Homily for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

    

First Reading: Is 55:10–11

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 65:10, 11, 12–13, 14

Second Reading: Rom 8:18–23

Gospel: Mt 13:1–23 or 13:1–9

Holy Family of Nazareth Catholic Church, Vernon, TX

    The parable in today’s Gospel reading from Matthew is one that is difficult to understand. Even the disciples of Jesus who had followed him for quite some time did not understand the meaning of the parable. This is a problem for us because the parable Jesus speaks is directed squarely at us today.

          There are four things to examine in the parable: the seed, which Jesus identifies as the Word of God – the Gospel, the good news of the Kingdom of God; the sower, whom Jesus identifies as himself – he is the one who sent by God to proclaim the Kingdom; the soil where the seed is sown, of which Jesus speaks of four distinct types – that is us, the people made in the image and likeness of God, but with different attitudes in our hearts and minds; finally there is the fruit that springs up, or does not – this is the indwelling of God’s grace and blessing in the heart of the one in whom the seed has been sowed.

          In the parable, the sower flings his seed here and there, seemingly with no concern as to where it lands. Some of it lands on rich soil, some of it on rocky soil, some of it ends up in the bushes bordering the edges of the garden, and some of it even ends up on the hard paved footpath or sidewalk through the garden. Any farmer today knows one does not throw valuable crop seed willy-nilly like that. A good farmer certainly doesn’t try to plant their seed on the sidewalk! Why does the sower, Jesus, do just that? We have to understand the types of soil – the types of human hearts – before we can understand why the sower flings seed in such a seemingly reckless manner.

          Jesus revealed in the parable that the seed sown on the sidewalk was the person who heard the Word and failed to understand it and so it was stolen away by the devil. This is the heart that is closed to hearing the Gospel – pagans, atheists, secular humanists, and the like. They are not interested in hearing anything about Jesus Christ. They may even ridicule one who attempts to sow the seed on their ground.

          Jesus went on to reveal that the seed sown on rocky ground is the person who hears the Word with joy at the moment, but nothing takes root, so it withers and dies. This is the heart whose religion is based on emotion and sentimentality instead of faith. When faced with a Church teaching that is unpopular or controversial in today’s culture: marriage of one man and one woman, abortion, contraception, immigration, death penalty, for example, they are quick to say “I am Catholic, but…” They follow their own Gospel, not the Gospel of Christ.

          Jesus next revealed the seed sown among the thorn bushes was choked out by worldly anxiety and the lure of riches, so it bore no fruit. This is the one for whom the Gospel takes a back seat to work, politics, money, stuff, the Sunday morning tee-time, and any other idols we set up for ourselves today. “I’ll be happy to spend time with you Lord, but first let me do such and such.” But they rarely get around to the Lord.

          But the seed sowed on rich soil is the one who hears the Word of God, understands it and reaps a ridiculously large harvest. This is the heart that is docile to the movement of the Holy Spirit. The one who is willing to surrender everything they have and everything they are to the will of God. In return God brings forth a harvest of grace within that heart that is not natural. In the loving, faithful heart that embraces the Gospel and tries their best to live it, Jesus brings forth a supernatural harvest of grace a hundred or seventy or thirty times greater. Imagine planting one corn seed and getting 100 corn plants springing up. God can grace you with that if you are rich soil and give him your “Yes” like Mary did.

          Back to the sower flinging seed wildly everywhere, even on the sidewalk. Have you ever noticed what happens to a sidewalk over time? How in some strange way a tiny seed will find its way into the smallest crack and a plant will spring up? If allowed to grow, the plant will eventually crack and shatter the sidewalk. Even in those people with the hardest of hearts, if Jesus can find the smallest, tiniest crack for the seed to sneak into, he can bring forth fruit – grace in the life of that person. He can do the same for the rocky ground and the thorn bushes. That is why we pray unceasingly for those who have fallen away, for those who persecute us, for those who do not believe, for those who are lukewarm.

          Let us be sowers of seed. Fling it everywhere, like Jesus! Spread the Good News of the Gospel by your words, but mostly by your life. When people see Christ in you, you have sown seed. Who knows where the seed will land? Who knows what cracks it will find? Who knows what fruit it will bear? It is our job, yours and mine, to take up the work of Jesus the sower and be sowers of the Word ourselves. All of us are called to make disciples – not just me, not just Father, but all of us. It is part of our baptismal call.

St. Joseph, Mirror of Patience, Pray for us!