(Isaiah, by Raphael, 1512, Basilica di Sant'Agostino, Rome)

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
13 JULY 2014
Lectionary: 103

Reading 1 IS 55:10-11

Thus says the LORD:
Just as from the heavens
the rain and snow come down
and do not return there
till they have watered the earth,
making it fertile and fruitful,
giving seed to the one who sows
and bread to the one who eats,
so shall my word be
that goes forth from my mouth;
my word shall not return to me void,
but shall do my will,
achieving the end for which I sent it.



Responsorial Psalm PS 65:10, 11, 12-13, 14

R/ (Lk 8:8) The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.

You have visited the land and watered it;
greatly have you enriched it.
God’s watercourses are filled;
you have prepared the grain.
R/ The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.

Thus have you prepared the land: drenching its furrows,
breaking up its clods,
Softening it with showers,
blessing its yield.
R/ The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.

You have crowned the year with your bounty,
and your paths overflow with a rich harvest;
The untilled meadows overflow with it,
and rejoicing clothes the hills.
R/ The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.

The fields are garmented with flocks
and the valleys blanketed with grain.
They shout and sing for joy.
R/ The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.

Reading 2 ROM 8:18-23

Brothers and sisters:
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing
compared with the glory to be revealed for us.
For creation awaits with eager expectation
the revelation of the children of God;
for creation was made subject to futility,
not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it,
in hope that creation itself
would be set free from slavery to corruption
and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.
We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now;
and not only that, but we ourselves,
who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
we also groan within ourselves
as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.


Gospel [b]MT 13:1-23

On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.
Such large crowds gathered around him
that he got into a boat and sat down,
and the whole crowd stood along the shore.
And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:
“A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and birds came and ate it up.
Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil.
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep,
and when the sun rose it was scorched,
and it withered for lack of roots.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.
But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit,
a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

The disciples approached him and said,
“Why do you speak to them in parables?”
He said to them in reply,
“Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven
has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.
To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich;
from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
This is why I speak to them in parables, because
they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.
Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:
You shall indeed hear but not understand,
you shall indeed look but never see.
Gross is the heart of this people,
they will hardly hear with their ears,
they have closed their eyes,
lest they see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts and be converted,
and I heal them.

“But blessed are your eyes, because they see,
and your ears, because they hear.
Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people
longed to see what you see but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

“Hear then the parable of the sower.
The seed sown on the path is the one
who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it,
and the evil one comes and steals away
what was sown in his heart.
The seed sown on rocky ground
is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy.
But he has no root and lasts only for a time.
When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
he immediately falls away.
The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word,
but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word
and it bears no fruit.
But the seed sown on rich soil
is the one who hears the word and understands it,
who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”

Or MT 13:1-9

On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.
Such large crowds gathered around him
that he got into a boat and sat down,
and the whole crowd stood along the shore.
And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:
“A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and birds came and ate it up.
Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil.
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep,
and when the sun rose it was scorched,
and it withered for lack of roots.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.
But some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit,
a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

Overview of the Gospel:

• This week’s Gospel reading brings us to Matthew 13, a chapter of parables told by
Jesus broken up in such a way that he can explain their meaning. The crowds Jesus is
speaking to are so large he needs to get into a boat to avoid being crushed and so that
he can be heard by all. He begins with his famous parable of the Sower and the seeds.

• The soil in Israel was of uneven quality: Seed had to be spread everywhere since
finding the “good” soil was too time consuming. The “rocky ground” was not filled with
stones; rather, it was composed of thin soil over hard limestone. Also, the thorny
weeds commonly found in that area were not pulled up, but plowed under and mixed
with the soil.

• In his parable, Jesus addresses in turn the Sower (verses 1-8), the non-listeners (verses 10-
15), the listeners (verses 16-17), and the right understanding (verses18-22) that leads to
fruitfulness in the Spirit (verse 23). See also Matthew 7:16-20, 12:33; John 15:5 and Galatians
5:22-23.

Questions:

+ In the 1st Reading, what does the prophet Isaiah tell us about the effectiveness of God’s word?
How does this relate to the Gospel Reading?

+ How does the 2nd Reading convey the reality that the Kingdom of God is “now present” but
“not yet”?

+ What is a parable? What do they accomplish that simple and direct speech lacks?

+ What four types of soil does Jesus mention? What characterizes each? What happens to the
seed in each type of soil?

+ What does Jesus’ explanation of the parable (vv 18-23) reveal about the seed? About the
various soils? The fruit? The Sower?

+ How does Jesus’ challenge in verse 9 help explain verses 11-12? How does faith open you up
to more and more spiritual insight?

+ What deep “roots” help to prevent a Christian from falling away? What gives you roots?

+ What worries can choke your growth in Christ? How can you free your life from these “thorns”?

+ What “crop” does Jesus want Christians to yield? What can you do to increase your
productivity?

Bible Study--15th Sunday in Ordinary Time--Cycle A

Catechism of the Catholic Church: §§ 1724, 546, 29


(Seed Sower, Jeremy Sams, 2010)

"It is fitting for us, meditating upon the glory of this future splendor, to endure all afflictions and persecutions because, although the afflictions of the just man are many, yet those who trust in God are delivered from them all." –St. Cyprian of Carthage (ca. 250 A.D.)

Thank you kind sir and God Bless

Some good stuff here!

Thanks again.

Thank you for posting this. The Psalm is quite beautiful and has the most gentle imagery of how we are prepared for the word of God.

And has our Deacon said today for Christ to become the LIVING WORD.

Yes! Great stuff here.

Wonderful comment about Christ being our LIVING WORD.

Yes He is, and eternally so!

Isn't that neat?

Some good stuff here too!

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