July 12, 2026
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...” Matt 13:1-3
As I write my blog this week, I must admit I am distracted by many things and concerned about the events unfolding in the coming days. The Gospel for this Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time initially appears somewhat daunting. We are given the Parable of the Sower and the Seed, followed later in the chapter by Jesus’ lengthy explanation to His closest disciples.
To be honest, when the longer version of this Gospel is proclaimed, I sometimes find myself wanting to get to the point. This makes me smile, and I think of a teacher encouraged to elaborate on a subject by the better students in the class while the rest of us are anxiously waiting for the bell to ring!
When I finally hear the bell, I decide not to rush away but choose instead to linger over the beginning of this beautiful passage. Rather than sitting in a stuffy classroom, I imagine Jesus inviting us to stroll with Him and enjoy the beauty of creation that becomes the setting for His story. Take a breath. Slow down. Soak it in.
Jesus quietly leaves the house where He has been staying and walks toward the sea. I picture someone strolling to a dock on a quiet lake. The sun is shining, the water is calm, and Jesus turns to notice the crowds following Him. He steps into a boat, sits down, perhaps pauses for a refreshing drink of water, and then begins teaching… at length… in parables.
He begins simply with the words, “A sower went out to sow…” We have heard this parable countless times. Take a moment to smile and reflect: what else would a sower do if not sow?
God does what God does. He gently scatters the seed into a world filled with both good and poor soil, generously spreading His Word much as Isaiah describes the rain falling upon the earth. Wherever the soil is receptive, the rain replenishes the land and prepares it to receive new life. Before Jesus asks us to bear fruit, however, He first asks us to receive. A disciple is first a listener. Before we speak, before we serve, before we teach, we learn to welcome God's Word with open hearts. Perhaps before Jesus teaches us about the seed, He is teaching us how to slow down enough to notice where God is already at work.
As Jesus warns what might possibly happen, the explanation that follows changes the mood. Jesus speaks honestly about the many things that can prevent the seed from taking root. The terrain can be rocky. The weeds can be overwhelming. The path can be hard. There are seasons when growth seems almost impossible.
Then, in a shift of tone, we hear a single word: “But…”
“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.” Matt 13:23
We often think discipleship is about doing. What programs should we begin? What problems need fixing? Why aren’t more people helping? How do we get people back to church? Those are important questions, but they are not where Jesus begins.
Jesus reminds us that it begins with listening. Good soil does not produce the harvest by working harder; it produces because it first receives the seed, accepting the nourishing rains that soften the earth and make growth possible. In much the same way, we are called to welcome the grace of God that softens our hearts and refreshes our souls.
St. Paul reminds us in this Sunday’s second reading that “all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now.” We know how that feels. We have experienced that anxiety in our world, our communities, our families, and sometimes even within our own hearts. Labor pains are certainly painful, but they are not the end of the story. They are signs that new life is on the way.
Perhaps this is where Isaiah, Jesus, and St. Paul all meet in our readings today. God continues to send the rain. Christ continues to scatter the seed. Even when creation seems to groan beneath the weight of the world, God is quietly bringing forth new life. May we continue to receive all that God rains down upon us. As His grace nourishes our hearts, may our parish communities become rich soil where faith takes root, hope grows, and new life quietly begins.
God bless you all. Take some time to stroll and listen to God’s Word this week!