The Christian Destiny of Glory

In the Second Reading, St. Paul writes that the work of Christ is not only to redeem humanity from the separation with God caused by our original parent’s sin of rebellion but to provide the means for the renewal of all Creation.  Paul reveals that all Creation is “groaning” in its longing for the Second Coming of Christ and the promised transformation and glorification, which will return Creation to its original state.  The natural world suffers from disorder and chaos, but this is not the way God established the Creation of the world when the Holy Spirit divided the waters of chaos and seven times pronounced all of creation “good.”  God intended the natural world to be the perfect home for humankind, where they could live in perfect communion with their Creator.  This perfect communion between God, humans, and nature is the re-created order Jesus promises to restore when He returns to inaugurate a new Heaven and earth. 

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Michal E Hunt, Copyright © 2014; revised 2023 Agape Bible Study; used with permission

The Parable of the Seed and the Sower

In the Gospel Reading, Jesus tells the Parable of the Seed and the Sower.  

In His parable, the Sower casts his seeds in every direction and into every kind of soil condition.  It was a typical farming technique in which the farmer expected most, but not all, of the seed to produce healthy plants.  It was a method that was like Jesus’ teaching.  Jesus “broadcasted” the “good news” of God’s message of salvation in every direction: to the receptive faithful, to those looking for entertainment by a Galilean rabbi who performs miracles, to skeptics, and to those who were hostile to His message.

The focus of Jesus’ parable is the harvest of souls for His eternal Kingdom. For those who accept the “word” of Jesus’ Gospel of salvation, the seeds of faith took root in their receptive hearts, and they “are known” by the “fruit” of good works that bear testimony to their faith.  Although some bear more “fruit” than others, in each case, their fruitful lives in service to Christ’s Kingdom far exceeds expectations.  It was common to expect that an excellent crop might yield about tenfold, but Jesus expects yields that are greater than average and even far beyond average.

Today, God’s Word is proclaimed to us in Sacred Scripture, through the Liturgy of the Word at Mass, and in the testimony of believers.  As in Jesus’ day, people respond in different ways to hearing the words of God.  Some people allow their hardships and sufferings to challenge their faith.  However, as St. Paul wrote in the Second Reading, the sufferings we endure in this life are nothing compared to the glory that God will provide for those of us who embrace His Holy Word.  They will receive a new life in the Spirit in this life and His promise of a future of eternal fellowship with the Most Holy Trinity in the next.   

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Michal E Hunt, Copyright © 2014; revised 2023 Agape Bible Study; used with permission