Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Isaiah 55:10-11, Psalm 65, Romans 8:18-23, Matthew 13:1-9
One of my favorite poems is “The Lord God Planted a Garden,” by Dorothy Frances Gurney. The last lines are: “One is nearer God’s heart in a garden than anywhere else on Earth.” Today’s readings paint the same picture for us. Isaiah compares rain and snowmaking the earth fruitful to God’s Word bearing fruit in those who hear It. Psalm 65 tells us that seed falling on good ground will yield an abundant harvest. As only he can, Paul tells us we have the first fruits of the Spirit as we share in the gifts of God, even amidst suffering in the present time. God’s Word is so clear in these three sources.
Now Christ tells us that seeds refer to the Word of God. Christ is completing what Isaiah said, what the Psalmist said, and what Paul will say once God’s Word bears fruit in him. We probably are not farmers. We may never have had our own garden, but we daily enjoy the fruits and vegetables of those who do farm, of those who do have a garden. Without the results of these farmers, these growers, we would not survive. Neither would we survive without the Word of God.
We do not want God’s Word to fall on dry, rocky, or thorny ground. We want to be rich soil so that God’s Word can bear fruit in us. The more we prayerfully read God’s Word in the Scriptures, both Hebrew and Christian, the more we will learn how much God loves us, for God’s Bible is a love letter. The more we read God’s Word, we can learn how God expects us to live and to love each other. We will also learn how God graces us every moment of our lives so that we can be fruitful.
God, help us to read your Word, to love your Word, to live your Word.
Amen.
Sr. Monica Paul Fraser, OP
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