15th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2023 (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 their dining room table. It was old and all scratched up, wobbly Duncan fife legs. Dad set his transforming skills to work and sanded the old tabletop, legs, and chairs. Looked surprisingly good, and then our mother, a bit of the artist, said:

“John, why don’t you paint it a pretty blue color and 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?

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. One brings to the final judgement as evidence that he or she has been transformed by Him.

You and I can only “bear fruit” if we accept GOD’S transforming power in our lives.

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

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