FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
12 JULY 2026
The
seed sowing valuable seed everywhere, even in those places least hospitable to
plants growing. Echoing the Prophet Isaiah,
Jesus says that God’s word is like rain and snow coming down on everyone, no
matter who they are or what they are doing.
The Lord sows his word on rocky ground, where the hardness offers little
chance for survival. The Word falls on
shallow soil, where the seed has difficulty putting down deep roots for
continued growth. The Word falls among
thorns, threatening its growth by choking it out. But the Word also falls on rich soil and
produces fruit at an astounding amount of growth – up to a hundred or sixty or
thirtyfold.
All farmers
and gardeners know that good soil is broken soil. Before planting, soil needs to be tilled and
turned to break through the cold winter hardness. Soil needs to be cracked open to absorb the
spring rain. Broken soil allows seeds to
take root and blossom in the rich nutrients of the dark, wet earth.
We know
from that seeds of grace and hope grow in us if we allow our soil to be
broken. Our soil is broken when we open
our hearts to the love of God and the needs of our brothers and sisters. Opening our hearts will always lead to being
broken soil. Our hearts are broken when
we experience tragedy and loss. They are
broken when we open our hearts to others and suffer rejection. High school students who suffer ridicule because
of religion or culture or race know the reality of broken hearts. But they can share those broken hearts with
younger students who suffer similar rejections and offer a harvest of justice
that is planted. Couples who live
together in matrimony find that their sharp differences in personality will
cause pain and division. But they also
learn that loving one another and growing together in their differences can
create a bond that is unbreakable. Out
of their broken soil, they produce much fruit in their sons and daughters and
all who know them.
Today, the
Lord invites us to reflect on how our hearts, open to love of God and neighbor,
have been broken soil to produce much fruit.
But the Lord also challenges us to offer the Word of God to others. It is easy to share our faith and our broken
soil people who will appreciate them.
But, we also need to share in the Lord’s sowing, even to people who seem
to have stony hearts, or shallow lives that seem to be shallow, or those people
who surround themselves with all kinds of thorny issues that might quickly
choke off any faith.
Deacon Mel
and I have been talking about our religious education programs at Saint
Augustine. The Catechesis of the Good
Shepherd bears much fruit, thanks to the broken soil of the teachers. Our high school program is growing, thanks to
Deacon Mel and Annie opening their hearts to the young people. We will offer other programs in the future.
Now we need
a robust effort to draw more people into our community. We need to develop the Order of Christian
Initiation of Adults (OCIA). Many area parishes
welcomed lots of people at this year’s Easter Vigil. These parishes have been developing their
programs for many years. We can begin
now by sowing the seeds of faith from our broken soil to others. Those who have never been baptized will be
known as Catechumens. OCIA will prepare
them to receive the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil: Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist. Those baptized in other Christian religions
can be prepared to be received into full communion with us and receive
Confirmation and Eucharist. Now is the
time for us to join the sower of the Word of God by sharing our broken soil
widely and openly. Now is the time to
invite others to join us and go through the Order of Christian Initiation of
Adults.
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