15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

July 12, 2026

What words of Jesus have stayed with me, what words have not?

GOSPEL

Matthew 13:1-23

On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore. And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched,
and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear.” The disciples approached him and said, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” He said to them in reply, “Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted. To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand. Isaiah's prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: You shall indeed hear but not understand, you shall indeed look but never see. Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and be converted, and I heal them. “But blessed are your eyes, because they see,
and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. "Hear then the parable of the sower. The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it, and the evil one comes and steals away what was sown in his heart. The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away. The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit. But 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.”

REFLECTIONS ON THE GOSPEL

First Impressions by Jude Siciliano, OP

“Did you get it?”  That’s what we ask after we have told a joke, and the punch line doesn’t get the expected laugh.  Why don’t people “get it?”  Well, sometimes the joke teller just can’t tell a joke. Sometimes the joke isn’t funny.  But other times the listener doesn’t get the joke because he or she is from a different background, culture, or generation.  They are not “in” on the joke.  One of the classic comedy routines is the one by Abbot and Costello called, “Who’s On First?” The routine is about fifty years old, but I saw it again recently in a documentary about comedies and comedians. For that routine to evoke a laugh you have to be “in” on the joke, i.e., you have to know at least a little about baseball.  If you don’t – “forget about it!” Today and for two more Sundays in July, we will be focusing on the third discourse in Matthew. His gospel has five major discourses and one way to outline this gospel is around these discourses.  Five discourses also suggest the five books of the Torah – another lens through which to interpret this gospel, which is rooted in Jewish themes and symbols. Today’s passage has three parts.  The parable itself (vv. 1-9); Jesus’ reason for speaking in parables (vv, 10-17) and then an interpretation of the parable (vv. 18-23).  Why don’t we just look at the first two sections.  The third, the allegorical interpretation, seems to have been an added-on explanation by the early Christian community. This third section could be the basis for a preaching all by itself.  We will save it for another time, lest we overload today’s preaching. I wonder if Jesus’ disciples weren’t tempted at times to filter out people in the many crowds they encountered while they were with Jesus.  Why not have Jesus focus on the most likely and receptive candidates, those who looked like they were well disposed to his message?  These “prime candidates” could have been invited to sit up close to Jesus, the way very frequent flyers get to move up to first class on crowded airplanes. Instead, Jesus broadcasts his message to the crowds with their widely diverse personalities and religious types. Jesus is reaching far and wide to convince people that God loves them and is inviting them into a new way of living: what he calls, “the kingdom of heaven.”  From the way he is describing that kingdom you can tell that it isn’t restricted to the few and select. You never know who in the crowd is going to get the message – have a light go off in them that stirs them to accept the fantastic story Jesus is revealing to them. Thus, the parable of the Sower seems, first of all, to apply to Jesus and how he goes about his mission. He is speaking to the crowds and, like the Sower in the parable, he has been sowing the Word freely.  One might even accuse him of being too indiscriminate. Shouldn’t the Sower have been more circumspect and place the seed more carefully instead of cavalierly tossing the seed hither and yon? That might make good sense for a careful and parsimonious Sower.  But when Jesus casts the seed of his word, he just isn’t neat. Anyone who is open to it can receive it. Those who “hear” and “see” through the parables are receiving something they could never have gotten on their own. Jesus says they are “blessed,” they have been given the gift of seeing and hearing the wonderful mystery revealed in the parables.  Today’s parable shows how mysterious God’s ways are.  God reaches out, not only to the well-disposed and upright, but to the “rocky” and the “weedy” as well. All are offered God’s expansive love communicated through Jesus’ extravagant sowing of the Word.  Jesus told this parable to “large crowds” – yet, from the disciples’ perspective, the response to his preaching was minimal. Why wasn’t there a mass number of dedicated disciples in response to Jesus’ sowing? Jesus’ followers must have been discouraged by the seeming small response he was getting. The parable of the Sower is complemented today by our first reading from Isaiah in which we hear the assurance that God’s Word “shall not return to me void but shall do my will achieving the end for which I sent it.”  Isaiah testifies that God’s Word in itself is fruitful, not because of any human achievement, but because it is of God, and so is powerful, alive and at work in the world.  Jesus confirms what Isaiah said and offers assurance that eventually, despite the meager signs of success and his disciples’ disappointment, the harvest will be astounding and surprising.  Those of us who plug away at our ministries without seeing immediate, or impressive results, can take heart in the parable of the Sower. The word we preach, and share is powerful and will eventually bear fruit. What kind of harvest? How big a harvest?  Jesus was a carpenter.  The farmers among his listeners would have thought that he knew nothing about farming since he was predicting a yield of “a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.” Experienced farmers in Jesus’ audience wouldn’t have expected a harvest beyond seven or, at the most, tenfold. Jesus was suggesting an impossible yield. But he wasn’t talking farming; he was encouraging his disciples that, despite the seeming poor response, the eventual harvest to his word would be extraordinary.  He was giving his disciples hope in the face of discouraging returns. People doing ministry, spreading God’s Word through their words and actions, hear today’s parable and cling to the hope it offers.  At times we can identify with the frustrations in the parable:  the good seed gets tossed on the path and the birds eat it; it falls on rocky ground and dies for lack of roots, or the seed gets choked by thorns.  How discouraging to hardworking disciples who would be helped if they saw concrete results – sooner, rather than later! But Jesus’ disciples have been blessed with eyes that see and ears that hear the parables.  We “get it” – the way people get a joke – we are let in on the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.  So, we refrain from jumping to conclusions about the “success,” or “failure,” of our work.  We may see waste and an extravagance of grace offered in all the “wrong” places.  Yet, as hearers of today’s parable, we know the story will have an improbable ending of “a hundred, sixty, or thirtyfold.”  Some other force is at work here, and faith in the Word encourages us to surrender to it and trust that, “my word shall not return to me void.” The disciples want to know what’s going on.  Why does Jesus speak in parables?  Jesus’ response to them sounds like he deliberately intends that people not hear or understand him.  But Jesus is describing how people react to his words. Some are closed and unreceptive to him. They are hard-hearted and so cannot understand: “They look but do not see and hear, but do not listen or understand.”  In Jesus, God is making a gracious offer to humans: some will be receptive and accept the offer, others will reject it. What makes us receptive to hear and accept God’s Word?  What helps us “get” the story Jesus is telling of an extravagant harvest despite all present signs to the contrary?  Jesus reminds us, through no effort of our own, we are blessed. We are gifted with the eyes and ears of faith that help us accept the mysterious workings of God.  Through the parables we know the mysteries of the kingdom of God:  that we are being offered something good we could never get on our own,  the love of a gracious and lavish God who is not stingy in showing us the signs of that love.

Justice Bulletin Board by Barbara Molinari Quinby, MPS, Director Office of Human Life, Dignity, and Justice Ministries Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral, Raleigh, NC

“We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even now.” —Romans 8:22

In the above passage, Paul is saying that creation as we know it is like a woman in labor who is about to give birth. We human beings are mid-wives to that birth. The Catholic Church has a long and storied tradition of care of creation culminating in Pope Francis’ clarion call in his document, Laudato Si’: On Care for our Common Home, wherein he states, “Although it is true that we Christians have at times incorrectly interpreted the Scriptures, nowadays we must forcefully reject the notion that our being created in God’s image and given dominion over the earth justifies absolute domination over other creatures. The biblical texts are to be read in their context, with an appropriate hermeneutic, recognizing that they tell us to ‘till and keep’ the garden of the world (cf Gen. 2:15). ‘Tilling’ refers to cultivation, ploughing or working, while ‘keeping’ means caring, protecting, overseeing and preserving” (67). Laudato Si’ challenges us to “hear the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor” through ecological conversion, changes in lifestyle and society, and strong political action. What are Catholic Christians to do? I offer the following suggestions: 

1. REFLECT on the miracle of the natural world and your place in it and PRAY that you might be intentional in her care. 

2. LEARN by reading Laudato Si’ for free at:                      . http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html

3. USE YOUR HEARING AND SIGHT to respond to the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth. They are interconnected. The poor have been unjustly subjected to the results of abuses on nature brought by wealthy nations.

4. DISCERN what you can do to change your own way of living to one that is more sustainable for the whole community. This includes reducing water usage, reducing use of plastics and eliminating Styrofoam, switching to LED lighting, planting trees and native plants, and by becoming an eco-consumer doing eco-investing.

5. JOIN with others who believe caring for our common home is a responsibility given to us by God when God asked us to care for the garden in Genesis. Here at HNOJ Cathedral, join the Laudato Si’ Circle, or Cathedral’s Earth Care Community, or the Diocese of Raleigh NC Catholics Caring for our Common Home. For more information or to add your name, contact socialconcern@hnojnc.org.

Faith Book

Mini-reflections on the Sunday scripture readings designed for persons on the run. “Faith Book” is also brief enough to be posted in the Sunday parish bulletins people take home.

From today’s Gospel reading: But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

Reflection: Jesus tells his disciples that they are blessed because they have seen and heard what generations before them could only hope for. The prophets longed for the coming of God's Messiah, but the disciples were privileged to encounter him face-to-face. As believers today, we too are blessed. Through the Scriptures, the sacraments, and the life of the Church, Christ continues to reveal himself to us. Familiarity can sometimes dull our awareness of this gift. Jesus invites us to open our eyes and ears anew, recognizing God's presence and action in our daily lives.

 So, we ask ourselves:

• What blessings from God have I become so accustomed to that I no longer notice them?

• How attentive am I to God's voice in Scripture, prayer, and the people around me?

• In what way is Christ inviting me to see or hear something new in my life today?

Parables

The meaning of most parables is not so obvious, or at least it shouldn't be. If we assume we know what Jesus is talking about, we are probably missing the main point; if we are too familiar with the story (having heard it so often before), we might not think carefully enough about its real meaning. We might think that Jesus spoke in parables to make it easier for people to understand his message. According to the Gospels, however, he surprisingly does NOT expect everyone to understand them! In Matthew, at least the disciples of Jesus understand the parables; but in Mark, even they have a hard time understanding, despite receiving extra instructions in private! Parables are puzzling. Parables do not define things precisely, but rather use comparisons to describe some aspect of how God acts or interacts with human beings. Yet to say "A is like B" does not mean that "A is identical to B in all respects"; so one should be careful not to misinterpret or misapply the parables. Some would say that parables should be treated as allegory, not metaphor or simile. Parables use figures of speech, allegorical language, with more than one level of meaning. Parables can be full stories, like the sower and the seed in Chapter 4 of Mark, or they can be allegorical references like the retort of Jesus to his critics  in chapter 2 when they query why the disciples are not fasting. His answer is definitely an allegorical one. Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? They are not entertaining stories that reaffirm the status quo. They turn the world upside down by challenging presumptions, reversing expectations, and presenting a different view of life. The Parables were meant to catch Jesus' listeners off guard, to make them re-evaluate their normal ways of behaving, and to align their hearts with God's heart. They very often begin with familiar images and situations and then impose e a radical or even unnatural twist that leaves the listener hearing it for the first time a little off-balance. Most parables contain some element that is strange or unusual. They should cause you to say, "Wait a minute! That's not how farmers do their work! Wealthy landowners would not give such astronomical sums of money to underlings with so few instructions!! That's not what normally happens in nature!" And this strange element should cause you to think. Many parables, like the one about the Pharisee and the Publican, or the one about the Good Samaritan, employed elements which were very countercultural, and shocking to the people of Jesus' time. In the story of the talents, the master reprimands the last servant for not investing money and charging interest on it. However, every one of Jesus’ listeners would have known that this practice is forbidden in scripture (Exodus 22:25’ Leviticus 25:35-28). This would be a huge red flag to the listener that something is going on here. In our own case, because we have grown up with them, the details of the parables seem familiar or even ordinary to us, and we don’t experience the shock value of the stories. ( to us who have heard them so many times, we forget which details are shocking; we have heard them interpreted so many times that the joke has been explained before the parable is over).  Often, we need to translate those stories using examples from our own social and cultural situations in order to see how truly counter-cultural they are. These parables, which appear to be simple and straightforward stories, are actually multi-dimensional and complex.  Frequently, we are left with things unresolved and have to make some conclusions of our own.  Does the elder brother ever go in to join the party welcoming the prodigal son home?  How do those in the vineyard who worked much longer hours respond to the words of the vineyard owner?  Does the Good Samaritan return, and what happens to the victim?  Does the Pharisee ever understand his spiritual arrogance?  Once they get inside, do the five "wise" virgins enjoy the banquet, knowing that their sisters are still outside?  Why DID a guest at the wedding feast show up poorly attired and refuse to explain why? Why was a servant actually punished when he did not waste or lose any of the landowner’s money?  How we resolve those issues in our own minds tells us a lot about our own attitudes.  Are they in line with God's or not? If there is some overall wisdom to be gleaned from parables, it is this:  God's ways are not our ways.  Parables tell us that the fight for the kingdom is not played out in palaces and war rooms, but in the everyday events of our everyday lives.  The struggle for the kingdom is carried out in our divided hearts, where we sometimes mutter "Thy kingdom come" without fully realizing that we might have to pray "My kingdom go". (Alan Redpath, British Baptist Preacher). The parable demands that each of us answer the question "What do YOU say? What is YOUR reaction to this story and why? How we answer defines our moral landscape. And finally, the gospel writers were not secretaries collecting the speech of Jesus. They were two generations away from Jesus, and most of the stories circulating about Jesus were as often oral as written. The gospel writers then took some elements of the storytelling of Jesus and fashioned them into parables using imagery and narrative particular to that evangelist. The parables in Mark are few and spare. Why? The shadow of the cross and the rawness of the crucifixion hangs over the entire gospel, including parables. Mark has Jesus moving, being and doing—and his spar style even related these events without embellishment. Luke is a gospel full of very complex and interesting parables. He was the storyteller, the evangelist who was the most creative in the way he wove the message of Jesus. There are some parables that only appear in one of the four gospels. What does that tell us about how creatively the authors used the teaching of Jesus? What is your favorite parable?

Reflections on Matthew 13:1-23 from Sacred Space, a Service of the Irish Jesuits

The words of Jesus do not all bear fruit. Knowing this did not stop Jesus from speaking, but he continued to proclaim good news, truth and life to any who would listen. I take care to review the measures by which I value my actions and words. I pray for the strength to continue speaking and acting – even in the absence of evident encouraging results. Truth is not determined by a majority, but is scattered abroad, being recognised and valued by some. I ask God to help me to hear Jesus’ word for me and to take it to heart, where it can grow. Some scholars consider this parable to be at the centre of Jesus’ message. It is the parable of the optimism of the kingdom. The seed is small and fragile, and not all seeds fall on good soil. But most of them do, and they are extraordinarily fruitful, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. I ask myself whether my faith makes me hopeful or whether I am always complaining at how poor is the response to Jesus’ message. Let anyone with ears listen! This is the challenge Jesus lays down, to listen. In our times this is becoming more difficult, surrounded as we are by so much noise, so many different voices calling for our attention. I pray for an open ear and an open heart, for knowing how to seek and find silence in my daily rhythm. This is certainly the parable for the optimists. However much seed fell elsewhere, the sower would make sure that most of the seed would fall on good ground. Even the poorest yield is thirtyfold! In the Gospel Jesus very often uses the metaphor of the seed to describe the Kingdom and its innate energy. Do I share his optimism, or am I a prophet of doom about the future of the Kingdom in our world? I look at my heart, and see that some parts of my heart are more open to the word of God, others find it more difficult. I follow Jesus’ advice, and listen to what this parable is telling me. Jesus’ explanation of the different outcomes for the seeds sown, follows in our Gospel passage for the day after tomorrow. But, in between, there is added in the Gospel of Matthew a full reflection from Jesus on why it is only the committed disciples who are receptive enough to take in that explanation. For what is required is not just any kind of understanding; but understanding-of-the-heart : there needs to be an initial opening of heart, to make space for Jesus’ message. Jesus even quotes a prophet to describe minds that are closed : “This people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears are heavy of hearing, and their eyes they have closed” – little chance, then, of effective healing – “lest they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn for me to heal them”. To the disciples, on the other hand, “it has been given [by God] to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven”. These are fortunate – because “many longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it”. This is the parable of Christian optimism: even if the sower was only moderately good, most of the seed would fall on good ground, bringing forth abundant fruit, at least a thirtyfold. Let anyone with ears listen! On the feast day of the grandparents of Jesus and the parents of Our Lady, I pray in gratitude for my parents and grandparents, and for all who have been given this important mission in their lives. Many biblical commentators see this parable as the basic metaphor of the whole Gospel. The seed is the Word, and the sower is God, whose will can never be stopped. The seed falls on different types of ground, but the great majority certainly falls on good ground, and its fruit more than makes up for the seeds that fall on more difficult ground. It is the parable of optimism, something which is often lacking in followers of the Gospel. If I am a normal person, my heart contains all four sorts of ground, being more or less open to the Gospel message. I ask for light to see where the hardness and the insecurity lie, and ask the Sower that my life may bear abundant fruit. Jesus’ parables can heal us to hear and understand how things stand between God and ourselves. They are nuggets of grace that test our heart’s willingness to surrender to the generosity of God. 'Let anyone with ears listen'. This means me! When I come to pray, do I have the soil of an open heart toward Jesus and his teachings? Am I willing to allow his Word to break into my closed heart? Jesus made the boat his pulpit, announcing the word of God from this unlikely place. The word of God has been scattered in my life - sometimes flourishing, sometimes seeming to fade away. I think of where I am strong and consider how I might give witness to God’s goodness from that place, just as Jesus chose the best place from which to make his voice heard. As I think of myself as the field in which the word of God is scattered, I may recognise the barren places, the dry patches and the fertile parts. To which do I pay attention? I take some time to appreciate where God’s word has found a root in me and I ask God’s help to remain open to such seed as may be scattered again today. The different kinds of ground on which the seed falls represent the different ways in which the word of God is received. The degree of receptivity depends on the individual person and the particular circumstances of his or her life. The parable provides hope and encouragement, in that the sower succeeds ultimately in producing a crop from the seed that fell on ‘good soil’. Such crowds gathered to see and hear Jesus that he had to preach from a boat. They were hungry for spiritual nourishment and for leadership. Lord Jesus, I pray for the Church and for all believers today. Make of us a community of disciples, all looking to you. The words of Jesus do not all bear fruit. Knowing this did not stop Jesus from speaking, but he continued to proclaim good news, truth and life to any who would listen. I take care to review the measures by which I value my actions and words. I pray for the strength to continue speaking and acting – even in the absence of evident encouraging results. Truth is not determined by a majority, but is scattered abroad , being recognised and valued by some. I ask God to help me to hear Jesus’ word for me and to take it to heart. I allow my imagination to dwell with the scene that Jesus presents, picturing the growth, identifying threats to it. I take care not to allow the weeds and barrenness to dominate but accept that God pictures a flourishing harvest and never gives up that hope for me. I think of how I might remain on the alert for anything that threatens the Word that is given to me: the life that Jesus offers can be leached away by sceptical attitudes, cynical comments, despairing attitudes or unkind words. Any person who lacks the basic understanding-of-the-heart to take in Jesus’ message, in one sense can hardly be said to have ever even heard ‘the word of the kingdom’ – much less to have had it take root in his heart : more like, the seed (of the word) fell ‘on the edge of the path’, and in this case the birds got there first. The terrain of Palestine is rocky – and for this reason alone seed often fails to take root. So a person can be overjoyed at receiving ‘the word of the kingdom’ – but when faced with persecution, such a person yields, and is found to have no real depth of faith. But persecution may not even be required – temptation alone can cause an initial believer to fall away. Temptation could take the form of ‘the worries of the world’: we recall Jesus’ story of the people first invited to the wedding-feast who all proved to be too busy with their own affairs, to accept. Or temptation could come through ‘the lure of riches’ : we recall the rich young man who might have followed Jesus, but who drew back when he found that he would first have to rid himself of his wealth. Finally, persons who accepted the word deep in their hearts – the several categories of them – are foregrounded here, one might say, in order to off-set or compensate for those others who fell by the wayside. The whole parable is concluded in a manner designed to console and encourage faithful disciples. We get so used to hearing Jesus’ parables that we may fail to appreciate how full of wisdom they are, a wisdom that is beautifully expressed in a language anyone can understand. In an earlier extract in Matthew we heard Jesus talk about how “the queen of the South will rise up at the judgement with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here! (Matthew 12:42)  As you read today’s Gospel let yourself dwell on Jesus’ wisdom as one of his most attractive characteristics. The parable of the sower explains how the Word of God is received. Jesus knows that there are different levels of receiving the Word - allowing it to flourish and bear fruit or not giving it sufficient attention so that its effect diminishes. The Word of God is given to me as a gift. I pray that I may allow allow its goodness to take root in my life and yield a fertile harvest, leading me in the ways of truth and love. Is ‘the word of the kingdom’ sufficiently important to me as to make it a precious treasure in my life? Or do distractions and concerns edge out the primary importance of God’s word? What voices and noises of this world drown it out? Lord, make my heart silent so that I can hear you! Jesus tells me here that ‘understanding’ is essential for the word to take root in my heart and to be effective in my life. Reflective and unhurried listening enables it to speak to my heart. Lord Jesus, may your living and life-giving word always be a priority for me. May I put aside some time each day - like now! - to listen to it and to put it into practice. The Word of God is sown in my heart day after day through Sacred Space. How would I describe my heart? Is it part hard, part rocky, part thorny? I ask the Lord to till the soil of my heart so that it becomes fresh and fertile. If I were challenged in court to explain my faith, what would I say? Would I talk about what I know about God, or rather that I try to live according to the command of love? Would there be much evidence available to support my statements? Jesus speaks of the word of God as something organic and growing. Let me think back to seeds that have grown in my heart: probably happenings rather than preachers’ words. I saw a kindness, a courageous stance, an example of honesty that cost the honest man dearly. That was the seed. It stayed with me, and was active in my heart. In the same way I sometimes find, to my delight, that others have noticed something I did or said, and it became a seed in their heart, yielding good fruit over the years. Jesus explains the story of the sower and the seed. He knows that we have different levels of hearing and responding to him. Maybe this story can throw some light on the desires in our heart to bear fruit; or on what may prevent me from heating fully the word of god. There are thorns in all of us; with Jesus we can remove them so that we may bear more fruit.

ENCOUNTER CHRIST REFLECTIONS AND MEDITATIONS

Preparation for the Session

Adapted from Sacred Space: The Prayer Book 2025

Presence of God: Jesus, As I come to you today, fill my heart, my whole being, with the wonder of your sacred presence.  Help me to become more aware of your presence in my life, and more receptive to that presence. I desire to love you as you love me. May nothing ever separate me from you. (1-2 minutes of silence)

Freedom: Jesus, Grant me the grace to have freedom of spirit. Keep me from being bound by desires and actions that are not good for me or others.  Cleanse my heart and soul that I may live joyously in your love. (1-2 minutes of silence)

Consciousness: Where am I with God? With others in my life? What am I grateful for? Is there something I am sorry for, words or actions that have hurt others, and which I now regret? I take a moment to ask forgiveness of God and of those whom I have hurt. God, I give you thanks for your constant love and care for me. Keep me always aware of your presence in my life. (2-3 minutes of silence)

Opening Prayer

Dear Lord, open the eyes of my heart so that I both see and know how to find your wisdom and your hope in my everyday life. Help me to make space in my heart for the word of God. May I always seek your advice, even when my life is crowded with distractions and worries. Teach me the secrets of your Kingdom. Teach me how to be your disciple. Amen.

Companions for the Journey

In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus is portrayed as the New Moses, who has come to fulfill the law and the promise of the Jewish scriptures. There are five distinct teaching segments in the gospel, designed to make a direct reference to the five books of the Jewish Torah. The term Five Discourses of Matthew refers to five specific teaching occasions by Jesus within this gospel, and these discourses are used by Matthew to retell the entirety of the Old Testament, demonstrating that Christ is the fulfillment of all that was promised therein. The five discourses are listed as the following: the Sermon on the Mount (5-7), the Missionary Discourse, (10) the Parables of the Kingdom Discourse (13), the Discourse on the Church (18), and the Discourse on End Times (23-25). The parabolic discourse demonstrates how Jesus uses parables to get his message out to those who will hear. The following commentary for preachers on today’s section of chapter 13 is from Elizabeth Johnson, Professor at Lutheran Seminary: It is not difficult to find contemporary examples of the various responses to the word depicted in Jesus' parable. Having the word choked out by "the cares of the world and the lure of wealth" seems to be a particular problem in North America. One should be careful, however, to avoid equating the various types of soil with a particular person or group, and especially to avoid equating oneself or one's community with the good soil. If we are honest with ourselves, we can probably find evidence of several kinds of soil in our lives and in our congregations on any given day. It is noteworthy that Jesus does not use the parable to exhort hearers to "be good soil," as though we could make that happen. If there is any hope for the unproductive soil, it is that the sower keeps sowing generously, extravagantly, even in the least promising places. Jesus' investment in his disciples shows that he simply will not give up on them, in spite of their many failings. We trust that he will not give up on us either, but will keep working on whatever is hardened, rocky, or thorny within and among us. We trust in his promise to be with us to the end of the age. As those entrusted with Jesus' mission today, we might consider the implications of this parable for how we engage in mission. Too often we play it safe, sowing the word only where we are confident it will be well received, and only where those who receive it are likely to become contributing members of our congregations. In the name of stewardship, we hold tightly to our resources, wanting to make sure that nothing is wasted. We stifle creativity and energy for mission, resisting new ideas for fear they might not work—as though mistakes or failure were to be avoided at all costs. Jesus' approach to mission is quite at odds with our play-it-safe instincts. He gives us freedom to take risks for the sake of the gospel. He endorses extravagant generosity in sowing the word, even in perilous places. Though we may wonder about the wisdom or efficiency of his methods, Jesus promises that the end result will be a bumper crop.

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today's reading and discussion? Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions which follow.

Reflection Questions:

What kind of heart/mind does it take to understand the parables?

Are there parts of my heart that are open/welcome to God’s word?
Are there parts of my heart that find certain parts of the word of God more difficult?

Are there some teachings that I just cannot get on board with?

Has there ever been a teaching/command of Jesus that took a long time to grow in my heart?

Have there ever been projects about which I was enthusiastic initially, but languished after I got bored or distracted?

Do we sometimes get so tired of hearing the same old things from friends, family, God that we eventually stop listening?

Do I feel fortunate to have been exposed in a deeper way to the teachings of Jesus, either through prayer, or through a reading or discussion group?

Who have been the moral advisors in my life?
Have I ever dismissed them out of hand?
Have I responded by taking their words to heart?  
Have I outgrown their teaching/world view?

What does it mean to me to have “ears to hear”?

How receptive is my heart at this moment to learn, to grow, to change?
Which is the hardest to do?

Has there ever been a time when I heard the message of Christ, but let it lie on the edge of my consciousness where it withered?
Did I say that I had “outgrown” it?

Do I share Jesus’ optimism about the Kingdom?

Do I get discouraged when my words do not bear fruit?
How does “herd mentality” affect my decisions?
Have I ever planted a seed of wisdom in someone else’s heart and help him/her with discernment?
How did it make me feel?

Have the four stalking horses of defeat (skeptical observations, cynical comments, despairing attitudes or unkind words) ever caused my faith or my optimism to wither and die? Have I ever spoken in such ways and thus discouraged another’s optimism or faith?

Closing Prayer

Don’t forget to provide some prayer time at the beginning and at the end of the session (or both), allowing time to offer prayers for anyone you wish to pray for.  

Dear Lord, this is a message of hope for us all. Our hearts contain all  four sorts of ground, being more or less open to what your told us so long ago and what you are telling me now. We need to focus on all of the places in our hearts and the hearts of others where your word has taken root. Keep me from discouragement when I see that your words have not borne fruit, either in my own soul or in the world at large. Give me the eyes to see where good things are happening and  help me to be optimistic about the future of my own life and the life of this planet.

For the Week Ahead

Weekly Memorization (taken from the gospel for today's session): Whoever has ears ought to hear.

Meditations:

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions: This parable contain the four outcomes of the breaking of God’s word in our lives. Sometimes,  God’s message gets destroyed by our culture or our own selfishness so that it never had a chance to thrive. When in my life have is simply brushed off the teaching of Jesus  before really listening because it did not fit my world view or my lifestyle? Other times, God’s message  falls on rocky ground, where the roots are not strong enough to sustain it. How many times have I embarked on a promise or obligation, but did not follow through because my heart was not really into it? Again, God’s message could also fall among thorns which choke out God’s words. How often have my own  good intentions gotten lost in the din of the conflicting messages the world has to offer? And finally, God’s word fall on deep rich soil, where they take root and grow into something truly wonderful. When in my life have I experienced the satisfaction and joy of seeing my life or that of another completely turn around because the message of Jesus got through and actually blossomed? Think of a time in which God was speaking to you in the events of your life. Were you aware of it at the time? How did you respond? What words of Jesus have actually taken root in your life, and which are struggling to survive?

A Meditation in the Augustinian Style/Relationship: (From Sacred Space: A Service of the Irish Jesuits) I read this passage slowly as if I am looking at the mirror of my heart. I probably discover that I have at different moments all the four reactions Jesus describes in the parable. I ask myself how I can grow in my freedom to accept God’s word to me, precisely where the challenge is greatest. Yet I also notice how fruitful the word has been in my life, surprising even myself with its power to bear such abundant fruit – a hundredfold, sixty, thirty times. I look at my life in gratitude for the abundant fruit that the word sown in my heart has produced, in my relationships, in my freedom and openness to God and others, in my sensibility to suffering around me. Especially to the place Jesus has in my life. I also look at the margins of my heart, those areas where the word finds it difficult to bear lasting fruit, and I ask for light and freedom to remove these obstacles and distractions.

A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Imagination: (From Sacred Space: A Service of the Irish Jesuits) I allow my imagination to dwell with the scene that Jesus presents, picturing the growth, identifying threats to it. I take care not to allow the weeds and barrenness to dominate but accept that God pictures a flourishing harvest and never gives up that hope for me. As I think of myself as the field in which the word of God is scattered, I may recognize the barren places, the dry patches and the fertile parts. To which do I pay attention? I take some time to appreciate where God’s word has found a root in me and I ask God’s help to remain open to such seed as may be scattered again today. I read this passage slowly as if I am looking at the mirror of my heart. I probably discover that I have at different moments all the four reactions Jesus describes in the parable. I ask myself how I can grow in my freedom to accept God’s word to me, precisely where the challenge is greatest.

A Meditation in the Augustinian Style/Relationship: Psalm 65 is a great hymn of praise, marveling that God hears our prayers, that God answers our prayers, and that God's grace is visited upon the earth resulting in abundance. Think of things you have prayed for. Have your prayers been answered?  In the way you expected or in some greater way?  Then look at the world around you. What examples do you find of God's enrichment of the earth? Take a walk, just concentrating on the beauty of God's ongoing care for the natural world.  Write your own psalm of thanksgiving, using the insights you have gathered from your meditations.

Poetic Reflection:

Here, in a poem by Father Ed Ingebretzen, S.J., is a commentary/meditation on the parables of Jesus:

Jesus Prayers II
Jesus taught in parables
and made geography
our greatest—
the precise placing of God
astride the master boat
disarming the wind
riding the road into tock
shaping the one word
needed to free death.

In parables
of ropes, nets and fish,
in the tangle of catching
and feeding, in sowing,
in graces of going
to hear stones sing lakeside—here
Jesus took our name
and wore it
like a fine love.
This, his
major parable.