Homily for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

[InThePew]

Jesus’ parables use images which his audience can relate to from their daily lives; so, hearing this parable, they would’ve been struck by the thought that the sower is really bad at his job. You’d expect him to make some effort to ensure the seed falls into good soil but he doesn’t, instead just scattering it with reckless abandon.

That may or may not be how seed is sown, but it is perhaps how the seeds of God’s word are sown. It may or may not be how so a sower should be, but is how Jesus is. We see this throughout the gospels; Jesus isn’t interested in “good people” - the good soil - as much as those on the margins, existing amongst rocky outcrops, or thorny wastelands.

We might think Jesus should be more economical or discerning about where he invests his efforts but his miracles were performed not just for those directly affected but others also, they might see, here, come to know the wonders God has worked by his word. This is how we should be, going out, reaching out to those on the margins - physical and spiritual - not caring about success, counting the number of souls saved, or confining ourselves to easy options.

The Church too imitates her Master’s example, caring about hopeless cases, people who don’t count, uneconomic propositions. Her leaders are not members of a wall marketing board but shepherds; sowers of seed not agricultural accountants. We’re called to waste time saving souls that matter little to anyone, persisting though thwarted by thorns or by evil, even when what we’ve sown fails to take root.

We do this because we know it’s not up to us, doesn’t depend on our own efforts. We have seen, heard, and believed; have had the Word sown in the rich soil of souls so as to produce an abundant harvest, but this harvest is not for us alone, not something to be stored in a series of increasingly bigger barns. We have received much are called to give much, mindful that the seed may well have been sown in our lives on several occasions with the initial shoots failing to find nourishment in our souls because everything that leads us away from love of Lord and neighbour.

Becoming Saints, who we are called to be, is a choice; God doesn’t force anything on us - he calls but requires us to respond. We have a choice to nourish nurture the soil of our souls, to allow God’s word to take root, God’s plan to grow and develop through our lives. We need to resolve each day to respond to the seeds of faith sown in our souls, the word spoken silently in our hearts. Sainthood happens not in mystical moments but in everyday encounters when we carefully cultivate, nurture and grow the seeds of faith with the help of God’s grace leading us to succeed in all God call is to do.

 

[Dan_Defender]

Yes but isn’t there also a prophetic aspect to the parable? Jesus presents four scenarios and only in one of them people accept the word/have faith/give fruit. Doesn’t that imply that from Jesus’ time into the future most would not believe? that most would be damned and therefore that St Augustine’s massa damnata theory is correct?

 

[InThePew]

I think the starting point needs to be that God wills all people to be saved and so Christ the sower will keep at his task. There are of course some though who, despite multiple attempts, refuse to accept the Word and so aren’t saved. How many is unknown though and so this is where Augustine’s description of humanity as massa damnata runs into difficulty. While we can’t save ourselves and, without Christ there is no salvation, at the same time we are given the grace necessary for salvation. It’s up to us though whether we choose to accept it. So the parable certainly speaks to the future - there will (sadly) inevitably be those who refuse the means of salvation but Imho it’s going too far to say “most” (if nothing else, it’s reading words into the parable which simply aren’t there).