Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

(07/12/2026) Gospel Reading: Mathhew 13:1-23

“Why Do You Speak to Them in Parables?”

 

The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower.

All who come to him will have life forever.

 

From the desk of Fr. Leo

     A family was on vacation, and as they rode down the highway there was a big sign that read: ROAD CLOSED. They maneuvered around the sign and continued on. Suddenly the road ended and there was an even larger sign: “WHAT PART OF “ROAD CLOSED?” didn't you understand?”

     In this weekend's gospel; Jesus tells us why He uses parables, to help those who have trouble understanding His teachings explained what they need to know to be saved. This weekend, and for the next two weekends, we will hear several of Jesus' parables about the kingdom of heaven.

     This weekend's parable and the explanation that goes with it is very clear. God's word is like a seed which can produce life, but if it falls on deaf ears, it produces nothing. It was what Jesus experienced as He traveled from one place to another, teaching. Certainly, from the time of Adam and Eve, there have been people who hear God's word, and they don’t respond to it; like the hardened earth, or stony ground thick with weeds.

     A good story, however, can often have several interpretations. I wish to suggest another way we can look at the parables, a way that might enhance our own spiritual growth. Instead of thinking of the field as all of human kind, let us think of the entire field as representing just ourselves. If we see ourselves as the field, we see that sometimes we are closed to God's word, sometimes we get very enthusiastic but our enthusiasm has no depth, sometimes our life is so cluttered with things we have to do or want to do, that we have no time left for God. But sometimes, our hearts and minds are like the rich soil, and we take God's word in and serve Him genuinely and faithfully. Looking at the parable that way, we see in ourselves hardened paths, stony ground and weeds, but we also see good soil. And we see, we have the freedom to determine how well God's word will take root in us by changing what we can in our lives so there is more good soil in our hearts and minds for the seed of God's word to fall upon. When God sends moisture to the earth, it does the work of keeping the world green and alive.

     When God sends out His word, it is not full of empty promises; it is effective and powerful and is able to accomplish what it was sent to do. God's word was true, as roughly 50 years after the Babylonian exile, the Persians (Iran) destroyed the Babylonian empire (in reference to the First Reading), and allowed the Jews to return home. In this weekend's gospel parable, we are then presented with another way of thinking of the power of the Word of God: as a seed

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Meditation: What is the best and easiest way to help people understand God's kingdom? Like the rabbis of his time, Jesus very frequently used parables - short stories and images taken from everyday life - to convey hidden truths about the kingdom of God. Like a skillful artist, Jesus sketched memorable pictures with short and simple words. A good image can speak more loudly and clearly than many words. Jesus used the ordinary everyday illustrations of life and nature to point to another order of reality - hidden, yet visible to those who had "eyes to see" and "ears to hear". Jesus communicated with vivid illustrations which captured the imaginations of his audience more powerfully than any abstract presentation could. His parables are like buried treasure waiting to be discovered (Matthew 13:44).

What can the parable about seeds and roots teach us about the kingdom of God? Any farmer will attest to the importance of good soil for supplying nutrients for growth. And how does a plant get the necessary food and water it needs except by its roots? The Scriptures frequently use the image of fruit-bearing plants or trees to convey the principle of spiritual life and death. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit (Jeremiah 17:7-8; see also Psalm 1:3)

How do you listen to God's word?

Jesus' parable of the sower is aimed at the hearers of his word. There are different ways of accepting God's word and they produce different kinds of fruit accordingly. There is the prejudiced hearer who has a shut mind. Such a person is unteachable and blind to what he or she doesn't want to hear. Then there is the shallow hearer. He or she fails to think things out or think them through; they lack depth. They may initially respond with an emotional reaction; but when it wears off their mind wanders to something else.

Another type of hearer is the person who has many interests or cares, but who lacks the ability to hear or comprehend what is truly important. Such a person is too busy to pray or too preoccupied to study and meditate on God's word. Then there is the one whose mind is open. Such a person is at all times willing to listen and to learn. He or she is never too proud or too busy to learn. They listen in order to understand. God gives grace to those who hunger for his word that they may understand his will and have the strength to live according to it. Do you hunger for God's word?

The refusal to believe and understand

Jesus told his disciples that not everyone would understand his parables. Did Jesus mean to say that he was deliberately confusing or hiding the meaning of his stories from his listeners? Very likely not. Jesus was speaking from experience. He was aware that some who heard his parables refused to understand them. It was not that they could not intellectually understand them, but rather, their hearts were closed to what Jesus was saying. They had already made up their minds to not believe. God can only reveal the secrets of his kingdom - that which is hidden to the spiritually blind - to those who hunger for God and humbly submit to his truth.

What can makes us ineffective or unresponsive to God's word? Preoccupation with other things can distract us from what is truly important and worthwhile. And letting our hearts and minds be consumed with material things can easily weigh us down and draw us away from the heavenly treasure that lasts for eternity. God's word can only take root in a receptive heart which is docile and ready to hear what God has to say.

How God's word takes root in us

The parables of Jesus will enlighten us if we approach them with an open mind and heart, ready to let them challenge us. If we approach them with the conviction that we already know the answer, then we, too, may look but not see, listen but not understand. God's word can only take root in a receptive heart that is ready to believe and willing to submit. Do you submit to God's word with trust and obedience?

One lesson from this parable is clear: the harvest is sure to come. While some seed will fall by the wayside and some fall on shallow ground and never come to maturity, and some be choked to death by the thorns; nonetheless a harvest will come. The seed that falls on good soil, on the heart that is receptive, will reap abundant fruit. God is always ready to speak to each of us and to give us understanding of his word. Are you hungry for his word? And do you allow anything to keep you from submitting to God's word with joy and trusting obedience?

Lord Jesus, faith in your word is the way to wisdom, and to ponder your divine plan is to grow in the truth. Open my eyes to your deeds, and my ears to the sound of your call, that I may understand your will for my life and live according to it

read more at: http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org

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