15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 Why is the reception of the Good News so inconsistent? For some the Mass is a grace filled moment of encounter with the God who loves them enough to die for them: "But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears for they hear. Truly I tell 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" (Mtt 13: 16-17) Yet others, including many cradle Catholics, remain indifferent to the Holy Eucharist? The Gospel gives the following reasons: "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it... a person who has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away... the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing." (Mtt 13: 19; 21 and 22) I propose an additional reason, which St Paul gives to explain why the Jews refuse to accept the Gospel: "I can testify that they (the Jews) have a zeal for God, but it is not enlightened. For being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they have not submitted to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes." (Rm 10: 2-4) If we substitute "values" for "law" we can understand that many people hope to serve God through living out values, many of which are received from or articulated by the Catholic Church. St Paul tells us that such an approach is futile and will not yield the fruit of the Kingdom: "For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God." (1 Cor 2: 2-5) Let us, therefore, be sure to keep Jesus Christ at the centre of our faith.