Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Gospel passage from Matthew 13:1-9 tells the story of the sower and the different types of soil the seeds fall on. Jesus uses parables to expand our understanding of the Kingdom of God. The parable of the sower encourages us to listen and see with open hearts and minds. It challenges us to examine our own spiritual growth and the obstacles that may hinder it. Just as a farmer faces the uncertainty of a drought, we must ask ourselves if the word of God is growing in us and if we are producing good fruits. Jesus wants us to embrace his teachings and love for God and to serve his kingdom with enthusiasm. Greetings, friends. What a joy to share the Gospel with you. On this 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, our Gospel comes from Matthew 13, verses 1-9. On that day Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood along the shore. And He spoke to them at length in parables, saying, A sower went out to sow, and as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground where it had little soil, it sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear. This passage brings us into that section of Matthew's Gospel where Jesus begins to teach by way of parables. Pope Benedict reminds us that there is no doubt that the parables constitute the heart of Jesus' preaching. Indeed, they do so as well in an altogether unique, special way. The parable is a short story that is meant to stir up, to even fire the imagination of the listener. In this way they work poetically, artistically, to expand the horizons of our minds and hearts. In doing so, greater space is opened to our awareness of the nature of the Kingdom of God. In this, how the passage we shared ends is so significant. Remember Jesus said, whoever has ears ought to hear. The parable works, you might say, like a hearing aid for those of us with a hearing impediment. Or maybe like the digital process of film colorization, transforming black and white movies into color. Our imagination so often can be dull. We can approach Jesus in prayer and scripture, even at Mass, with boredom and a certain ho-hum attitude. After all, haven't we heard these things before? And downed this road so many times already? Jesus in the parables seeks to expand the scope of our hearing and seeing. He desires that the reality of his coming Kingdom might stimulate us, fire us up, and encourage us to acts of heroic charity and generosity. In this light, might I encourage you to read again, when we're done with our time together, slowly and out loud, the parable of the sower, the seed, the ground, and growth. As you do, watch what happens inside of you. What touches you, flashes your imagination. As you read and listen, maybe one or another of the ground where the seed lands will cause something in you. You might notice, for instance, a certain sadness as you watch the plant grow quickly, only to die off just as quickly. Maybe you will feel even the choking and squeezing of the thorns being brought by that image into the reality of your own world, all too full of stuff and projects and concerns. Perhaps there is joy when you hear of the rich soil and great growth. It might, after all, return you to a time in your spiritual life when you experience the power and wonder and beauty of God working in you abundantly. You know, my own mind goes, as I read this parable today, to the farmers I know. In my part of the world, we are experiencing a significant drought. After all the plowing and tilling, the planting and fertilizing, and of course the eager expectation of growth, here, now in July, with almost no rain, there is an increasing sense that the season is lost. There is, for so many, the anguish of having nothing to show for one's labors, and of course the deep anxiety over bills that will not get paid because of crop failure. Some might very well lose their farms. This is reality. As I sit with this, I wonder, is the word growing in me? Will there be a harvest in me? And because of the experience of my farming friends and this parable of Jesus, I wonder, could I lose everything? Friends, let us allow Jesus to share his story with us anew. Let us sit with it. Let it open our minds, expand our imaginations. We can follow it where it might lead us. Jesus, of course, wants us to grow in our love for God, the Father. His parables work to create space in us for that love. Lord Jesus Christ, we come to you, and we ask you, please, open our hearts to your teaching. Fan into flame in us the gift of your Holy Spirit, that we might indeed have ears to hear, that the horizons of our imagination might grow, so that we might embrace your kingdom with great enthusiasm. Allow your word to find fertile soil in us, that we might produce great fruits, that we might indeed serve your kingdom way. Thank you, friends, so much. What a joy to share the gospel with you again.