FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
(Isaiah 55:10–11; Romans 8:18–23; Matthew 13:1–23)
This Gospel passage is both familiar and difficult to
understand. We have heard it countless times, and we know that the different
kinds of soil represent different kinds of people. These images are so striking
that many people pay little attention to the second part of the passage. There
Jesus indicates that some fail to understand the parable because they have
already rejected the basic message of his preaching. Let us look once again at
the parable before trying to understand how some people reject Jesus’ message.
We know that the Parable of the Sower appears in the Gospels
of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It is also found in a shortened but more powerful
form in the Gospel of John. Shortly
before his Passion, Jesus says, “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground
and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much
fruit” (John 12:24). In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the soil must be rid of
obstacles in order for the grain to bear fruit. In John, the emphasis is on the
grain dying in the ground so that it may have an abundant harvest.
In all four gospels the grain represents the word of God.
Yet “the word” in Matthew, Mark, and Luke has a different referent than in John.
The first three gospels present the “word of God” as God's message proclaimed
and heard, much like the prophet describes it in today's first reading. Isaiah says
that the word that goes forth from God's mouth always accomplishes His purpose. It always brings salvation to God’s people.
In John's Gospel, however, the “word of God” is Jesus himself who dies on the
cross to redeem humanity from sin and death.
In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus explains the meaning of
the parable. The seed that falls on the path cannot bear fruit because the
birds devour it before it can sprout. It is like busybodies who don't focus on
God's word but get carried away by life’s trivialities. Rocky ground doesn't
yield a harvest because it is hard and shallow. It represents those who initially
want to serve God but then lose heart when trials of death, duplicity, and hardship
come. The thorny ground also fails to bear fruit because the thorns choke the
young plants. It represents those who allow power, prestige, and pleasure to suffocate
God's inspiration within their hearts. To bear abundant fruit, we must free ourselves
from everything that prevents us from making a priority of loving God and
neighbor.
Now let us consider the challenging part of today's Gospel.
Jesus says that he speaks in parables because there are people who have eyes
but do not see, and ears but do not hear or understand. These are the people
who have rejected his basic message of “repent and believe.” Their hearts resist loving others and forgiving
those who have offended them. For them, the parables remain little more than foolish
riddles.
Pope Francis used to observe that there is a crucial
difference between sinners and the corrupt. He said that there is hope for
sinners to repent but the corrupt have become so hardened that they no longer
recognize their need for conversion. This group certainly includes assassins
and pimps, but it can also include people who have become so rigid that,
although they attend Mass, they do not want to hear about mercy and love.
All of us should ask ourselves if we have tendencies like those
of this latter group. If we discover that our hearts have become hardened to
loving others, if we find ourselves being increasingly self-absorbed, then we must
repent without delay. The Lord never stops loving us. He is always ready to
soften our hearts, to help us love others, and to enable us to bear abundant
fruit for His Kingdom.
