Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
July 12, 2026
Matthew 13: 1-23
We usually consider this gospel in terms of how the good news is received by those who are hearing it for the first time, or concerning the need for new disciples to carry the message to those who have not heard it yet. Today, I would like to consider it from a slightly different point of view.
Let’s consider this passage as a soil test for those who have all ready heard the Word, and perhaps even think of themselves as believers. In other words, it can be a test of how well we live our discipleship, sort of a review.
We can be one of those people who received the word on the edge of the path; then we skirt the real issues, and are eager for any distraction that comes by; and are disciples of surface commitment and no depth. Or, our lives can be on rocky soil: then we are enthusiastic at one moment, wanting a quick fix, but lose interest when the demands of the Gospel mean putting down roots in the darkness full of rocky obstacles, and waiting patiently in that darkness for further growth. Or instead, we may offer a patchy, thorn-infested, halfhearted welcome to the seed of the Word, we may have potential for growth, but we are shaky in our response when we get involved with self-seeking concerns, or indifferent to what the Word means, and the seed does not mature and bear fruit. And finally, there are times when we are ‘good soil’ for the seed; then, we welcome the Word into our hearts, obey and witness to the Word. Then God enables us to bear a fruitful harvest and allow the Kingdom to grow.
In may happen that we may be any one of these things at different times as the years or even weeks go by. But today, how do I measure up? The fundamental thing is that we can always turn around and embrace the Word as good soil at any time; we can also always become better soil as we grow closer to Our Lord and embrace him deep within ourselves. It is never too late to change or grow. The Lord constantly calls to us and allows us to refocus and turn closer to him.
As we do grow closer, we become God's instrument in ways we could never imagine, and may never know. We may sow a seed that has great impact on a person, and becomes the opportunity for that person to begin that life-long struggle with the seed.
Bruce Larson tells about a young African woman who came to the U.S. from Angola. Her name was Maria and she was always laughing. One day she went to a meeting on evangelism in her church where they were talking about pamphlets, missions, campaigns, and all the rest. At one point, someone turned to Maria and said, “What do they do in your Church in Angola, Maria?” “In my Church,” said Maria, after a moment’s thought, “we don’t give pamphlets to people or have missions. We just send one or two Christian families to live in a village. And when people see what Christians are like, then they want to be Christians themselves.” Maria and her fellow villagers put the seed they had heard into practice.
The truth is that someone was reckless enough to scatter the seed of the Word where you could hear it; and in some of you, especially, it has found good soil, and taken deep root, and yielded thirty-, or sixty-, or a hundredfold.”
What a blessing it is that Jesus was reckless when he scattered the seed of the Word. Whether we are talking about those who are hearing the Word for the first time, or for those who are constantly struggling with the meaning of the Word we have heard for years, there is the opportunity to renew the direction we are taking on our journey to the Father. In this growth, we have impact on others as they make their journey to the Father.
When we are reckless in scattering the seed, our struggle with the seed of God's word in our lives takes on new meaning with the influence we can have on our brothers and sisters traveling the path Jesus has invited us to travel, just as they can impact us. And so Jesus has his influence on us, who are his disciples.
Fr. John Tran