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FROM A READING FOR JULY 16, 15TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
'As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth...so shall my Word be....It shall not return to me empty...' -- Is 55:10-11

The parable of the sower is one we know well (Mt 13:1-23). For that reason, we can easily fall into the trap of thinking we know which "category of soil" we belong to, without reflecting on the words of Jesus.

Here are the categories that Jesus lays out: the path, the rocky ground, soil with thorns and thistles, and good soil. When the seed of faith lands on these various types of soil, different things happen.

You may think, "I'm growing the seed, but I'm not the greatest Catholic. I'm probably in the '30-fold group.'" But, this week, try to listen to the parable like you've never heard it before.

Four categories
On the path, the birds eat the seed; the meaning is that God's Word is stolen away because it's not received. We have to ask ourselves: "Do I let God's Word into my mind and heart, or am I tuned out? Do I ignore the Scripture readings at Mass and disregard the homily?"

On the rocky ground, the seed springs up immediately, but withers when the sun comes up because it has no roots. The meaning is that our faith has no depth. Here, we can ask: "Am I shallow? Is my faith superficial? Have I taken time to make my heart more receptive to God's Word? I go to church, but does my faith have any meaning for my life?"

On the thorny ground, the seed grows up, but the weeds and thorns also grow and choke the seed, so it bears no fruit. The meaning is that worldly anxiety and the desire for money suffocate our faith. Some reflection questions for this category could be: "Am I preoccupied with how much money I do or don't make? Am I obsessed with my possessions? Do I pay more attention to my anxiety than I do to Jesus? Do I think Jesus could help my anxiety if I asked Him to?"

Your choice
The result of asking ourselves these types of questions, as uncomfortable as that may be, is the chance to make a choice. Once I realize I have a choice about the type of soil I am, I can ask God to help me change.

The question is simply: Do you want to bear fruit, or are you happy being choked, being shallow or understanding nothing about God?

This process of self-knowledge and personal growth is what St. Paul refers to in Sunday's second reading (Rom 8:18-23). We, together with all of creation, groan inwardly as we await the fulfillment of our life in God. Right now, we are still on the way, still transforming and subjecting our sinful humanity to the yoke of Christ. The goal in doing so is that, like Jesus, we will be able to do God's will with all our heart, mind, soul and strength.

This is the "hope" that St. Paul speaks of: "hope that creation itself would be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God;" hope that we ourselves will be transformed in mind, heart and will. The Holy Spirit knows this process in our lives and assists with grace and gifts.

Then, like in the first reading from Isaiah (55:10-11), the Lord's Word will come to us and not return to Him empty.

God is sending you a Word meant only for you. Do not let the ground of your heart be hard, or rocky, or full of thorns. Cultivate your heart, so that you can do something with His offer of salvation, the Word of life.[[In-content Ad]]

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