FIRST READING (The rain makes the earth fruitful.)

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (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. —The Word of the Lord.

R.  Thanks be to God.

 

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (65:10, 11, 12-13, 14)

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

You have visited the land and watered it; greatly have you enriched it. God’s watercourses are filled; you have prepared the grain. (R)

Thus have you prepared the land: drenching its furrows, breaking up its clods, softening it with showers, blessing its yield. (R)

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 fields are garmented with flocks and the valleys blanketed with grain. They shout and sing for joy. (R)

 

SECOND READING (Creation awaits the revelation of the children of God.)

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans (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. — The Word of the Lord.

R. Thanks be to God.

 

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Alleluia, alleluia.

The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower; all who come to him will have life forever. (R)

 

(Long Form)

GOSPEL (A sower went out to sow.)

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (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 Jesus 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.” —The Gospel of the Lord.

R. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

 

(Short Form)

GOSPEL (A sower went out to sow.)

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (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.” —The Gospel of the Lord.

R. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

“My WORD shall not return to me void”

         Today’s readings inspired me 3 years ago to bring up the memory of one of the greatest jazz musicians of all time, Louis Armstrong. Like the writers in our readings today, he was inspired by the magnificence of the natural world around him, and seeing it through the eyes of a wizened and experienced man coming towards the end of life, he sang what became a signature song (an iconic song, now, of his) about the tenderness of human love.

         Moved by the luxurious green of trees, the vibrant red of roses, the soothing blue of the sky, the brightness of day and the sacredness of night, all he could do was exclaim, “What a wonderful life!”

         Do some of you remember these poetic words and lyrics we sang along to?

I see trees of green, red roses too

I see them bloom for me and you

And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue and clouds of white

The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night

And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky

Are also on the faces of people going by

I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do

But they’re really saying I love you.

I hear babies cry, and I watched them grow

They’ll learn much more than I’ll ever know

And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

Yes, I think to myself what a wonderful world.

         Such poignant lyrics are sorely needed to a world tested, torn apart and people at odds with each other! Surrounded by a pandemic, living with fear and doubt, filled with apprehension, worries about our future, questions of our security and way of life, anxious for our children and our future, how can this WORD help us? We can wonder – as the disciples did so long ago – “If God’s WORD is the word of life and salvation and power, a word that can heal, rescue and revive, then why is it seemingly so ineffective today?” “Why are so many not responding to this WORD today?”

         The parable of the sower and the seed is the response to those questions that Matthew places before us today.

         Thousands of years ago, there were two ways of planting. The first – very arduous and time-consuming – had the sower behind an ox tethered to a yoke, the painful yoke mentioned in last week’s Gospel! As the ox pulled the plow through the rough, hard earth, the farmer tried to steer the ox and plow with one hand and his shoulders strapped to the plow, while the other hand took seeds from a pouch and dropped them in the tilled soil. The other way of planting was to simply scatter the seeds right and left, on good soil and bad, all over the place and hope something catches.

         In the parable the seed is God’s WORD. The seed is the message Jesus gives to us and it is packed with power and with salvation, especially in a world which is – in St. Paul’s words today – “groaning for redemption, for release from the grip of sin!”  The SEED is good. The difference is on the quality of the ground where it falls.

         In a way, this parable is a favorite for priests preaching… We do the best to preach, but people receive the homily in different ways. Some are the hard ground – the homily is a time to take a quick snooze – time to think of something else to do until it ends. In one ear, out the other. They never has meaning for them. For others, they are like the rocks where the seed cannot sprout roots – these are people who seek passion or rhetorical skills and fireworks from the preacher, but go back to life as usual after the Mass. The WORD among thorns is like people who have a running debate with the priest preaching – “He used this word, not that!” “He’s too harsh, too fuzzy, too conservative, too liberal, too academic, too devotional, too long… too short.”

         But this parable is not just for priests who preach… it also is something that addresses each of us here – parents, friends, neighbors. We often spend time and effort helping, advising, counselling someone we love, but in the end, they don’t take the advice and do something destructive. We instinctively ask ourselves, “What did we do wrong?” The parable tells us we did not necessarily do anything wrong. All we can do often is to sow the seed by example, as best we can… That’s what the Lord expects of us. After that, there is the mysterious chemistry between the seed and the soil that takes over – and it is out of our control.

This parable is a way of asking – confronting us with the question: “What kind of soil are we?” Are we the pavement where God’s WORD never has a chance – like seed caught by birds and whisked away? Or are we like the rocky soil where God’s WORD never has a chance to sink in deeply and take root? Do we reduce our faith to feelings and nice thoughts but never let it shape our life in a serious way when challenged? Are we filled with thorns – interests, addictions, distractions, other priorities, and unchanneled drives that choke off God’s WORD in our life? The question is not whether we hear God’s WORD in our life – we do! It is there for us in the Scriptures and in this liturgy. But do we respond? Do we embrace it? Do we let that WORD take root and grow? Yes, what kind of soil are we?

The parable reminds us when the seed falls on good soil, it lets out roots and shoots and produces a terrific harvest 30, 60, or 100-fold from that one seed. In other words, the effectiveness of God’s WORD is determined by our openness to that WORD. It is up to us to decide what kind of soil we are! And that is the Gospel’s challenge! What is the quality of our faith as we hear these words today?

Judge the power of the seed not by the bad seed that falls on the wayside or is scattered among rocks and thorns. Judge it by the seed that falls on good ground. Judge the power of God’s WORD by those men and women of faith whose lives deeply embrace the WORD of Christ. Judge the Church not by sinners – of whom we are many – but by saints! That is where the real power of God’s WORD is.

         We can become so preoccupied and frustrated with the seed that fails, that we need this parable to remind us of the seed that falls on good, fruitful soil. We often forget or overlook the growing that’s going on all around us; the growing is quiet. The challenge for us is to sow the best we can, to spread Christ’s WORD as effectively and honestly as we know how and leave the rest to the mysterious chemistry between seed and soil.

         Some will take root, and that will make the sowing worthwhile, and there will be a vast, bountiful harvest from the seed we have sown. No matter how hard the soil, how difficult the task of sowing, we continue to spread God’s WORD with the hope and assurance that it will take root.

         Sow widely and generously – and let God take care of the harvest.  Remember is promise: “My WORD shall not return to me void”

Prayers

Celebrant: Christ teaches us through parables. Christ is the sower of the seed of God’s WORD in our hearts. Let us respond to his work through prayer to the Father.

 

READER:  That the Church in the world today may be like the rich soil yielding a harvest of a hundredfold, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

 

READER: That the leaders of nations will govern in a way which is accountable to God’s Law as well as to us, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

 

READER: That people filled with doubt and suffering at this time may receive the WORD of God and open their hearts continually to conversion, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

 

READER: That those who are chronically sick or those close to death may know true faith and inner peace through our prayers, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

 

READER: That those who have gone before us in faith will be welcomed by Christ and live for ever (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

 

CELEBRANT: Father in heaven, your graces always achieve their purposes. As we make these requests in prayer, teach us to value your blessings. We ask this, through Christ our Lord. (all) AMEN.