The Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)
“The seed sown on rich soil
is the one who hears the word and understands it,
who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold."
—Matthew 13:23
Once upon a time, a teacher told a story: “A sower went out to sow...”
Unfortunately, as is the case with many of the tales told by that Master Storyteller, the “Parable of the Sower” has lost some of its power to surprise and inspire us. There seem to be two reasons for this. First, these stories—the parables—often include images and anecdotes drawn from Jesus’ own time and place that are largely unrelated to our daily lives. After all, how many of us have any personal experience of hand-sowing seeds in a field or really understand what goes into cultivating a fruitful harvest? The second reason seems to be that we are too familiar with these texts. As with the “Prodigal Son” and the “Good Samaritan,” the parable we hear this Sunday is among the best-known of Jesus’ stories. It’s easy to think that we already know what there is to know and to move on to the next thing.
And yet, the story bears repeating.
Jesus’ sower scatters the seed. Some seeds fell on a path, some fell onto rocky ground with little soil, and some of the seeds fell among thorns and weeds. However, there were also some seeds that fell on rich, fertile soil and produced an abundant harvest.
Jesus himself explains the meaning of the parable and it all seems fairly clear: the seed is God’s Word and the different kinds of soil represent the hearer’s capacity to receive the Word and to allow it to grow and flourish in their hearts. The harvest represents good works and faith, which are given for the nourishment of the world.
Is it really so simple? Yes and no.
Contemporary icon of “Jesus the Sower”
As we listen to this parable within its liturgical context—alongside the words of the Reading from the Prophet Isaiah (55:10-11) and Psalm 65—two points of reflection come to mind.
First, God reminds us through the prophet that that “My word shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.” The gifts of Providence aren’t given simply for our consolation and enlightenment. Rather, they are given for a purpose:
Just as from the heavens
the rain and snow come down
and do not return there
till they have watered the earth,
making it fertile and fruitful,
giving seed to the one who sows
and bread to the one who eats,
so shall my word be
that goes forth from my mouth.
Isaiah’s words seem to anticipate what we read in the Letter to the Hebrews, which declares that “the Word of God is alive and active” (4:12).
This is God’s work and God scatters the seed—the Word—whether we’re ready, paying attention, or even willing to receive the seed at all. God isn’t concerned with waste. Rather, God is always speaking to us, and the seed is always being sown. And so, this reading of the Parable of the Sower challenges a tendency that many people have to personalize passages from Scripture—a tendency to make the text about their own lives rather than an encounter with Divine Revelation. Instead of being an opportunity to reflect on who I am as a sower of the Word in my ministry or commitments, we recognize that this parable is a story about God’s initiative and action. This parable is, at its heart, an invitation to grow as disciples by helping us come to a deeper understanding of God’s extravagance.
“Store up in your minds the Lord’s words which you receive through your ears, for the Word of the Lord is the nourishment of the mind… Be careful that the seed received through your ears remains in your heart.”
—Pope Saint Gregory the Great in Forty Gospel Homilies
All of this brings us to the second point of reflection, as Jesus reminds that it isn’t enough to simply be receptive to the seed that is God’s Word. We also have to do the work of preparing the soil and of cultivating what God has planted within us. And so, we might ask:
What is the condition of my heart-soil? Is it rocky or shallow?
How deeply does God’s Word really penetrate my mind and heart?
Am I distracted with the weeds of “things” and other cares that do little more than drain my energy and resources?
What would it mean for my life to bear an abundant harvest?
In many ways, this parable summarizes what these days of Ordinary Time are all about. This is the span of the year in which we are given time and space to “farm” our hearts and souls to make the most of what has been revealed to us in other seasons. Entering more deeply into the mysteries that we encountered in Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter is key for our growth as disciples. This work can only be done through prayer, discernment, and the works of care and compassion that take us outside of ourselves and our own places of comfort.
Dirt-packed paths can be broken up and the soil enriched, rocks and debris can be removed, and thorns and weeds can be torn out, creating a truly fertile space for growing. As we reflect on all this, we can find encouragement in these words from Pope Francis: “If we want, with the grace of God, we can become good soil, ploughed and carefully cultivated, to help ripen the seed of the Word. It is already present in our heart, but making it fruitful depends on us; it depends on the embrace that we reserve for this seed.”
O God, who show the light of your truth
to those who go astray,
so that they may return to the right path,
give all who for the faith they profess
are accounted Christians
the grace to reject whatever is contrary to the name of Christ
and to strive after all that does it honor.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
-Collect for the Fifteenth Sundy in Ordinary Time
