Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Fr. Jorge LORING SJ(Cádiz, Spain)

Today, we consider the parable of the sower. It has a special force and charm because it is the word of the Lord Jesus Himself. The message is clear: God is generous in sowing, but the realization of the fruits of His sowing also depends — at the same time — on our free correspondence. That the fruit depends on the ground where it falls is something that everyday experience confirms to us. For example, among students from the same class, some end up with a religious vocation and others as atheists. They have received the same instruction, but the seed fell on different ground.

The good ground is our heart. In part, being rich soil is a matter of nature; but more importantly, being rich soil depends on our will. Thus, on the one hand, there are people who pursue empty pleasure over virtue. In them, the parable is fulfilled: the weeds (that is, the worries of the world and the seduction of wealth) “choke the word and it bears no fruit” (Mt 13:22).

On the other hand, there are those who seek to follow Christ and lovingly welcome the seed of God and make it bear fruit —even if they have to mortify themselves to do so. Christ already said it: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit” (Jn 12:24). The Lord also warned us that the path to salvation is narrow and constricted (cf. Mt 7:14): what is of great value, costs a lot. Nothing of value is achieved without effort.

Those who let themselves be led by their appetites will have a heart like a wild jungle. On the contrary, pruned fruit trees bear better fruit. Thus, holy people have not had an easy life, but they have been models for humanity. “Not all of us are called to martyrdom, certainly, but we are called to achieve Christian perfection. But virtue requires a strength that… demands long and very diligent work, and we should never interrupt, until death. So, this can be termed as a slow and continued martyrdom” (Pius XII).

Thoughts on Today’s Gospel

• “It is necessary to remember God more often than one breathes” (Saint Gregory Nazianzus)
• The seed often meets with the aridity of our heart and even when received is likely to remain barren. However, through the gift of fortitude, the Holy Spirit liberates the soil of our heart (Francis)
• “The Decalogue, the Sermon on the Mount, and the apostolic catechesis describe for us the paths that lead to the Kingdom of heaven. Sustained by the grace of the Holy Spirit, we tread them, step by step, by everyday acts. By the working of the Word of Christ, we slowly bear fruit in the Church to the glory of God” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, Nº 1724)