July 16th, 2023 - Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jesus delivers a powerful parable today about a sower, some seed, and various kinds of soil. The sower is Christ himself and his seed is the word of God. The soil is our hearts, and how we personally receive Christ’s seed and respond to his seed in our lives.  From time to time, we all have to plead guilty to our hearts being hardened and simply not open to receiving God’s word -- times in our lives when this divine seed has landed on stone pavement. Then there are times in which the seed of God has landed on rocky ground. These are times in which suffering comes our way and our faith begins to wither and fade. There are times in which the seed of God has landed on ground that is covered with weeds and thorns. These are the times in which we have been so preoccupied with our daily challenges and responsibilities, our passions and pleasures, that the seed of faith is choked and strangled and can bear no fruit. The Eucharist helps to till the soil of our hearts, and keep them open and receptive to God’s word. So may our holy communion with the sower of seed, the Lord Jesus Christ, help us receive and live God’s word in the week ahead!