IMPROVE THE SOIL OF YOUR HEART FOR THE SEED 0F GOD’S WORD

XV SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Matthew 13:1-23

In chapter 13 of the Gospel of Matthew, we are told that “Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables; without a parable he told them nothing.” (Mt 13:34) And we may ask ourselves why? Mark tells us that “privately to his own disciples he explained everything.” (Mk 4:34). To the crowds, Jesus spoke in more general terms and in a simpler way. Some parables might be understood as riddles, but most of them were simple stories, presenting common characters and quite common human behaviour. which can function like a mirror that allows us to see ourselves and be challenged by what we see. The impact of the parable depends on the readiness of the listener to be confronted and on the openness of his heart to see an alternative way that will change his life, giving meaning and purpose to it. In general, the parables are clear and easy to understand. Through the parables Jesus “utters what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.” (Mt 13:35). However, for those not disposed to listen, the parable may sound like a senseless story. Jesus quoted a passage from Isaiah  saying; “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.”

In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the sower and then explains it to his disciples. In this parable, we are called to look at three factors (main participants) in the story: the sower, the seed and the soil. The sower casts his seed far and wide. He is forceful in his work. He is committed. He must cast the seed, that is to proclaim the word. Jesus is the sower. He came to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God. His disciples - that is all those who call themselves Christians - are entrusted with the same mission: we are sent to proclaim the Good News, and we cannot get tired or discouraged. of carrying out this mission. The seed may fall on all kinds of soil. In the parable, the result does not depend on the quality of the seed or the commitment of the sower, but on the quality of the soil, that is on the readiness of the listener to accept the word. To have a poor or a rich harvest depends on the soil. And Jesus explains the different types of soil on which the seed may fall. We are the soil. What type of soil? Do we have an open heart ready to be touched by God or we are deaf to God’s word? Maybe we are proud and look for power and wealth and concentrate our efforts on that, rejecting anything that might distract us from that. Maybe poverty and misery don’t allow us to be sensible to open our hearts and allow them to be filled with hope.

Each one of us must be concerned with improving the type of soil that is found in our hearts, so that the word of God may produce abundant fruits in us.