think you're absolutely right. I planned to
elaborate on that in the coming days. But you almost took the words out of my
mouth.
Patrick Comment:
Does anybody connect Tom Bombadil with the concept of
the Numinous presented in "The Wind in the Willows" chapter 7,
"Piper at the Gates of Dawn"?
The god of nature, Pan, a satyr, appeals to the
characters in that chapter. Early Christians saw Pan as a Christ-figure.
I mention this because Tolkien loved Kenneth Grahame
as a child, and Tom Bombadil fits in the mold of mystical caretaker of nature.
My Reply to Patrick:
Patrick, I am not familiar with The Wind in the
Willows (though I have a vague memory of reading some of it years ago) but you
might be onto something there. The tree that swallowed Merry and Pippin was a
willow tree and was referred to as Old Man Willow. Thanks for that insight.
Kerstin Reply to Patrick:
Tom Bombadil is one of the hardest characters to
classify. The mystical caretaker of nature seems to me a favorite one
especially from a secular perspective. But I find that too limited. He exudes
the joy of life like no other character I know of. Always cheerful and fully
aware of his surroundings, probably to a deeper extend than we are. He reminds
me of the famous quote by St. Irenaeus, The glory of God is man fully alive.
Tom Bombadil is fully alive. The negative things of life don't touch him
because he is too alive for them. Julian of Norwich comes to mind as well, All
shall be well, and all shall be well, all manner of things shall be well.
My Reply:
Let's hold off discussing Tom Bombadil. The very next
chapter is devoted to him. Let's wait for the next section.
L Comment:
Thank you very much for the helpful summary, Manny.
The sixth chapter really stood out for me with Tolkien's depiction of the awful
unending confusion of the hobbits lost amid the quiet menace of the trees. I
felt nearly as dizzy reading it as the poor hobbits must have been trying to
find their way through the Old Forest! Tom Bombadil's nonsense verses again
reminded me of George McDonald's character Curdie, who makes up nonsense rhymes
to ward away goblins in 'The Princess and the Goblin'. I think Curdie is the
purest human depiction of courage that I have ever come across in fiction.
My Reply to L:
You're welcome, and that is anoher allusion that is
quite possible. I believe Tolkien was a fan of McDonald. I have not read
McDonald's The Princess and the Goblin, from which Curdie is from, so I can't
comment.
Kerstin Reply to L:
Oh that's a great comparison! I hadn't thought of that
at all, and I lead the discussion on the book in 'Victorians!' last year, lol.
Now my follow-up thought would be, what is it about
nonsense rhymes that wards off evil? I'll have to think about that.
My Reply to Kerstin:
That is a very interesting question. Late 19th and
early 20th century English literature is populated with nonsense rhymes, both
as stand alone poems or set pieces within novels. I'm thinking of Lewis
Carrol's Alice in Wonderland which contains nonsense rhymes and the poetry of
Edward Lear. You can read
about nonsense verse here:
There are various forms of nonsense verse. Here are
some that I can think of. One is employing words that make sense but together
do not seem like a logical statement; second is employing language that is
completely made up or are just phonemes; third is a combination of one and two;
fourth is a creation of a whole language (here I'm thinking of James Joyce's
Finnigan's Wake which is a whole novel in nonsensical language). There may be
more. That article doesn't mention it, but I think nonsensical language is
linked to folklore.
With Tom Bombadil, my guess is to set him apart from a
common society. Shared language is at the basis of a shared community. Someone
with his own language and sense is apart from the community or is from a
community in one's past. Just like when we read Old English and it seems
nonsense to us, so could a person who speaks in an older version of a language
suggest a hereditary lineage.
Or he could just be crazy....lol.
###
Have you noticed how in
almost every single chapter, there is a meal shared between several
persons?
From chapter 2, on the
last night at Bag Ends:
The four younger hobbits were, however, in high
spirits, and the party soon became very cheerful in spite of Gandalf’s absence.
The dining-room was bare except for a table and chairs, but the food was good,
and there was good wine: Frodo’s wine had not been included in te sale to the
Sackville-Bagginses.
‘Whatever happens to the rest of my stuff, when the
S.-B.s get their claws on it, at any rate I have found a good home for this!’
said Frodo, as he drained his glass. It was the last drop of Old Winyards.
Later in that chapter,
after being on the road and meeting the elves, the hobbits join them for
supper.
Pippin sat up and rubbed his eyes. He shivered. ‘There
is a fire in the hall, and food for hungry guests,’ said an Elf standing before
him.
At the south end of the greensward there was an
opening. There the green floor ran on into the wood, and formed a wide space
like a hall, roofed by the boughs of trees. Their great trunks ran like pillars
down each side. In the middle there was a wood-fire blazing, and upon the
tree-pillars torches with lights of gold and silver were burning steadily. The
Elves sat round the fire upon the grass or upon the sawn rings of old trunks.
Some went to and fro bearing cups and pouring drink; others brought food on
heaped plates and dishes.
‘This is poor fare,’ they said to the hobbits; ‘for we
are lodging in the greenwood far from our halls. If ever you are our guests at
home, we will treat you better.’
‘It seems to me good enough for a birthday-party,’
said Frodo.
Indeed, the next morning
after the elves have departed, the hobbits had breakfast with the leftover
bread.In chapter 4, Farmer Maggot
invites the hobbits in for supper with his family.
Frodo now accepted the invitation gratefully, to the
relief of Pippin and Sam. The sun was already behind the western hills, and the
light was failing. Two of Maggot’s sons and his three daughters came in, and a
generous supper was laid on the large table. The kitchen was lit with candles
and the fire was mended. Mrs. Maggot bustled in and out. One or two other
hobbits belonging to the farm-household came in. In a short while fourteen sat
down to eat. There was beer in plenty, and a mighty dish of mushrooms and
bacon, besides much other solid farmhouse fare. The dogs lay by the fire and
gnawed rinds and cracked bones.
In chapter 5, when the
hobbits reach Frodo’s house at Crickhollow and have their splashing fun in
their baths, they have a late supper.
They had supper in the kitchen on a table near the
fire. ‘I suppose you three won’t want mushrooms again?’ said Fredegar without
much hope.
‘Yes we shall!’ cried Pippin.
‘They’re mine!’ said Frodo. ‘Given to me by Mrs.
Maggot, a queen among farmers’ wives. Take your greedy hands away, and I’ll
serve them.’
There are more instances,
and let’s not forget the novel starts with a birthday party and moves in short
order to another birthday party years after.This gathering for a meal is certainly more in the novel than just the
natural need for people to eat at certain time intervals.Tolkien, with this rhythmic punctuating of
gathering for a meal, is raising the meal to something more than the obvious.Can we think of it as a metaphor?I would.
So what does this
metaphor stand for?When people come
together for a meal, they come together in a bond or through the meal they form
bonds.There is a shared goodwill
between those at the table.Family and
friends come together for a meal.You
are in communion with those at the table.Indeed, communion implies Holy Communion.In Holy Communion one is in communion within
the Body of Christ.Notice at Mass the
taking of Holy Communion comes after the Eucharistic prayer that stitches
together the whole Church body (living and dead), after the community praying
of the Our Father—if we share a Father, then we are brothers and sisters—and
after we offer peace to all in the Body.The holy meal follows that bonding process.This is what I think Tolkien is suggesting
with his rhythmic pacing of meals.Those
at table come into communion.This is
why such a good feeling is shared after the dinner with the elves.This is why the hobbits have such shared fun
in splashing each other as they bathe at Crickenhollow.
One step then from
communion I think is fellowship.What is
fellowship?From Merriam-Webster’s, and
I’ll only include the definitions that apply here:(1) companionship, (2) community of interest,
activity, feeling, or experience, (3) a company of equals or friends; an
association, (4) the quality or state of being comradely.
Fellowship, then, is
being in communion of friends with a particular shared interest or
activity.The hobbits are in fellowship
with each other with the shared interest of the quest to dispose of the
ring.This fellowship is formed, stitched,
and sealed through the process of shared meals.(Let me guess, there will never be a shared meal between the hobbits and
orcs.)The novel’s first volume is
called “The Fellowship of the Ring.”In
time, if I remember correctly, I think the whole first volume is an enlarging
of this fellowship.
###
Kerstin Comment:
Yes! If I remember correctly there is only Gollum in
the entire book who goes off and eats alone, but that won't be until "The
Return of the King".
There is something so deeply mystical about sharing a
meal. We do it all the time and don't think much about it. Yet it gives us
sustenance far beyond the nourishment of the body. Who would ever think of
having a get-together without a meal or at least some kinds of refreshments?
Thinking about this I am reminded of the Odyssey and
how hospitality takes on a very different character than what we're used to
today. The arriving stranger, mostly Odysseus or in the beginning his son
Telemachus, is offered a meal first, then his name is asked, and what brings
him to this particular place. The meal goes before everything else, even asking
the stranger his name or who he is!
Bruce Comment:
Also the Iliad and American Indian stories have
multiple stories of how a brave soul faces down death by walking fearlessly
into an enemy camp to retrieve a daughter, wife, or even a corpse, and there
stories nearly always include calmly sharing a meal with an enemy who respects
your courage. The story of Leo the Great and Attila the Hun may be another
version of this story.
For the Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
in Year A, we reach the final parables in Jesus’s Parables Discourse.In the two previous Sundays we heard a total
of four parables.Today we get another
three, and possibly a fourth in that at the very end of the discourse Jesus
offers us another strange comparison.
The first two parables are about discovering
the Kingdom of Heaven.The first, the
treasure in the field, is found by luck.The second, the pearl of great price, is found by searching.Both motivates the finder to sell all he has
to orient himself to the fortune, which is the Kingdom of Heaven.The third parable parallels last Sunday’s Parable
of the Wheat and Weeds.Here there will
be a net to catch fish, and at judgement the good fish will be saved and the
bad will be destroyed.
The person who finds the buried treasure now goes and sells all that he
has to buy the field. The person who finds the pearl of great price, also goes
and sells all that he has and buys it. Finally, when the net is full, the
people must do the work of hauling it ashore and sorting through to put what is
good into their bucket. When Jesus asks whether the disciples (and we)
understand, he is asking about whether we grasp our part in the discovery of
God in our midst. By mentioning the processes of finding, selling, buying,
hauling, and sorting in these brief parables, Jesus emphasizes that beholding
God’s presence here and now requires effort.
It may require ridding ourselves of the many distractions that draw us
away from cultivating that understanding heart. It may necessitate dismantling
the habits, addictions, or busyness that compete for the attention required to
recognize the divine presence within us. It may warrant that we expend the
effort to set aside regular time each day to make ourselves available for the
gift of understanding so we may glimpse the holy mystery in our midst.
I am also really struck by that “fourth” parable.After the disciples acknowledge understanding
the parables, Jesus offers this to the “scribes” of the Word: "Then every
scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a
household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old."Who are the scribes who have been
instructed?On the one hand, St. Matthew
since he is scribing these words; on the other hand, all of us who now
understand.
Today’s Gospel:
Jesus said to his disciples:
"The kingdom of heaven is like
a treasure buried in a field,
which a person finds and hides
again,
and out of joy goes and sells all
that he has and buys that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like
a merchant
searching for fine pearls.
When he finds a pearl of great
price,
he goes and sells all that he has
and buys it.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like
a net thrown into the sea,
which collects fish of every kind.
When it is full they haul it ashore
and sit down to put what is good
into buckets.
What is bad they throw away.
Thus it will be at the end of the
age.
The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous and
throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and
grinding of teeth.
"Do you understand all these
things?"
They answered, "Yes."
And he replied,
"Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is
like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the
old."
~Mt: 13:44-52
Fr. Joseph Mary of the Capuchin Franciscans in his A Simple Word channel
offers a great explanation of the readings.
Fr. Joseph Mary:
When a first century
Jew heard the kingdom of God, one thing came to mind, a return to the golden
age of Israel.So, here we have it. two
different groups of people, two very different groups, two very different
times, and two very different understandings of the kingdom of God. Our youth,
perhaps like many of us, are looking into the future at some shining kingdom in
the clouds, a kingdom beyond this earthly life, while the Jews are looking into
the past at a cherished memory of what had once been.But this is a serious problem because when
Jesus Christ came proclaiming the kingdom of God, he wasn't talking about
either one of these. This was the focal point of his teaching, the main
message, and it went right over their heads.Most of the time, I think it goes over our heads, too. What did Jesus
mean when he spoke of the kingdom of God?
Let's look at the
three parables that he gives us in Sunday's gospel. The kingdom of God is like
a treasure buried in a field. The first characteristic of this kingdom is what
we already know. It's hidden. It's not the kingdom people are expecting. It's
emerging in a secret way that not everyone sees. For this reason, Jesus says,
"No one can see the kingdom of God unless he's born from above.Unless God himself reveals it, unless that
person adopts a new way of looking at the world." The second
characteristic of this kingdom is that it's extremely valuable. The parable
describes it as a treasure.It is the
treasure. It's so valuable.This man
goes and sells everything he has in order to obtain it. In this parable, the
kingdom of God is the goal of all of our efforts and strivings, the object of
all of our longings and desires.Jesus
continues, "The kingdom of God is like a merchant in search of fine
pearls. At first glance, it seems that the pearl of great price is an image of the
kingdom of God. But that's not what Jesus says. He says the kingdom of God is
like the merchant who's searching.Here
the kingdom is not an object being sought but an active force within the person
himself. It's that indescribable hunger which impels him towards the fullness
of something unspeakable, something which he himself can't even fathom. It's
the spirit that urges us with groanings too deep for understanding.
In both parables,
upon making this incredible discovery, the man goes and sells all that he has.Jesus is saying that if one has truly
discovered the kingdom of God, his whole life, all of his priorities will
change radically…Jesus is clear. The kingdom of God changes a man. He's a new
creation.Jesus goes on, "The man
goes and sells all that he has to buy this pearl." There's the same
reaction in both parables. Jesus is telling us something crucial about the
kingdom of God. It's now. He wants us to understand there is an urgency to
respond.
The Kingdom of God is near.The
Kingdom of God is upon you.
I don’t know if I’ve ever posted on Gospel reflections from the channel My
Catholic Life, but they do have a way of getting to the point.
My Catholic Life:
These parables pose
two fundamental questions for each of us:
💠Have
I discovered the priceless treasure of the Kingdom of Heaven?
💠If I
have, am I willing to let go of everything else to attain it?
Like the man who
stumbles upon the buried treasure, many people encounter God’s grace in
surprising ways—through a moment of prayer, a profound experience at Mass, an
act of charity, or even during suffering. Maybe those people were not actively
seeking divine treasure, yet in a moment of providence, the veil is lifted, and
the beauty of God’s Kingdom is revealed. Once they discover the treasure, their
souls realize that nothing else compares. From that point on, they are moved to
reorient their entire lives to possess that treasure fully.
The path of the
merchant, by contrast, is that of the soul who longs for truth, beauty, and
goodness, diligently seeking them out. The one who searches might spend years
studying, praying, yearning, and pursuing what is of eternal value. And
then—finally—the “pearl” is found. Christ is discovered. The Gospel becomes
clear. The longing is fulfilled. Again, everything else is willingly
surrendered for the sake of that one Pearl of great price—Jesus Christ.
In both parables, the
decision to sell all to gain the treasure is an easy choice. The discovery is
so great that everything else the person possesses pales in comparison. But how
many people have truly made such a discovery?
It’s hard to say how many people have made such a discovery.It’s possible to say very few, as the video
suggests.It’s also possible to say that
many make such a discovery at some point in their lives.Sometimes it takes time and a crises to reach
that realization.Afterall, the parable
doesn’t say how long it took the merchant to search out the pearl.
Sunday Meditation: “The
kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
searching for fine
pearls.”
“Seek Ye First (The Kingdom of God)” is a wonderful hymn for today.
For the Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time in
Year A, Jesus continues His Parables Discourse.Last Sunday He spoke of the Parable of the Sower.Today he gives three parables, two continuing
with the agricultural motif, and the third using the fruits of the produce to
bake bread.In a sense, these three are
interrelated.First is the parable of
the Weeds among the Wheat, second the Parable of the Mustard Seed that grows
into a huge tree, and third the Parable of the Leaven that makes the flower
from the wheat grow.All three parables
begin with “The Kingdom of Heaven can be compared with…”So in the first, the wheat must persevere over
the weeds.In the second, in persevering
the seed grows to its glory.In the
third, the fruit from the perseverance, the flower, expands into the bread of
life, and even, after consecration, the Eucharist.
The first parable is perhaps the most
difficult to fathom.Why would a farmer
allow weeds to grow?He wouldn’t, and
that perhaps could be the illogical twist of this parable that Jesus often plants
(excuse the pun!) in His parables.However,
I am told there was a particular weed that looked identical to the wheat, and one
couldn’t tell until harvest.If that is
so, then the parable is more straight forward but I still think the twist is
the point.
As some have pointed out, this parable
explains Salvation History.Evil is
allowed to grow alongside the good.If one follows the analogy, God does not want
to disturb the good by destroying the evil.But then, how many people are all good and how many people are all
evil?Not many, so then as others point
out, the parable speaks to the good “wheat” and the bad “weeds” in our hearts.We contain both, and with patience God is
allowing our good to persevere over our bad.
And so, the Kingdom of God is within us!
Today’s Gospel:
Jesus proposed another parable to
the crowds, saying:
"The kingdom of heaven may be
likened
to a man who sowed good seed in his
field.
While everyone was asleep his enemy
came
and sowed weeds all through the
wheat, and then went off.
When the crop grew and bore fruit,
the weeds appeared as well.
The slaves of the householder came
to him and said,
'Master, did you not sow good seed
in your field?
Where have the weeds come from?'
He answered, 'An enemy has done
this.'
His slaves said to him,
'Do you want us to go and pull them
up?'
He replied, 'No, if you pull up the
weeds
you might uproot the wheat along
with them.
Let them grow together until
harvest;
then at harvest time I will say to
the harvesters,
"First collect the weeds and
tie them in bundles for burning;
but gather the wheat into my
barn."'"
He proposed another parable to them.
"The kingdom of heaven is like
a mustard seed
that a person took and sowed in a
field.
It is the smallest of all the seeds,
yet when full-grown it is the
largest of plants.
It becomes a large bush,
and the 'birds of the sky come and
dwell in its branches.'"
He spoke to them another parable.
"The kingdom of heaven is like
yeast
that a woman took and mixed with
three measures of wheat flour
until the whole batch was
leavened."
All these things Jesus spoke to the
crowds in parables.
He spoke to them only in parables,
to fulfill what had been said
through the prophet:
I will open my mouth in parables,
I will announce what has lain hidden
from the foundation
of the world.
Then, dismissing the crowds, he went
into the house.
His disciples approached him and
said,
"Explain to us the parable of
the weeds in the field."
He said in reply, "He who sows
good seed is the Son of Man,
the field is the world, the good
seed the children of the kingdom.
The weeds are the children of the
evil one,
and the enemy who sows them is the
devil.
The harvest is the end of the age,
and the harvesters are angels.
Just as weeds are collected and
burned up with fire,
so will it be at the end of the age.
The Son of Man will send his angels,
and they will collect out of his
kingdom
all who cause others to sin and all
evildoers.
They will throw them into the fiery
furnace,
where there will be wailing and
grinding of teeth.
Then the righteous will shine like
the sun
in the kingdom of their Father.
Whoever has ears ought to
hear."
~Mt: 13:24-43
Here is someone new to my embedded homilies.Deacon Malcolm Louis Concessao O.P. from St. Charles Seminary in
Nagpur, India.The seminary is run by
Dominicans, and Dn. Malcolm has an “O.P.” at the end of his name which is dear
to my heart.I thought highly of this
preaching.
Dn. Malcolm:
Dear brothers and
sisters, there is something about God that often confuses us. We know that he
is all powerful, all knowing, and perfectly just. Yet, when we look at the
world, we ask, why does God allow evil to exist?Why do the wicked seem to flourish while the
innocent suffer? Why does God not remove sin immediately?These are not new questions. They are as old
as humanity itself.Today's readings
invite us [music] to look beyond appearances and discover the mysterious wisdom
of God. The book of wisdom gives us a remarkable insight into the heart of God.
It says, "Though you are sovereign in strength, you judge with mildness
and with great forbearance you govern us."
Human beings often
associate power with domination. The more powerful a person is, the more they
tend to control others.God reveals a
completely different kind of power. His only potence is not expressed first
through punishment but through mercy. Because he is infinitely powerful. He
does not need to prove his strength.Instead,
he patiently waits for sinners to return to him. As the sacred author says,
"You have given your children good ground for hope because you permit
repentance for their sins." Wisdom 12 19.
This divine patience
becomes even clearer in the gospel. Jesus tells the parable of a farmer who sows
good seeds sin his field.During the
night, an enemy comes and sws weeds among the wheat. When the servants discover
them, they immediately ask, "Do you want us to go and gather them?"
Their reaction is understandable.We
want evil removed immediately. We want justice now.But the master's answer [music] surprises us.
He says, "No, for in gathering the weeds, you would uproot the wheat along
with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest."At first, this seems strange. [music] Why
allow the weeds to remain? The answer reveals the heart of God. The master is
not indifferent to evil.Rather, he sees
something that the servants cannot see. Wheat and weeds look remarkably similar
in their early stages. If the servants act too quickly, they may destroy the
very crop they hope to protect.This
parable is not simply about good people and bad people. It is about every human
heart. Within each one of us there is wheat and there are [music] weeds.There is generosity and selfishness.There is faith and doubt, love and pride. If
God judged us only by our weakest moments, none of us would stand before him.
Yet he patiently continues his work within us. This is where St. John of the
Cross offers a profound insight. He teaches that God transforms the soul
gradually through purification.God does
not destroy the soul.He removes
everything that prevents it from loving him perfectly.God patiently uproots the hidden weeds of
attachment, pride, self-reliance, and disordered desires so that the wheat of
divine love mature.
Often we become
discouraged because we still discover weaknesses within ourselves. We expect
instant holiness. But God works as a farmer, not as a mechanic. A mechanic
repairs a machine in a few hours. A farmer cannot force wheat to grow
overnight. Growth requires time, seasons, [music] rain, sunlight, and patient
care. So it is with the spiritual life.God's
grace works quietly, often invisibly deep within the soul. Jesus continues with
two short parables, my friends, the mustard seed and the yeast.
God works as a farmer, not as a mechanic!That is so profound and worth remembering.
For the pastoral homily I’m going to go to the chief honcho himself, Pope
Leo XIV.In today’s Angelus, the Holy
Father opened my eyes in his explanation of this Gospel.The video will be filtered through Catholic
Snack with their commentary, but the quotes will come from the
Holy See’s posting of the sermon.
Pope Leo XIV:
These three short
parables recall the coming of the Kingdom of God in history, its action in
human lives, and the way it grows, expands and transforms the world from
within.Through these images, Jesus warns us against the temptation of thinking
that God is a powerful figure who imposes himself by force, who takes over and
dominates, or who arrives triumphantly. Instead, God favors smallness, a sign
of his discreet love, by which he leaves us free to accept or reject him. His
love makes its presence felt even among the weeds, acts in a hidden and
invisible way like the smallest of all seeds, and leavens the dough without
making a sound.
Brothers and sisters,
through these parables, Jesus reveals something important about the manner in
which God works in our lives and in history. We sometimes expect God to do
something spectacular; we want him to intervene from on high, immediately uprooting
the weeds of evil. We imagine a strong and powerful God, and, unfortunately, we
also model our way of being Christians and way of being the Church on this
image. However, the Kingdom of God spreads even amidst the weeds, requiring us
to train our vision so we can discern the good that sprouts despite the
darkness of evil, and avoiding rash judgments. It comes like the smallest of
seeds and thus calls for patience in accompanying these processes, so that we
can recognize it in the little things of daily life and in the simplicity of
ordinary existence. It grows invisibly like yeast in flour, and so we are freed
from discouragement and invited to have faith even when it seems that God is
absent. In fact, he is always with us, and his love is always ready to help us.
God’s way of acting
must also become the way in which we live, both as individuals and as the
Church, amidst the reality that surrounds us. We are called to adopt a
Gospel-centered approach, without hastily opposing others through arrogant
judgments, without imposing ourselves through power and force, and without
losing trust in God’s work. As the then-Cardinal Ratzinger said, it is a matter
of submitting ourselves to the logic of the seed — which is not that of success
and greatness, but that of making ourselves small and serving others (cf. Address
to Catechists and Religion Teachers, 10 December 2000). In this way, we
will become like small seeds of the Gospel that sprout, and leavens of love
that transform the dough of the world.
If we are to be channels for God to work through, we must “adopt a
Gospel-centered approach, without hastily opposing others through arrogant
judgments, without imposing ourselves through power and force, and without
losing trust in God’s work.”The Kingdom
of God “spreads even among the weeds”!
Sunday Meditation: “I
will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation of the world.”
Finally, the hymn for today will be “As Grains of Wheat” by Laurence
Rosania.
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