Sunday 16th July 2023 - The Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Isaiah 55:10-11/ Psalm 64(65)/ Romans 8:18-23/ Matthew 13:1-23

I often walk through a local Country Park. The pathway runs around the edges of the fields. These fields are used to grow various crops in rotation and some years this includes maize from which we get sweetcorn. After the previous crops have been harvested, the fields are generally left to recover, and all sorts of weeds and meadow flowers appear. Then one day a tractor arrives, and the ground is ploughed and prepared for sowing. The maize is planted by use of a drill so is not scattered but even so each time I see the new crop begin to grow it reminds me of the gospel reading for today. You can see clearly that the seed sown in the well-prepared central part of the field with plenty of sunlight and water grows the quickest and tallest. In places of poor irrigation and in the shadow of overhanging trees the growth is not so good. The development of the crop near to the edges of the field and very close to the pathways around the fields is poor. The plants that try to grow in these poorly prepared areas are small and weak, often trampled by passers by and struggle to make any decent growth at all.

I am always impressed with the amount of material that makes up a strong maize plant. From a single sweetcorn seed a huge robust stalk will appear that can be up to three metres tall in a good year with numerous corn cobs appearing from it. This is the one hundred, sixty or thirtyfold crop of the gospel seeds sown in rich soil. A marvel of creation to see such growth from a tiny seed.

The comparison with the fields of maize and the gospel account today serves to remind us that a good preparation is required to guarantee a decent crop. A seed sown in unprepared ground will not grow to its greatest potential. A seed scattered on the edge of the path is compared to the word of God received by a person who has no understanding, someone who is not prepared at all to receive it. The word is carried away by the evil one like a seed picked up by a bird or rabbit.

The seed that falls amongst rocks is likened to the word of God being received with joy, but the recipient has no grounding, and the seed is unable to take root. When some trial or persecution comes there is no robust root to fall back on and the word is dropped immediately, the seed of faith withering and dying. We live in a generally decadent part of the world, where we worry about so many things and are encouraged to count success on health, wealth, and possessions. These are the thorns in which the seed of faith often falls today being chocked by the worries of the world unable to grow properly or produce any fruit.

For the seed of the word of God to produce a harvest of a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or even thirtyfold the rich soil it is to be planted in must be prepared. Through our baptism we become a member of the church the purpose of which is to prepare the ground for God to sow his word in. We are all responsible for preparing the soil of our own hearts and souls to receive that seed and help it grow successfully. Going back to the fields at the country park you can see how the pathways along the edges of the fields can slowly encroach into the field itself. This is most evident at the corners of the fields where walkers tend to cut the corners. The pathway gradually moves away from the field edge with the ground becoming hard and compacted, the brambles and ferns formerly confined to the hedgerows start to encroach onto the old pathway not now being used. The area of the field available to sow becomes gradually smaller and if not checked will reduce the size of the crop growing area. If the grower is to realise the full potential of the land available, they will have to reclaim the edges of the fields, ploughing up the widened pathways and restoring them to the edges and corners.

What does this parable say to us today? The rich fertile soil ready to receive the word of God is being restricted by society cutting corners through long established truths. The brambles and ferns of the worries of the world and the attraction of riches entangle us and can choke our faith. People listen but do not understand. They see but do not perceive the truth. The hearts of the nations have grown cold and course. We see this in the attitude to the sanctity of life when the law seeks to destroy life before birth and in old age or sickness rather than caring for the most vulnerable. We see it in the harsh way in which nations seek to deal with refugees and migrants. People are viewed from an economic perspective rather than from a loving and caring one.

Through prayer, ongoing formation and education in our faith, and the gifts of the sacraments we can prepare the soil of our hearts, nourishing and cultivating our faith, so that the Word of God will grow strong in us producing growth in abundance. God spoke creation into being, his word became flesh, in the person of Jesus, and lived amongst us. The Word of God fulfils his will and is an unstoppable force in creation. We are commissioned to be the first fruits of that will, caring for creation, holding on to the promise of what is to come, hastening the time when creation will fulfil its purpose. We pray that God’s word will become effective through our lives. That our faith will be planted in rich soil putting out strong established roots that will withstand the challenges, temptations and adversities life brings.

God Bless, Brendan