Cycle A - Year 1:  

16 July 2017:  Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 

(Liturgical Color: Green)

Readings:

First Reading:        Isaiah 55:10-11

Second Reading:   Romans 8:18-23

Gospel:Please Read  Matthew 13:1-23

Faith that grows a bountiful harvest!

Any farmer worth his salt, so to say, knows that you reap what you sow, literally. But even so, there is really no guarantee that when you sow you will reap something in the future. Because something may go wrong, when nature takes its natural course.

Today's Gospel on the Parable of the Sower, and the seed, has something to do with farming and agriculture, and may provide helpful tips on our every day life as practicing Christians.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is a great teacher and many came to Him to listen and learn. He

used simple teaching methods, based on ordinary every day life to point to another order of reality. Among these is the use of parables, which are short stories and images take from everyday life of His time to convey hidden truths about the kingdom of God. Because a good image and vivid illustration can speak more loudly and clearly than many words, and thus capture the imaginations of His audience more powerfully.

What does the Parable of the Sower, and the seed, say to us about God's kingdom? What is its relevance to our every day life?

The Parable of the Sower, and the seed, is addressed to those who can hear God's word, either through reading the Holy Bible or through the official teaching of the Church. Our response to God's word is liken to the fate of a seed that is planted in different kinds of soil. It either grows to produce much fruits, or just withers and dies.

Jesus Himself explains the meaning of this parable to the disciples. Let us reflect on its message:

Some hear God's word without understanding it, or even totally ignoring it (like the seed that fell on the path; the birds came and ate it up);

Others receive God's word but only for a while. Eventually they get tired and give up altogether (like the seed that fell on rocky ground without roots and lasts only for a time);

Still others do listen to God's word, try to live by it but then get distracted or tempted by worldly pleasures and glory (like the seed sown among thorns and the thorns eventually choked it);

And then there are those who truly listen to God's word to understand it, live by it, and thus produce bountiful harvest of authentic Christian living of love and service to others.

Thus, the lesson of the parable is clearly that God is looking for a bountiful harvest. But it is up for us to respond responsibly with full freedom to God's invitation.      

For we are both the soil and the seed. God's Word has been sown within us, so we must cultivate the ground of our hearts in order to be transformed in the Lord and more fully reflect His image and likeness. We are called to grow in holiness and progressively reflect the risen life of Jesus Christ to the world.    

In other words, it is our personal choice how the "seed" of faith grows in our lives. If we want it to grow into a living faith we need to nourish it in the rich soil of our hearts. As any good farmer knows, we must prepare the soil by receiving the Word within our hearts and minds and heeding its call to action to produce bountiful harvest.

In the Eucharist, let us pray that we listen and understand God's word in order to become good and practicing Christians, so that God as the Farmer can truly look forward to a bountiful harvest in our lives.

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!