15th Sunday in ordinary time. Today’s readings: Isaiah 55:10-11; Psalm 65:10, 11, 12-13, 14; Romans 8:18-23; Matthew 13:1-23
Earlier this year, Eurostat reported that Malta’s fertility rate has been steadily declining since 2012, now ranking the lowest in Europe. Experts tell us that the decline is “rather swift”, and gaining “higher ground again” will depend on “work-life balance and family-friendly measures”. Certain measures undoubtedly fall in the state’s remit, which has been criticised on the implementation of the EU Work-Life Balance Directive for not considering gender equality gaps in terms of caring and in excluding groups and civil society at large from the discussion table.
However, it also depends on individual citizens and groups, like employers, not only to “take up” positive measures but also to rethink lifestyles, priorities and the impact of their decisions on personal and social well-being. It is significant to note that declining fertility and birth rates are higher in developed countries. On a political level, this steady decline is unsustainable, undermining society’s well-being at large on many levels and in many aspects of life. Hence, there is an urgent need for new paradigms in policy responses to this phenomenon before it all becomes hopeless. Balance and harmony are essential factors in the pursuit of holistic well-being. In all truth, we all long for these life-giving, creative qualities in all aspects of our existence.
Today’s liturgy speaks to us in terms of “creation groaning in labour pains even until now” and that “we also groan within ourselves” as we await eschatological fulfilment, which St Paul calls “adoption, the redemption of our bodies”. The apostle speaks of “hope” in this “eager expectation” of fulfilment.
Expecting something to come also implies a readiness to change for the better; otherwise, hope becomes pointless. Hope is a theological virtue, and it is not about being optimistic. Hope is down to earth! It comes from a transformative encounter with God, the source of life, who calls everything into existence, spurring us to rise to new life.
When there seems no hope, those who live by it start discerning wisely in making different choices, better decisions, pursuing a new life, and building a better future, changing the world and its structures from within
In Spe salvi facti sumus, Pope Benedict XVI points out that with hope, “we can face our present: the present, even if it is arduous, can be lived and accepted if it leads towards a goal if we can be sure of this goal, and if it is great enough to justify the effort of the journey”.
The Good News of hope is the foundation of our future as it “makes things happen and is life-changing”. When the future seems dark, when there seems to be no hope, those who live by it start discerning wisely in making different choices, making better decisions, pursuing a new life, and building a better future, changing the world and its structures from within.
God planted a “seed” of hope, which empowers us for transformative change if only we receive it like the “rich soil” producing a hundredfold. Alas, we often allow ourselves to become like the sterile path and the rocky ground of today’s gospel. To use the gospel’s imagery, we permit the scorching sun and thorns to choke and burn our hope; we allow birds to steal it from us, giving in to helplessness and meaninglessness, resigning ourselves to conform to a culture of death with no future. Locally, constant alarming reports and statistics keep drawing attention to the deterioration of Malta’s quality of life in terms of holistic and integrative well-being, the environment and unhealthy lifestyles.
Jesus today warns us against ‘looking but not seeing’, ‘hearing but not listening or understanding’ because of the ‘grossness’ of our heart, which prevents us from embarking on a radical process of positive change towards salvation, healing and sustainability. Let us all make a concerted effort to pay attention to the signs of the times and read the writing on the wall before it’s too late.