July 16
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
“The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.”
Readings
Reflection
Have you ever considered the seeds that you plant in your day-to-day life? We can plant seeds of hope and optimism or doubt and misery through the interactions we have with those around us. We can also plant seeds of faith when we speak to others about our knowledge of God’s plan for our lives. Today’s first reading and the gospel are linked by seeds. In the first reading Isaiah tells us that both rain and snow water the earth and cause the seeds to grow and provide us with food. In the gospel, Christ speaks of a sower sowing his seed and of the different places where the seed fell and grew. We are the seed and Christ the water which nourishes us and causes us to grow. The reading today should prompt us to look honestly at our own lives and see which seed we happen to be – fruitful or fruitless.
Of course, the other aspect of this seed to ground pairing is the fruitfulness of the ground that receives the seeds. Jesus distinguishes between the different types of soil, noting that some is rocky, some is thin, and some is rich. As this is a parable, we are not talking about real soil, but about the hearts and minds of the people who hear the words of God and the message of the church. Perhaps we can think about which type of soil we are, whether our hearts and minds are able to take in the seeds of faith that have been planted by our church, our Lord and our world, and produce a harvest worthy of the sacrifices that our God has made for us.
In order to attain the glory which has been promised us we must nurture the seeds of faith within us and listen to the word of God, living out His plan for our lives each and every day. Only then will we plant the seeds that help others to grow in their own faith. Let us ask ourselves if we are ready to put aside the less important things of this world and tune into the seeds that Jesus has planted in our hearts and minds.
Keep the faith,
Deacon Dare
Would you like to receive these reflections in your inbox? Subscribe to The Sunday Read newsletter.