15th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2020 (A)

INTRO: Our dad was always referred to as:
The great TRANSFORMER!
He could TAKE STUFF and he would completely transform the stuff into something new!

I remember when we got to the BIG HOUSE; we had no dining room set!! Well my dad’s mom (Grandma Singler) decided to downsize and gave us theirs. It was old and all scratched up, wobbly Duncan fife legs. Dad set his transforming skills to work and sanded the old table top, legs, and chairs. Looked pretty good, and then our mother, a bit of the artist, said:

“John, why don’t you paint it a pretty blue color and shiny varnish it?”
He did… and it was completely transformed to something NEW. Quite stunning!

Well let me ask you: Have you been TRANSFORMED into something NEW?
I am pretty sure your ANSWER is YES.

Being transformed is a lifelong process or journey. It is what we do, typically starting at our First Communion and the age of reason and carrying on through life, year after year.

The key to understanding this long Gospel about seeds growing is the significance of “bearing fruit because of the well-planted seeds in rich soil”, and namely the “fruit” is what one brings to the final judgement as evidence that he or she is Jesus’ disciple having been transformed by Him.

You and I can only “bear fruit” if we accept GOD’S transforming power in our lives. The evidence of this is being planted in rich soil.

So I ask you to think about your life:
What will be the “fruit” that you own and will bring to God?

I have heard many stories of men and women turning their lives over to God, changing their behaviors for the better.

…….. Beautiful stories of getting rid of old ways and taking on new ways….acting with more patience….with more kindness….with more charity.

These ways only happen by God gifting us and us accepting those gifts. God wants us transformed.

CONCLUSION

I see in many of you the fruit of perseverance, especially in difficult or sad times.
I see in many of you the fruit of peacemakers and the fruit of caring for the poor.

Allow yourselves the opportunity to be TRANSFORMED into something new. We never STOP growing when we are planted well in rich soil.