XV SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Matthew 13:1-23
According to Isaiah, the Word of God is compared to the rain and the snow, which water the soil, making it possible for the seed to germinate and to grow. It acts upon what was sent to do and always produces results.
“The word that goes from my mouth does not return to me empty, without carrying out my will and succeeding in what it was sent to do.” (Is 55:11).
This passage of Isaiah was chosen as an introduction to this Sunday Gospel, in which we find the parable of the Sower. Listening to the parable, we remain with the impression that the seed did not produce always a good harvest. In fact, in some cases, it did not produce anything at all. However, that lack of results can be attributed neither to the seed, which was very good nor to the sower who was hardworking and proficient. When it happened, it was due to the soil, which was poor or had no conditions at all to receive the seed. We may think that the seed that fell on the rock, the path or a thorny patch was wasted.
Faced with this lack of results, the sower could be discouraged and disappointed. Faced with the disbelief and the hostility of the Scribes and the Pharisees, Jesus might see his ministry as a failure. However, the sower takes his time with confidence and, when the harvest time comes, the results are extraordinary with the seeds producing “some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty”. Indeed, he did not work in vain.
Like Jesus, we should not get tired of sowing the Word. Not everybody will welcome it, but, in the end, the result will surpass all our expectations.
The word of God is the seed that must be sowed. It must be proclaimed in all places and at all times. Jesus is the Word. He is the proclamation. He is the Son of God speaking out to us. This word is not in the past and we are not hearing its echo coming to us from past ages. God’s word is being spoken aloud to us every day, in this present moment. If it produces or not, it all depends on the kind of soil that we are. If we allow ourselves to be touched and moved by the Word, then our lives will become full of God’s wisdom. On the other side, our hearts have become so hard that we cannot feel the touch of God’s Word, then this same word will stand as a witness of our stubbornness. The word will stand in judgement against us.
God speaks to us in many different ways, but he reveals his inner self through his Son Jesus Christ. We must listen to him. “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (Jn 8:31).
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