16th Friday, July 28, 2023, in Ordinary Time, Yr1
Ex 20-1:17, Ps 19:8-11, Mt 13:18-23
When I work with adult candidates who would like to enter the church, we use a process called, “Rite of Christian Initiation as Adults,” commonly referred to as RCIA. It can be a long process, around six months or so, but we do that so they can fully understand God’s teachings. Note, I say God’s, not the Church’s. That is because the Church only teaches what God teaches. I remember a non-Catholic asking me, or more telling me, “The Catholic Church doesn’t teach what Jesus says!” I thought that was ironic as at every Mass we proclaim what Jesus says. It was an interesting perspective on how others view the Catholic Church, and as I work with adults wanting to enter the Church, I see a stark transformation from, “The Church doesn’t teach what Jesus says.” to, “The Church teaches what Jesus says!”
One aspect of RCIA is a deeper look at each of the Ten Commandments. These are God’s laws, not the Church’s laws, and any good Christian strives to follow them as best they can. If it were just that simple to look at God’s laws and follow them, there would be no need to be reminded of them. But life is not that way. Life is full of ups and downs, good times and bad. Through God’s everlasting love, He gave us free will, the ability to choose between one thing and another. It is because of that free will, and the original sin we carry from Adam and Eve, that makes it pretty difficult for us to consistently choose the right path. So, God, in His everlasting goodness, gave us ten simple rules for us to live on. Follow these rules, and life will be good. Well, it is not that simple.
Maybe, just maybe, if we listen to Jesus today, we might get a glimpse of how to live these rules easier. Today, Jesus talks about two things; where did we learn about the ten simple rules, and how are we forming our mind, or our conscience to guide us in these rules? In the first part of this, where did we learn about these rules, Jesus uses the analogy of the sower of the seed. Where is he sowing the seed? In rocks, in sand or on fertile ground? What path are we taking in our education? Not from a pure knowledge state, but who is teaching us what is right, and what is wrong? What path are we on that is giving us the truth? Are we on a path where we hear the Word, and then someone distracts us and steals that away? Or are we on a path where we can hear the Word, understand it and put it away for good use later? Good sound teaching from a reputable source, like our Church, is the way we sow our seed on fertile soil. It is where the seeds that are planted will grow and blossom with good things and will not wither away.
The second part is about our own conscience, and the decisions we make. God made us wonderful beings; we have intellect, and we have memory. Using our intellect, we can reach into our memory about what we have learned, make the right decision, and guide our will to take the right action. This is a well-formed conscience, the one that understands the word of the Kingdom and will not let the evil one snatch it away. I am blown away when I see the RCIA candidates understand this and their hearts, and actions, are changed.
Yet, do not be deceived, our free will is still there. Plus, we have this thing called, “concupiscence,” that one desire that short circuits our intellect and memory and goes right to our will, taking action before our conscience can guide us. But, if we form our conscience correctly, there will be less of a chance we will let concupiscence, the propensity to sin, take over. And if we fail? Talk to God, go to Confession, and plead for mercy. He knows, He understands, but put that action into your memory so you remember, and if you are ever tempted by it again, you will know the right action to take. This is called “repentance,” the desire to never repeat that offense again.
Ten simple rules that are not that simple to follow. Yet, they can be, if you follow the right path and grow that seed in fertile ground.
Saint James Catholic Church 