Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A - 12th July 2020
Gospel Matthew 13: 1–9
(abridged version)Jesus left the house and sat by the lakeside, but such crowds gathered round him that he got into a boat and sat there. The people all stood on the beach, and he told them many things in parables.
He said, ‘Imagine a sower going out to sow. As he sowed, some seeds fell on the edge of the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Others fell on patches of rock where they found little soil and sprang up straight away, because there was no depth of earth; but as soon as the sun came up they were scorched and, not having any roots, they withered away. Others fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Others fell on rich soil and produced their crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Listen, anyone who has ears!’
Reflection from St Beuno's Outreach
Today’s Gospel is the familiar parable of the sower. Here we pray the shorter version, but the whole text is worth reading and pondering later.
I settle down to pray. Perhaps I have a lit candle nearby to remind me of Christ, the light of the world. I may try to put aside my everyday concerns by listening to some gentle, relaxing music.
In time, I read the story, perhaps several times. I try to put myself in the scene. Maybe I am part of the large crowd surrounding Jesus. How do I feel when he stands up and gets into a boat? I listen intently to him.
Maybe I have a garden or even a small plant pot on my windowsill, where I have tried to sow and grow some seeds. How far can I relate to the experience of the sower?
Perhaps I imagine that I am the soil on which the seeds are sown. What am I like?
Am I a rich, well-manured loam, or a very thin, rocky topsoil?
Are there other plants already growing there? I ponder.
I may come to realise that the quality of my soil has changed over the years. Who or what has led to these changes?
I speak to the Lord freely, from my heart, and tell him what my deep longings are just now.
I listen to what the Lord says to me, and take my leave with a slow, grateful sign of the cross.
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