Other Sunday and Holy Day Readings
15th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Cycle A)
Readings:
Isaiah 55:10-11
Psalm 65:10-14
Romans 8:18-23
Matthew 13:1-23
All Scripture passages are from the New American Bible Revised Edition unless designated NJB (New Jerusalem Bible), IBHE (Interlinear Bible Hebrew-English), IBGE (Interlinear Bible Greek-English), or LXX (Greek Septuagint Old Testament translation). CCC designates a citation from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The word LORD or GOD rendered in all capital letters is, in the Hebrew text, God's Divine Name, YHWH (Yahweh).
The two Testaments reveal God's divine plan for humanity and is why we read and relive the events of salvation history contained in the Old and New Testaments in the Church's Liturgy. The Catechism teaches that the Liturgy reveals the unfolding mystery of God's plan as we read the Old Testament in light of the New and the New Testament in light of the Old (CCC 1094-1095).
The Theme of the Readings: Responding to the Word of God
God continually proclaims His Word to humanity. In the Old
Testament, His prophets proclaimed the word of God to His people. They planted the
word like seeds, hoping to yield an abundant harvest of faithful servants for
the Lord God. Then, God sent the Living Word, Jesus Christ, at the climactic
point in salvation history. He proclaimed the Gospel ("good news") of salvation,
planting the seeds of faith that flourished in receptive hearts, yielding a
harvest of good deeds in His Kingdom of the Church with the promise of eternal life.
The First Reading, from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, is an invitation to share in the goodness of God's word. The prophet used meaningful comparisons to an agrarian society in an arid climate to describe the power of God's divine word and the salvation it promised. He told the people that the seeds of faith planted by God's prophets would not return to Him empty and barren. God's words would take root in receptive hearts and flourish when nourished by the good deeds of those who heard His words and obeyed His commandments.
The Responsorial Psalm continues the symbolic imagery of "seeds of faith." The psalmist presented God as a divine farmer controlling the earth's rain and fertility. The abundant rainfall causes the dried-up furrows of the earth to soften and be ready to receive a planting that yields a fruitful harvest. The Fathers of the Church compared how God nourishes the earth with rain to bring about an abundant harvest with the Gospel message of salvation in Jesus Christ. He is the Living Word of God who came down from Heaven to refresh the hearts of men and women and to save all who respond to Him with the "living water" of the Sacrament of Baptism through spiritual rebirth in water and the Spirit. As the prophets promised, God's Word, Jesus Christ, does not return to Him empty and barren. Everything He taught becomes fruitful when nourished by the good deeds of those who heard and obeyed His teachings. We help to fulfill Christ's mission when the Word of God becomes visible in our lives.
In the Second Reading, St. Paul wrote that the work of Christ is not only to redeem humanity from the separation from God caused by our original parent's sin of rebellion but to provide the means for the renewal of all Creation. Paul revealed that all Creation is "groaning" in its longing for the Second Coming of Christ and the promised transformation and glorification, which will return Creation to its original state. The natural world suffers from disorder and chaos, but this is not how God established the world's Creation when the Holy Spirit divided the waters of chaos and seven times pronounced all of creation "good." God intended the natural world to be the perfect home for humankind, where they could live in communion with their Creator. This perfect communion between God, humans, and nature is the re-created order Jesus promised to restore when He returned to inaugurate a new Heaven and Earth.
In the Gospel Reading, Jesus tells the Parable of the Seed and the Sower. In His parable, the Sower casts his seeds in every direction and into every soil condition. It was a typical farming technique in which the farmer expected most, but not all, of the seed to produce healthy plants. It was a method that was like Jesus's teaching. Jesus "broadcasted" the "good news" of God's message of salvation in every direction: to the receptive faithful, to those looking for entertainment by a Galilean rabbi who performs miracles, to skeptics, and to those who were hostile to His message.
Jesus's parable focuses on the harvest of souls for His eternal Kingdom. For those who accept the "word" of His Gospel of salvation, the seeds of faith took root in their receptive hearts, and they "are known" by the "fruit" of good works that bear testimony to their faith. Although some bear more "fruit" than others, in each case, their fruitful lives in service to Christ's Kingdom far exceed expectations. It was common to expect an excellent crop to yield about tenfold, but Jesus expects yields greater than average and even far beyond average.
Today, God's Word is proclaimed to us in Sacred Scripture, through the Liturgy of the Word at Mass, and in the testimony of believers. As in Jesus's day, people respond in different ways to hearing the words of God. Some people allow their hardships and sufferings to challenge their faith. However, as St. Paul wrote in the Second Reading, the sufferings we endure in this life are nothing compared to the glory that God will provide for those of us who embrace His Holy Word. They will receive a new life in the Spirit in this life and His promise of a future of eternal fellowship with the Most Holy Trinity in the next.
The First Reading Isaiah 55:10-11
10 Thus says the LORD: Yet 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, 11 so shall my word be that goes forth from
my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but shall do what pleases me, achieving
the end for which I sent it.
In verses 10-11, the eighth-century BC prophet Isaiah used comparisons that were meaningful to an agrarian society in an arid climate to describe the power of God's divine word and the salvation it promises. Like the rain and snow that come down from Heaven to nourish the earth and make it fruitful, so does the word of God come down from Heaven to take root in fertile hearts. God's divine word will not return to Him empty and barren. His words will take root and flourish, nourished by the good deeds of those who hear and obey His commandments, achieving the end for which I sent it by setting the hearers and doers on the path to salvation.
Responsorial Psalm 65:10, 11, 12-13, 14
Response: "The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest."
10 You have visited the land and watered it; greatly have
you enriched it. God's watercourses are filled; you have prepared the grain.
Response:
11 Thus have you prepared the land: drenching its
furrows, breaking up its clods, softening it with showers, blessing its yield.
Response:
12 You have crowned the year with your bounty, and your
paths overflow with a rich harvest; 13 the untilled meadows overflow with it,
and rejoicing clothes the hills.
Response:
14 The fields are garmented with flocks and the valleys
blanketed with grain. They shout and sing for joy.
Response:
This Psalm is entitled: "For the leader. A psalm of David: a song." The Psalm begins with a hymn declaring that the God of Israel cares for the earth. Then, the psalmist lists the reasons why we should praise God. Verses 11-14 describe the agricultural year beginning with the fall rains that soften the hard, sun-dried ground (verses 10-11). The psalmist presents God as the divine farmer who controls the earth's rain and fertility. The abundant rainfall causes the dried-up furrows of the earth to soften and to be ready to receive the seeds that will produce a fruitful harvest (verses 12-14).
The Fathers of the Church compared how God nourishes the earth with rain to bring about an abundant harvest with the Living Word of God, Jesus Christ, who came down from Heaven to nourish the hearts of men and women spiritually. He is the eternal Word of the Father who comes down from Heaven to save humanity with the living water of the Sacrament of Baptism. By water and the Spirit, those who respond to Jesus receive a new spiritual life as children in the family of God. His word does not return to Him empty and barren. The good deeds of the faithful who hear and obey His teachings nourish the word of God that takes root in the lives of men and women of every generation. Put into practice, the Word of God fulfills His purpose for the good of humanity. However, when not put into practice, the hearts of men and women can wither and remain barren like the parched earth without water.
The Second Reading Romans 8:18-23 ~ The Christian Destiny
of Glory
"18 I consider that the sufferings of this present time are
as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us. 19 For creation awaits
with eager expectation the revelation of the children of God; 20 for creation
was made subject to futility, not of its own accord but because of the one who
subjected it, in hope 21 that creation itself would be set free from slavery to
corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God. 22 We know
that all creation is groaning in labor pains even now; 23 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.
After the sin of rebellion committed by Adam and Eve and their fall from grace in the Sanctuary of Eden, humanity and Creation became enslaved by sin. The introduction of sin into the world, with its byproduct of decay and death, destroyed the harmony God established with humans and all aspects of Creation. The natural world, created as a home for humankind, came to share in the fallen destiny of humanity. However, it also had a part in God's promised plan of redemption.
The work of Christ is not only to redeem humanity but also to provide the means for the renewal of all of Creation. All Creation is anticipating the fulfillment of God's plan for salvation history (see CCC# 1042-1050; 2 Pt 3:13; Rev 21:1-5). St. Paul assured the Roman Christians that all we suffer in the present is nothing compared to the glory destined to be disclosed for us because all Creation eagerly waits for the children of God to be revealed in glory. At the end of time, as we know it, Christ will return and establish His Kingdom in its fullness "on earth as it is in Heaven" (the Lord's Prayer).
God has promised that the earth, all living beings, and the entire cosmos will be renewed and transformed, and the righteous will reign with Christ forever. The righteous will be glorified in body and soul, just as He will renew and transform the material world (1 Cor 15:28). In the new Creation, God will establish His dwelling among men (Rev 21:5). All humanity, the visible cosmos, and the earth are destined for a transformation and return to the state in which God first created it. This restoration will happen, as St. Irenaeus wrote at the end of the second century, "so that the world itself resorted to its original state, facing no further obstacles, should be at the service of the just" (Against Heresies, 5.32). At that time, all Creation will share in the glorification of Jesus Christ (see CCC # 1047).
In Romans 8:22, Paul revealed that all Creation is longing, "groaning," for the return of Christ and the promised transformation and glorification, which will return Creation to its original state. Paul compared this "groaning" to a woman's labor pains in childbirth. God did not intend that Creation should be a place of chaos and disorder (see Gen 2:4-6 and 3:3:16-19). Perhaps this is a new way to look at the "groaning" of the world in natural disasters like hurricanes, which also bring the "groaning" of suffering to humanity. The natural world suffers from disorder and chaos. This condition is not the way God first set the Creation of the world when the Holy Spirit divided the waters of chaos (Gen 1:2) and seven times pronounced all of creation "good" in Genesis 1:4, 10, 13, 18, 21, 25, and 31. God intended the natural world as a home for humankind, where they could live in perfect communion with their Creator.
In Romans 8:23, Paul wrote about the "firstfruits of the Spirit," which refers to the first generation of Christians who experienced a spiritual rebirth through the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Christian Baptism. Paul's point was that all of us who belong to Christ long for union with the Most Holy Trinity in our final redemption and the hope of living the glory of the beatific vision. We also look forward to the promise of our second resurrection when we receive our glorified bodies (our first resurrection was in our Baptism). This great hope is almost too much to comprehend in our limited natural state. However, God the Holy Spirit helps us, prays with us, and intercedes for us (Rom 8:26) to receive this final and eternal gift. Every child who truly loves his family longs to be at home with his family. Our "family" is the Most Holy Trinity, and our spirits long to be at home with Him in Heaven to fulfill the destiny for which God created us.
The Gospel of Matthew 13:1-23 ~ The Parable of the
Seed and the Sower
1 On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down
by the sea. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and
sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore. 3 And he spoke to them at
length in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some
seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky
ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not
deep, 6 and when the sun rose, it was scorched, and it withered for lack of
roots. 7 Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. 8 But
some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.
9 Whoever has ears ought to hear."10 The disciples approached him and said,
"Why do you speak to them in parables?"11 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. 12 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. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because 'they
look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.' 14 Isaiah's
prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: 'You shall indeed hear but not
understand, you shall indeed look but never see. 15 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
heart and be converted and I heal them.' 16 But blessed are your eyes because
they see, and your ears, because they hear. 17 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." 18 "Hear then the parable of
the Sower. 19 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. 20 The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word
and receives it at once with joy. 21 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. 22 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. 23 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."
Matthew Chapter 13 signals a turning point in Jesus's ministry when He began to speak in parables. In this third great discourse in St. Matthew's Gospel, Jesus teaches seven parables and uses the word "kingdom" twelve times (Mt 13:11, 19, 24, 31, 33, 38, 41, 43, 44, 45, 47, and 53) as He describes His future Kingdom. For this reason, the parables in Matthew Chapter 13 are called "the seven Kingdom Parables."
There were two reasons why Jesus began teaching in parables:
The Greek word for "parable" is parabole. In the usual sense in Greek literature, a parabole presents a comparison to inspire more profound thought. The Greek Septuagint translation of the Old Testament uses the word parabole to translate the Hebrew word masal. In the Hebrew text of the Old Testament, masal is the designation given to various literary forms, including allegories, axioms, proverbs, and similitudes (The Anchor Bible Dictionary, vol. 5, "Parable," page 146). In the New Testament, parables are primarily stories intended to illustrate a certain truth. Jesus used parables that are comparisons between the truths of His teachings and the events of everyday life. His first Kingdom Parable is the Seed and the Sower, and it consists of three parts:
Matthew 13:1-9 ~ The Parable of the Seed and the Sower
1 On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down
by the sea. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and
sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore. 3 And he spoke to them at
length in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some
seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky
ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not
deep, 6 and when the sun rose, it was scorched, and it withered for lack of
roots. 7 Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. 8 But
some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or
thirtyfold. 9 Whoever has ears ought to hear."
The location was probably St. Peter's house in Capernaum. When
Jesus came out of the house and sat by the sea, it signaled that He was ready
to teach. Such a large crowd assembled that Jesus relocated to one of Peter's
boats, positioned just off the shoreline to give the people the best advantage
to see and hear Him speak. Like the prophets of old, He began to teach in
parables, using topics of everyday life and making comparisons to emphasize His
teaching points that reveal "the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven" (13:11).
Jesus's first parable is about sowing seeds in different kinds of soil. Every element in the parable is symbolic:
| b>The Sower | The Seed | Different kinds of Soil |
| Jesus, planting seeds of faith. | The word of God, the Gospel message of salvation, is broadcast to every person within the scope of hearing Jesus's teaching (see Lk 8:11). | The different kinds of human responses to Jesus's message of salvation in the coming of the Kingdom. |
When the Sower in Jesus's parable casts his seed, he casts it in every direction and into every soil condition. It was a typical farming technique in which most, but not all, of the seed was expected to produce healthy plants. The technique used up a large amount of seed, but the generosity in broadcasting the seed assured the area was well covered and that many plants would spring up, resulting in a fruitful harvest. This method of sowing seeds is like Jesus's teachings. He "broadcasts" God's message of salvation in every direction: to the receptive faithful, to those only looking for entertainment from a Galilean rabbi who performs miracles, to skeptics, and to those who are hostile to His message. His focus is the harvest of souls for His eternal Kingdom.
The more complicated part of the parable concerns comparing the four different kinds of soil where the seed falls. In Scripture, the number four represents the world. Jesus explained the meaning of the parable in verses 18-23. One of the keys to understanding the parable is that the production of "fruit" is far beyond an average yield (verse 8).
Matthew 13:10-17 ~ Why Jesus Speaks in Parables
10 The disciples approached him and said, "Why do you
speak to them in parables?" 11 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. 12 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. 13 This
is why I speak to them in parables, because 'they look but do not see and hear
but do not listen or understand.' 14 Isaiah's prophecy is fulfilled in them,
which says: 'You shall indeed hear but not understand, you shall indeed look
but never see. 15 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 heart and be converted and I heal
them.' 16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears, because
they hear. 17 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."
Jesus told His disciples that God had granted knowledge of His
Kingdom to them but not to others because their receptive hearts had made them
open to accepting the revealed mystery. Their response to the gift of God's
grace would allow them to receive a deeper understanding. But to those who listened
with closed and critical hearts, He would take away even what little they heard,
and they would fail to understand the significance of what Jesus taught.
Jesus told a little proverb in verse 13, explaining why He now spoke in parables, and then, quoting from Isaiah 6:9-10, He made another of the ten Old Testament fulfillment statements in the Gospel of Matthew:
Jesus said that since many in the crowds had rejected His message, He spoke in parables so they would not readily understand, thus fulfilling the judgment prophecy in Isaiah against an unrepentant people (see the harsher statement in Mk 4:12). He contrasted those who did not understand Him with the disciples. They understand because they have "heard with their ears, seen with their eyes, and understood with their hearts." Their open hearts have allowed them to experience spiritual healing and conversion by Jesus, the promised Redeemer-Messiah, in preparation for the coming of His Kingdom.
Matthew 13:18-23 ~ The Parable of the Sower Explained
18 "Hear then the parable of the Sower. 19 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. 20 The
seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it
at once with joy. 21 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. 22 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. 23 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." (Underlining
added for emphasis).
The Gospel of St. Luke records that the disciples, failing
to grasp the whole meaning of the parable of the Sower, asked the Master to explain
it to them: Then his disciples asked him what the meaning of this parable might
be. He answered, "Knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God has been
granted to you, but to the rest, they are made known through parables so that
'they may look but not see, and hear but not understand' (Lk 8:9-10).
Jesus revealed the symbolic meaning of the four different kinds of soil that received the seed/Gospel of salvation in verses 19-23. The four types represent four kinds of human response:
| 1. The seed sown on the path: | This person heard the word of the kingdom without making any effort to understand and embrace the truth. Since he has failed to understand, Satan can separate him from the truth and his place in the Kingdom. |
| 2. The seed sown on rocky ground: | This person received the word of God with joy, but he failed to apply it to his life; therefore, he has no internal stability ("roots"). In a time of hardship, he abandons his faith in God. |
| 3. The seed sown among the thorns: | This person hears the word but does not love God above all else. The secular world pulls him away from the faith, and he bears no good fruit/works. |
| 4. The seed sown on fertile soil: | This person hears the word, understands it, applies it to his "heart"/life, and bears the fruit of the good works of faith in abundance. |
| Michal E. Hunt Copyright © 2011 | |
Jesus attributes the failure of some to produce the good fruit of repentance and conversion to:
The phrase the word of the Kingdom in verse 19 is a technical term Jesus used for the Gospel message of salvation and prepares us, the reader, for subsequent references to "the word." Notice that Jesus used "the word" six times in this passage (in verses 19, 20, 21, 22 twice, and 23), and consider what Jesus refers to as "the word." See Mt 13:19 and the document "The Significance of Numbers in Scripture." In the symbolic meaning of numbers in Scripture, six is the number of humanity, created on the sixth day of the Creation event. "The word" refers to the Gospel message of salvation manifested in Jesus's Kingdom on Earth and in Heaven: the Church.
23 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.
Those who accept and live by God's words in the Gospel of
salvation are known by the "fruit" of the good deeds they produce. Although
some bear more "fruit" (good deeds) than others, in each case, their fruitful
lives in service to Christ's Kingdom far exceed expectations. It was common to
expect that a good crop might yield about tenfold. However, Jesus expects
yields far above an average or even an excellent harvest. He expects a
super-abundant harvest!
Which of the four kinds of persons who hear the words of God are you? How would you evaluate the soil of your life into which Jesus has sown His word? What deeds of righteousness have the words of the Gospel of salvation produced in your life? Are you living up to the "yield" that Jesus expects from the faithful so that you will be ready for the great harvest of souls into God's storehouse of Heaven?
Catechism References (* indicates Scripture quoted or
paraphrased in the citation):
Romans 8:18-23 (CCC 280*);
8:18 (CCC 1721*);
8:19-23 (CCC 1046);
8:20 (CCC 400);
8:21 (CCC 1741);
8:22 (CCC 2630);
8:23 (CCC 735*)
Matthew 13:3-23 (CCC 1724*); 13:3-9 (CCC 546*); 13:10-17 (CCC 787*); 13:10-15 (CCC 546*); 13:11 (CCC 546); 13:22 (CCC 29*)
Christ teaches through parables (CCC 546*)
The capacity to know and correspond to the voice of God (CCC 1703-1709)
God associates man with the working of grace (CCC 2006-2011)
Creation is part of the new universe (CCC 1046*, 1047)
The value of meditation (CCC 2707*)
Michal E Hunt, Copyright © 2014; revised 2023 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved.