Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year A
The Soil of our Heart
Rev. Mr. James Fourcade

Our readings today transform the meaning of rain, seed, soil and harvest to a spiritual analogy applying to our lives.  The imagery shared in the gospel is a familiar one: a Sower going out to sow. Jesus is the Sower, and He sows seed.  The seed is His word. He scatters the seed in various places; on a path, on rocky ground, among thorns and finally on rich soil.  At first, the parable may sound like a lesson about different kinds of people.  We would be partially right, but it is also a revelation of God’s generosity.  The seed Jesus scatters is spread widely, even recklessly.  He does not measure his generosity with a teaspoon, but he pours out his words hoping that His word will not return empty but fertile and fruitful.

That is why the first reading is so important. The Lord says, “from heaven the rain and snow come – watering the earth, making it fertile and fruitful.” The Lord is comparing rain and snow from heaven, that waters the earth, allowing the ground to become fertile and fruitful – to HIS WORD.  Isaiah goes on to share that Gods word does not return empty like the ground, when cared for, will become fruitful.  His word is powerful. When God says, “Let there be light”, light appears.  When Jesus says, “Your sins are forgiven,” mercy happens.  When He says at Mass, “This is my Body”, bread becomes his real presence.  God’s word does what it says.  It accomplishes the purpose for which God sends it.

But the Gospel reminds us that the fruitfulness of his word also depends on the condition of the human heart.  In the parable, the Sower, Jesus, scatters seed (His words) generously.  He does not sow carefully, meaning God does not give His word only to the perfect, the prepared, or the already holy.  He throws the seed everywhere.  He gives it to everyone “Whosever has ears ought to hear.” 

The question we should ask ourselves: what kind of soil am I?  Sometimes our hearts are like the path: hard, busy, closed, and distracted.  The word touches us, but it never really enters our soul.  Sometimes our hearts are rocky: we receive the word with enthusiasm, but when difficulty comes, our roots are not deep enough, and we walk away from His word.  Sometimes are hearts are full of thorns; worries, anxieties, attachments, resentments, and the desire for comfort choke the life of grace from God’s word within us and we ignore His words.

Jesus’ parable is not to discourage us but to encourage us.  Soil can change.  A hard patch can be broken open.  Rocky ground can be cleared.  Thorns can be pulled up.  A heart that has been dry can become fertile again.  This is the work of conversion.  This is why we come to Mass.  This is why we form a foundation of prayer.  This is why we confess our sins to a priest.  This is why we receive the Eucharist.  We are asking God to make our hearts good soil.

St. Paul, in our second reading, gives us another important truth; growth often happens through suffering.  He says that the suffering of the present time  are nothing compared with the glory to be revealed.  Creation itself groans in labor pains, waiting to be set free from the slavery of sin.  We groan also, waiting for redemption.  Meaning that a Christian life is not always ready for harvest.  Conversion means nurturing, plowing, watering, and waiting.  Sometimes God’s word is growing in us quietly under the surface. We may wonder whether prayer is working, whether our efforts matter, whether God is even listening, whether our suffering has meaning.  Isaiah says, God’s word does not return empty.  St. Paul answers; glory is coming.  Jesus answers: even if some seed seems wasted, the harvest will come.  Some will bear thirty-fold, some sixty-fold and some a hundred-fold. 

So, today the Lord invites us to examine the soil of our hearts.  What has become hard in me?  What has shallow roots? What thorns are choking my faith?  Is it fear, bitterness, distraction, pride, busyness, or attachment to things that cannot save?  Spend a few minutes with the Gospel each day.  Come to confession if your heart grows hard.  Remove one thorn by forgiving someone, simplifying your schedule, or turning away from a habit that crowds out God.

At every Mass the divine Sower is still at work.  He sows his words in the readings.  He waters us with grace.  He feeds us with the Bread of Life.  He awaits patiently for the harvest.  May we receive his word with open hearts, endure with hope in suffering, and become good soil that bears fruit for the glory of God and the life of the world.