Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today's Mass Readings

There is nothing quite like the earthy smell of freshly tilled soil in preparation for seeding or transplanting. Perhaps the next best experience of being up close and personal with the soil is walking through the garden barefoot. His garden images suggest that the Prophet Isaias was well acquainted with gardening when he described his vision of God’s mission that brought hope and challenge to his people. He understood the balance needed for the proper sunshine, moisture, and rich soil to produce the intended good harvest. With the proper balance, the people were encouraged to listen to the Word of God with an eagerness based on new hope and commitment.

Today’s reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans suggests an interesting image of organic growth and the Word of God. Creation is said to be groaning and waiting for completion in a new kind of relationship with Jesus the Lord. Because of the death and resurrection of Christ, every human being, and all of creation for that matter, will find its true balance and fulfillment in Christ. This is a wonderful and ongoing announcement of good news.

In practical terms, this means that each person commissioned and strengthened by the Holy Spirit can exercise their inner desire to be fruitful according to their circumstances. The parable of the sower in today’s Gospel has a wealth of interpretations at different levels. First of all, there is the lesson that different types of soil will necessarily produce different yields of wheat. When his disciples asked him about the meaning of the parable, we can presume that they understood that different soil types and circumstances would produce different yields, but they didn’t consider the lesson of the overriding intention of the sower. The sower was lavish in sowing with great abundance over every kind of soil. This gives us a glimpse of the mind of the sower. The overriding point was not the calculated return from sowing the seed, but rather the action of sowing as an intentional and free act of abandon. It demonstrated a relationship which encouraged the committed act of sowing to become a sign of absolute trust and generosity.

It is worth focusing on the meaning of the sower who could trust enough to give so generously at great risk. The famous line from the poet Alfred Lloyd Tennyson comes to mind: “Tis better to have loved and lost, than not to have loved at all.” Our ultimate and personal example of total self-gift eventually leads us to the Lord Jesus, who shows us the way of complete abandonment and trust.

Reflection by Fr. Daniel Petsche, OSB