We continue with our Lock-Down Mass today, as we gradually recover from Covid-19. Please God there will be no return to total Lock-Down.

We will be holding to the usual times for Sunday Masses: St. Cecilia’s in Dersingham at 9.00am and Our Lady & St. Edmund’s in Hunstanton at 11.00am. 
I continue to say weekday Mass in a closed St. Cecilia’s Church by myself, for the moment, for all your intentions. We continue to pray for the brave workers who have been working through the crisis; NHS Staff, utility workers, supermarket staff, bus &  train drivers, police, Post Office workers, refuse collectors, teachers and many others who are putting their lives at risk for our sake.          Thank you so much!
I would like to continue to thank all our stewards, sacristans, typists and cleaners for preparing the church for Mass today and for cleaning the church after this Mass.
First Reading: Isaiah. 55: 10-11.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 64: 10-14. 
Response: ‘The seed that falls to the ground will yield a fruitful harvest’.
Second Reading: Rom. 8: 18-23.
Gospel: Mt.13: 1-23
                                                     Homily
‘Jesus said ‘Imagine a sower going out to sow, as he sowed, some fell on the edge of the path’…’
Today, we have one of Jesus’ famous parables, the ‘Parable of the Sower’. We will look at that in a moment. But, first, let us look at the other readings:
First Reading: This lovely passage is from the end of the great book of Isaiah, called the ‘Conclusion’. All are invited to the ‘Eschatological Banquet’ (The Kingdom of God).The Word of God spoken by the Prophet, just like the rain that provides moisture for the growing seed, causes life to spring up in the community that is capable of hearing it! There lies the ‘rub’!
The Psalmist explains how a seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest, provided it is watered.
The Letter to the Romans, (8: 18-23), describes ‘the whole of creation as groaning in one great act of giving birth…’ as it searches for God and the meaning of life. This is one of the most famous passages from St. Paul’s great Letter to the Romans. Just like a seed falling to the ground, and with moisture giving birth to many more plants, so too, the Word of God will enable us the possess the first-fruits of the Spirit. But as the Prophet Isaiah says, this will only happen if we are actively searching for God in prayer. In other words, if we are ‘fertile soil’!
When we come to a parable, we should realise that we have come to the central part, or kernel, of Jesus’ teaching about the Kingdom of God, which he came to establish. In today’s Gospel we are given the whole of this parable and the explanation afterwards to the disciples. The parable is in the first instance directed against Jesus’ enemies the Scribes and the Pharisees, the Establishment. To understand what Jesus means by saying: ‘You will listen and listen again but not understand’, we need to realise that parables are a method of verbal warfare, used by the Rabbis often when arguing to make an opponent think for themselves and be drawn into the argument and then led to condemn themselves by realising that they are the ones at fault! We, of course, know what the Parable of Sower means but people were puzzled when they first heard it. This is designed to make Jesus’ opponents ask questions about it, as the disciples do when they are alone with Jesus afterwards. But this questioning needs ‘good soil’ and moisture to flourish. The problem here is that many of Jesus’ opponents were often arrogant and self-opinionated and, sadly, lacked the humility to ask what the parable meant. In other words, they allowed Jesus’ Word to fall on unfertile soil!
We may say how ‘silly they were’, but how about us? Are we any better? Are we prepared to think and pray about the meaning of life? Do we ever even think about it? Sadly many don’t. But, if we have the humility in all truthfulness to ask, the Lord promises us a ‘rich harvest’ and God’s Word, we are assured, will not fall on stony ground but will bear fruit in plenty.
Let us always pray for an enquiring, curious, mind to seek in humility the Great Questions of Life, Death, Forgiveness, Justice and Mercy and we will, ultimately, allow the Holy Spirit to lead us to the God who is ‘Love’. It may take time. Perseverance is necessary but, as the Prophet says, ‘the word that goes from my mouth will not return to me empty, without carrying out my will and succeeding in what it was sent to do’. Encouraging, but will we be part of God’s will at the end of time?