BIBLE STUDY #50
FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
JULY 10, 2011

Reading 1 Is 55:10-11

Thus says the LORD:
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;
my word shall not return to me void,
but shall do my will,
achieving the end for which I sent it.

The Word of the Lord


Reading II Rom 8:18-23

Brothers and sisters:
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing
compared with the glory to be revealed for us.
For creation awaits with eager expectation
the revelation of the children of God;
for creation was made subject to futility,
not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it,
in hope that creation itself
would be set free from slavery to corruption
and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.
We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now;
and not only that, but we ourselves,
who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
we also groan within ourselves
as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.

The Word of the Lord


Gospel Mt 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.”

The Gospel of the Lord

Reflection

Today’s Gospel reading is the third great discourse in Matthew and is about belief and unbelief as told in several parables. We have the first parable of the sower.

A parable is a literary form that includes axioms, proverbs, and allegories, that compares Christian truths and everyday life as a way of teaching about Christian life.

Jesus leaves the house he was in and goes out to teach. The crowds are so large that he gets into a boat and sits down (the preferred posture of teachers). He teaches using the parable of the sower, the first notably long parable in this Gospel. Jesus uses something from every day life to make his point. A farmer goes out to sow his seed, which usually preceded planting. Since he doesn’t know what kind of soil is underneath the seeds, he plants everywhere to be sure. A lot of seed maybe wasted due to the scorching sun, landing in thorns, and lack of roots, but the abundance of the harvest is assured. There is more and more opposition to Jesus, but we are reassured of the abundance of the harvest, expressed as a return of a hundred fold, sixty fold, and thirty fold. Later in this passage, we will get an explanation of the parable.

Now Matthew turns to the purpose of parables. At this point, the disciples don’t understand anymore than anyone else, hence his later explanation, but he makes a distinction between those who have chosen Jesus as Lord and those who haven’t. God’s grace has worked through the disciples and they have chosen to believe so they will receive further grace and understanding, while the others are left out of belief and understanding because of their refusal to believe in the clear message Jesus has been giving since chapter 4. The prophecy of Isaiah that Jesus quotes has come true. The opposition to Jesus has closed their eyes and ears so they don’t see or hear him because of the grossness of their hearts. If they would open their hearts, eyes and ears to Jesus, they would be healed and become believers. Those who do believe are blessed.

Jesus then explains the parable. The first type of person (the seed sown on the path) hears but doesn’t understand so therefore he doesn’t become a disciple. It is easy for the devil to take the word away from him. Is it because he doesn’t want to understand because of an anti-religious stance? Some times people reject faith because they want to make their own decisions and “don’t want to be told what to do”. This always makes me laugh. The first thing I ask them is if they are married. The second thing I ask is if they work. If you said yes to one or both these, someone is telling you what to do. Our system of laws tells us what to do. Some people make the silly statement that ‘you can’t regulate morality’. Of course we can, and we do! What do you think law is about? It’s about regulating what we can do or can’t do, should or shouldn’t do, which is morality. Some people fall prey to peer and societal pressure and reject religion because they want to fit in and be accepted. They don’t want to be pigeon holed as ‘a religious nut’. Whenever we choose not to understand and believe, we fall into this category.

The second type of person (the seed sown on rocky ground) is the one who initially has great joy in the Christian life, but falls away when faith proves to be difficult. These are the types who only practice their faith when it is convenient. If they feel like going to mass they go, but when it is inconvenient (like on vacation) they find any excuse not too go to mass. These are the types who never speak up for their faith in the public forum, at work, with friends, or even within family because it is easier to stay silent and be one of the crowd. In fact, faith becomes such a ‘private matter’ that hardly anyone knows they go to church. For them, faith is something they fit into their schedule, but has it has no priority in their lives; if something else comes along, church gets dropped (like going to kids sporting events instead of church - if no one went to these games, they’d change the time of the game).

The third type of person (the seed sown among thorns) is the one who is more concerned with the accumulation and retention of wealth and is more concerned with other worldly matters. These kinds of things become obsessive and controlling, almost to the exclusion of everything else. Faith has no bearing because it is not worldly.

The fourth type of person (the seed sown on good soil) is the one who both understands and does the will of God. The soil of our soul is prepared through our love. Someone in our past planted the seed of faith (parents, teachers, family, for example) and we encourage this seed to grow through prayer, sacraments, and good works. Our faith is fed these three ways, and continues to grow and we will bear good fruit. When we love God through prayer and sacraments and love each other through our works, then we become God’s great bearers of grace, healing, and salvation.

We see a similar theme in the first reading from Isaiah. Just as the rain comes down and makes the earth fertile so the seeds can grow, so God’s grace comes down from heaven to sow love in our hearts and enable us to be true and faithful disciples.

In the second reading, Paul talks about the redemptive nature of suffering. There is a lot of hard work to planting a seed, watering, feeding, weeding, and doing all those things necessary so the plant can grow. Growing in faith is like that. The seed of faith is planted, and it’s a lot of hard work to grow in our faith. But the end result is all worth it. The suffering of growing in the Christian life and faith in Jesus is redemptive for us.

Prior to entering the seminary, I was a volunteer at a nearby parish. I used to watch the priests and see how dedicated they were, and how much they seemed to enjoy what they were doing; I was greatly impressed. One day the thought hit me: I can do that! It was a thought that kept coming back; I couldn’t get rid of it. I tentatively pursued the idea of a vocation until I entered the seminary, and, as they say, the rest is history. I saw the former pastor of that church recently at a diocesan function, and I said to him, “Part of the reason I’m here today is you.” He nodded to acknowledge and thank me. We never know what will happen when we are true to the calling of discipleship. We need to plant seeds. We are not responsible for the outcome; it is God’s grace that takes over and makes faith grow. But we are God’s agent in sowing the seed.


Fr. Phil