Jesus is the Sower; We’re the Soil

15^th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A); July 12, 2026

Is 55:10-11.  Ps 65.  Rom 8:18-23. Mt 13:1-23

Deacon Jim McFadden

         Today’s Gospel is about the parable of the Sower, which has been painted by a number of artists, most notably Vincent Van Gogh.  As you reflect upon the parable, I’d encourage you to have Van Gogh’s image before you as a meditative icon.  On Matthew’s telling  we hear that  “Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea” and that “large crowds gathered around him” (Mt 13:1-2).  This is Jesus speaking to the whole world.  Along this line, the crowds were so immense that “he got into a boat and sat down” (v. 2b).  Sitting down.  Why is Matthew noting the posture?  Jesus is embracing the attitude of an ancient teacher and judge and he is going to speak to the whole world about our deepest yearning, which we hear in Psalm 41(42): “Like the deer that yearns for running  streams, so my soul is yearning  for you my God.  My soul is thirsting for God, the God of my life.” And, today, that still goes with us.  We’re all wired for God.  Jesus is speaking to us.  Like the ”large crowds,” we listen.

         Jesus speaks to them by way of parables, in this case the parable of the sower.”  ‘Sowing’  is a very beautiful image, and Jesus uses it to describe the gift of his Word, which draws us into the Kingdom of God.  The seed is very tiny, barely noticeable, but when it grabs hold, it makes fruit-bearing plants grow.  The Word of God is like this:  think of  the four Gospels; taken together a rather small book.  It’s very simple: one can read a chapter at a time and is very accessible—either through a pocket Bible or an app on your smartphone.  But those who sit and ponder Scripture, new life can generate from those who receive it.  Thus, if the Word is the seed, we are the soil: we can receive it or not. 

         Keep in mind that Jesus himself, the Word of God made Flesh, is the seed sown.  Jesus is the Logos that wants to take root in us.  And this seed is sown generously far and wide—all over the place: “…some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up.  Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil…and it withered for lack of roots.  Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it” (vs. 4-7).

         Imagine if you were a farmer listening to this parable; they’d probably be shaking their heads because a farmer in his right mind would not sow seeds that way.  Indeed, they’d look at this Sower as being an irresponsible farmer.  But like the extravagant Sower, God’s love is so extravagant—it’s the basis of the created universe which contains billions of galaxies and why the Word became Flesh in Jesus for our salvation.  God’s love is so extravagant that it defied all expectations of what is reasonable.  As St. Catherine of Siena gushed: “pazzo d’amore”—crazy in love with us! In this parable we encounter the radical love that God has for his creatures, especially us whom he created in His image so that we can receive all that He is, namely, His love because God is love!

         This is what the Lord does, and as members of His mystical Body, the Church, we too are called to do the same: to sow tirelessly and extravagantly.  Jesus is challenging us to imitate the foolish love of God.  We must love not only those who love us, not only those who are like us and affirm us, but precisely those who are “rocky or thorny”—those who are different and unresponsive.  The Light of the Gospel we should bring to the good and bad alike, just like God does.

         Let us keep in mind that when we proclaim the Word of God, when we sow the seeds of the Gospel, immediate results may not be forthcoming; indeed, it may seem that nothing is happening.  But in reality the Holy Spirit is at work: He is the Doer and we are His instruments.  The Kingdom of God is already growing and is beyond our efforts, but we are part of the process as we help to promote the Mission of Christ Jesus.  So, we ask ourselves: am I sowing the seeds of the Gospel in my ordinary experience: at home, the parish, work; in my political, economic, and social domains?  Don’t get discouraged and like Jesus, continue to sow extravagantly, even if you don’t see the immediate results. 

         May Blessed Mary help us to be generous and joyful sowers of the Good News.  Amen.