July 12, 2020 - 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Is 55:10-11; Rom 8:18–23; Mt 13:1–23)

When we hear the parable of the sower and the seed, it can be easy to assume it is meant for someone else. After all, we are the “good soil”, right? This week we are challenged to look a bit more deeply at our own lives and assess just what kind of “soil” we really are. Just as a lot of work goes into preparing and tending the soil of an actual garden, it requires some work on our part to make sure that we can be in the right frame of heart and mind to receive the Word of God throughout our lives. The seed that falls on the path might be those times when we ‘tune out’ the Word of God, thinking “I’ve heard all this before.” But new experiences and growth in our lives mean that this time, if we study closely, we might have new insight into what God is telling us. The rocky soil is prevalent in our current society, which is always distracting us with the next new thing. Our enthusiasm for God can have deeper roots if we take the time, even in the midst of our busy lives, to nurture it with prayer and reflection every day. The thorns may be sins such as greed which try to replace God in our lives – or it may be the worldly cares and worries that demand we focus on them, making us forget that God is there with us to bring us strength and comfort if we will bring our cares to Him.

• In 1 Timothy we’re taught that God “desires all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” But in today’s reading, Jesus says “to them it has not been granted.” Why do you think that Jesus is saying that the crowd will not understand His teaching? What is preventing them from accepting it?
• Jesus quotes Isaiah that people will “hardly hear with their ears and close their eyes …lest they understand.”  Do you see this happening in the world today?
• A garden is not just something you plant once and forget. It is an ongoing effort, with each growing season bringing a renewed opportunity. Are there times in your life when you could identify with the path? The rocky soil? The thorny soil? How did you refresh your love of God?