Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today's Mass Readings

The focus of the readings today is the Word of God. There is no other parable in the New Testament that captures the entirety of the relationship between the Word of God and a Christian than the parable of the sower. Let us first understand how the farmer farmed in Jesus’ times. Farmers in Jesus' day first scattered seed on unplowed ground, and then turned the seed into the soil by plowing over it. As he did that, some of the seed sown by this farmer would land on the hard footpath made by people who walk across his field. Before the farmer could turn the seed under with his plow, the birds would have picked the path clean. Some of the seed would fall on soil so shallow and rocky that even after plowing there is not enough depth of soil for proper root development. Part of the seed would fall among thorns which even after being turned under by the plow, would grow up again and crowd out the seed.

Jesus’ own explanation of his parable was simple. He compared our life and heart to the ground. Like there are different types of grounds, there were different types of people who accepted Jesus in varying degrees. While some believed in his teaching like Nicodemus, others simply turned away like the rich young man, and yet others became hostile like the Pharisees and the scribes.

God’s words can bear fruit in our lives only to the extent that we receive it like the good soil received the seed. And this takes much effort. Take the simple words of Jesus, “Love one another as I have loved you.” To plant those words in our lives, with every desire to practice it, watering and nurturing these words and protecting it against the weather, all this can be life long project. Or take the words “Do not worry about what to eat and what to drink… the pagans do that. Rather seek first the kingdom of God and everything else will be yours as well.” To plant these words in good soil in our lives can be challenging. Or take the words of Jesus, “Give and it will be given to you, full measure and overflowing.” If we allows these seeds to grow on good soil, then godly events take place in our lives.

Let us focus on the influence God's Word has in our lives. Hopefully, we are bearing abundant fruit.

- Fr. Satish Joseph