A: 15th Sun of OrdTime (12 July 2020) - PARABLES (Mt 13:1-23)

In today’s gospel, we encounter the word parable, which in English grammar is one of the figures of speech. Appropriately, a parable is “usually short fictitious story that illustrates a moral attitude or a religious principle” (cf. Merriam-Webster). We normally identify parables along with fables and allegories to belong to a similar literary genre that communicates constructed tales with profound meanings. But when we hear of them, what usually comes to mind first is their imaginative provenance, stirring comments like: Since they are only made up stories, why do we bother to take them seriously?

While it is true that parables are only fabricated anecdotes, it does not necessarily mean that they are far from reality or, so to say, appear only out of thin air. On the contrary, they are crafted based on concrete experiences, persons, and places in mind, albeit presented in a broad and vague manner, either to conceal sensitive information or to simplify their abstract message to ordinary folks. On this regard, Jesus gave us an enigmatic explanation: “The reason I speak to them in parables is that ‘seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand’” (Mt 13:13).Yet, whatever the true purpose is, the important thing is that they instruct and animate the audience to reflect, to believe, and to act.

The Greek word used for this concept is “parabolē,” which is acombination of the two Greek words “para” (= from, beside, near, with) and “ballō” (= to throw, expel, put, place). Together, they can roughly be translated as throwing beside something or making a comparison between two things. What is noteworthy in this etymological meaning is that it denotes an intentional action of putting something into place.

Accordingly, this is how Jesus practically taught in the Synoptic accounts in general, and in the Gospel of Matthew in particular. In our reading today, he used the Parable of the Sower (Mt 13:1-15). But in the course of chapter 13, he continued to evangelize in the same parabolic style, viz., Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat (vv. 24-30), Parable of the Mustard Seed (vv. 31-32), Parable of the Yeast (v. 33), Parable of the Treasure (v. 44), Parable of Fine Pearls (vv. 45-46), and the Parable of the Net (vv. 47-50). He concluded his teaching with another metaphor: “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old” (v. 52).

From the survey above, we can notice that parable-telling is a staple of Jesus’ ministry. Though the stories he relayed are invented, their basis is the ordinary reality of life, such as seeds, weeds, wheat, yeast, treasure, pearls, net, etc. Most importantly, the values behind them are genuine and have a definite impact on every human being of every generation. The keynote is that there is a need not only for the storyteller to be observant on the kernel of human existence but for the hearers to be equally sensitive and introspective in making intelligent connotations out of these seemingly trivial parables. In doing so, i.e., by keeping our ears, minds, and hearts always open to new insights, we become like the rich soil that “brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty” (v. 8).

Along these lines, we are living in a world where, at times, we see cheers and brightness, but at a greater part, the realm we are in is dim, nebulous, and miserable. Our task, then, is to interpret and learn from life’s vicissitudes. Otherwise, these parabolic experiences will lose their power to connect and transform our very lives. Let us remember that seeds do not grow on their own… we need to do our part by cultivating and watering them daily.

- Rex Fortes, CM