Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Hearing the Gospel as If for the First Time

How many times have we heard the Parable of the Sower? For many of us, it is one of the most familiar passages in all of Scripture. Because we know it so well, there is a temptation to think, “I already know this Gospel.” But as I prayed with these readings this week, I found myself wondering what it must have been like for the disciples to hear these words for the very first time.

Imagine standing there on the shore as Jesus gets into a boat and begins to teach. A great crowd gathers around Him, waiting to hear what He has to say. Then He tells a story about a sower scattering seed. He speaks about birds, rocky ground, thorns, and good soil. When He finishes, He simply says, “Whoever has ears ought to hear.” If we had been standing there that day, many of us probably would have had the same reaction as the disciples: “What does that mean?” We sometimes forget that even those closest to Jesus did not immediately understand everything He taught.

When we hear this Gospel today, the temptation is to think about someone else. We may find ourselves saying, “I know someone who is like the rocky ground,” or “I know someone whose life is full of thorns.” But Jesus is not asking us to examine someone else’s heart. He is asking us to examine our own.

There is something important we should notice in this parable. The sower never changes. The seed never changes. The only thing that changes is the soil. The seed is always good because it is the Word of God. As the prophet Isaiah reminds us in the first reading, God’s Word never returns empty. It always accomplishes His purpose and has the power to bring forth life. Whenever it seems that God’s Word is not bearing fruit, the problem is never with the seed.

The real question, then, is not, “What kind of soil was I years ago?” but “What kind of soil am I today?” The answer can change from day to day. There are times when we are distracted. There are times when we become so busy that God’s Word barely has time to sink in. There are times when the pressures and concerns of life begin to push God’s Word into the background. Yet there are also moments when our hearts are open, and the very same Gospel we have heard many times suddenly speaks to us in a new and powerful way.

That has certainly happened to me. I can spend several days praying with the readings and preparing a homily, and then, as I sit and listen to the readings proclaimed at Mass, a phrase or a verse suddenly stands out in a way I had never noticed before. The reading has not changed. God has simply continued to work within my heart.

That gives me great hope because good soil is not something we are born with. It is something God patiently cultivates throughout our lives. Every confession softens the ground. Every prayer pulls out a few more weeds. Every act of forgiveness removes another rock. Little by little, God prepares our hearts so that His Word can take deeper root and bear greater fruit.

St. Paul reminds us in today’s second reading that creation is still groaning and waiting. In other words, God is not finished yet. He is still at work. He is still shaping us. He is still bringing about the harvest He desires.

Perhaps before we leave Mass each Sunday, instead of asking ourselves whether we liked the homily, the music, or even whether the church was too cold or too warm, we should ask a different question: “Lord, what kind of soil did You find in my heart today?” And then we can pray with confidence: “Lord, if my heart has become hard, soften it. If it has become crowded, clear it. And if there are rocks keeping Your Word from taking root, remove them, so that Your Word may bear abundant fruit in my life.”