God’s word, like gentle rainfall, comes down on us, & in the space of a few moments after the drought that has turned our beloved valley brown, & shrivelled our once generous hearts, nature & supernature suddenly greens & livens, soaking us in his creative love & grace as we begin to bloom again in this little corner of paradise.. ..& the gentle rainfall which comes this weekend is brought by our asylum seekers from Teeside, here for our Justice First Day, when we offer them food cakes & sport, whilst they bring the real presence of Christ to bless our parched parish, to help us reset our spiritual compass, as we grow up & green up..
“my word does not return to me empty” empty barren shrivelled hearts ; Lord have mercy “without carrying out my will..” his will, not mine nor yours.. ; Christ have mercy “succeeding in what it was sent to do..” he feeds & you blossom.. ; Lord have mercy May Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins & bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
“imagine..” a wonderful invitation from a gifted teacher..he knows we have a firm grounding in the teachings of the Jewish Law & the Catholic Church..the experience & wisdom of our parents & fellow travellers in this boat..notice he preached from a boat.. you sit now in nave of the Church..Latin navus [navy]..you are Gods navy sitting in boat alongside Jesus..we a motley crew maybe, but each & every one of us chosen millions of years ago to live, & to live here..to be together in this boat, each of you a vital member of this lifeboat crew..imagine your role..a key task & responsibility entrusted to you..trained qualified as a beloved disciple..& imagine Matthews sower..a fellow disciple & crewman ..Matthew ever the pessimist..a clear blue sky calm sea & a full crew, & cautiously he has to mention shipping forecast & gales by teatime..he betrays his true sullen character as he counts the crop down..did you notice?..some produced 100 fold some 60 some 30..a story of decreasing yields, a shortage of priests, diminishing stocks in Middlesbrough Food Bank..only 16 parishioners here at morning Mass on feast of St Peter & St Paul..Holyday of Obligation..our crew outnumbered by our schoolchildren 5:1..”imagine”..”for the heart of this nation has grown coarse, their ears dull of hearing & they have shut their eyes..for fear they understand with their heart & be converted & healed by me.” imagine life & faith without hearing aids, cataracts & the disabled badge..imagine the gospel read with your trusted pair of divine spectacles on..the sower, unlike Matthew, was a generous optimist..a front line disciple who threw caution & seeds to the wind..indiscrimate sowing..he realised that even narrowest nook & cranny..in edge of footpath..in shallowest of soil..in weed infested borders & in rich soil..each different, each with the potential to produce a crop, a return..even richest soil, impregnated with John Innes finest compost, produces variable yields..100/60 /30..some of us, seeds in this rich soil & in this privileged boat producing better than expected..others, given all the blessings & gifts, family & parish backgrounds we have been nurtured in, & now we have been entrusted with, find themselves in spiritual negative equity, taking more fuel more, grace out, of the communal reservoir than we are contributing..a graph & a journey of diminishing returns ..”the heart has grown coarse, ears dull & closed eyes”..a fear of dependency & a dependency on fear, locked into a viscious circle..& the sower arrives each morning & faithfully..fully faithful..to you & I, he sprinkles us indiscriminately & asks us to do likewise with his love & grace, his compassion & passion..to open our ears our eyes & our hearts to those we have thus far discriminated against..the migrant the incomer & the returnee..the one who will stand with us in Valley View & tell us in graphic detail..with nothing left to the imagination..when 30yrs ago or 5yrs ago Mrs X or Fr Y or Mr Z said such & such..”& I’ve never been near since Father!”..a seed, precious & wounded, yet still with great potential to come back & to crew this boat..if if if we gradually convince them that this boat won’t get very far out of this safe harbour & its protectively calm seas, until we are fully crewed..& the sooner they throw in their seed, their story & their lifejacket alongside ours, the sooner we can got out to sea to look for survivors..imagine you watching those graphic scenes on tv news bulletins from the Meditteranean, of migrants being rescued by lifeboats crewed by the brave & the few..not just throwing lifejackets from the safety of the deck but jumping into waves alongside the exhausted & desperate & carrying them to safety & to a new life..imagine you watched all that, & from safe distance of your home, & now, with your divine spectacles on, you see, maybe for the first time for a lifetime..you understand with your heart, find yourself, & find yourself converted & healed..& who pray is really rescued?..who is the real beneficiary of Justice First Family Day?..& now the opportunity for thee & me, now fit for purpose, to begin a new life..our little boat seaworthy rescuing a rich crop..some 30 some 60 some 100 fold ; Alleluia !..& thank you for allowing me to be part of your crew.. [15thSunYr A Mt 13;1-23]