Yield a Fruitful Harvest

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
13 July 2008

Come, let us rejoice in the Lord,
let us acclaim God our salvation, alleluia.

First reading Isaiah 55:10 - 11
As the rain and the snow come down from the heavens and do not return without watering the earth, making it yield and giving growth to provide seed for the sower and bread for the eating, so the word that goes from my mouth does not return to me empty, without carrying out my will and succeeding in what it was sent to do.

Psalm or canticle: Psalm 64

Second reading Romans 8:18 - 23
I think that what we suffer in this life can never be compared to the glory, as yet unrevealed, which is waiting for us. The whole creation is eagerly waiting for God to reveal his sons. It was not for any fault on the part of creation that it was made unable to attain its purpose, it was made so by God; but creation still retains the hope of being freed, like us, from its slavery to decadence, to enjoy the same freedom and glory as the children of God. From the beginning till now the entire creation, as we know, has been groaning in one great act of giving birth; and not only creation, but all of us who possess the first-fruits of the Spirit, we too groan inwardly as we wait for our bodies to be set free.

Gospel Matthew 13:1 - 23
That same day, Jesus left the house and sat by the lakeside, but such large crowds gathered round him that he got into a boat and sat there. The people all stood on the beach, and he told them many things in parables.

He said, ‘Imagine a sower going out to sow. As he sowed, some seeds fell on the edge of the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Others fell on patches of rock where they found little soil and sprang up straight away, because there was no depth of earth; but as soon as the sun came up they were scorched and, not having any roots, they withered away. Others fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Others fell on rich soil and produced their crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Listen, anyone who has ears!’

Then the disciples went up to him and asked, ‘Why do you talk to them in parables?’ ‘Because’ he replied, ‘the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven are revealed to you, but they are not revealed to them. For anyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. The reason I talk to them in parables is that they look without seeing and listen without hearing or understanding. So in their case this prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled:

You will listen and listen again, but not understand,
see and see again, but not perceive.
For the heart of this nation has grown coarse,
their ears are dull of hearing, and they have shut their eyes,
for fear they should see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their heart,
and be converted
and be healed by me.

‘But happy are your eyes because they see, your ears because they hear! I tell you solemnly, many prophets and holy men longed to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard it.

‘You, therefore, are to hear the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom without understanding, the evil one comes and carries off what was sown in his heart: this is the man who received the seed on the edge of the path. The one who received it on patches of rock is the man who hears the word and welcomes it at once with joy. But he has no root in him, he does not last; let some trial come, or some persecution on account of the word, and he falls away at once. The one who received the seed in thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this world and the lure of riches choke the word and so he produces nothing. And the one who received the seed in rich soil is the man who hears the word and understands it; he is the one who yields a harvest and produces now a hundredfold, now sixty, now thirty.’

Reflection
By Anabelle Payod-Balla

One of my favorite hobbies is gardening. I like to watch and witness how each plant grows. It makes me feel really excited and ecstatic every time I see some evidence of a new flower or a new fruit coming out. What more when the flowers are already blooming and the fruits and vegetables are almost ready for picking! I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot! There are flowers all around and fresh fruits and vegetables you can just pick right in front of our house! What a very delightful and satisfying experience it is every time!

I wonder if our Father in heaven feels the same way when He sees us bear flowers and fruits after hearing his Word. I have a strong feeling that He does! And if we are still struggling to grow and bear fruits, I am certain that He will keep on trying and looking for ways to get us to take His Word into our minds and hearts. When this finally happens, His message will be seen in our actions, in our lives. And as these actions go out to the world, its impact will go on multiplying endlessly. Just like a tree bearing fruits, giving new seeds that can grow into several trees that will then give new seeds ….

So the next time we have an opportunity to hear God’s Word, let’s not just listen or read but try to understand the message. The more we understand the message, the greater the chance that it will reach our heart and mind and will be deeply rooted there. Later on, it will bear fruits that God, you, and others can enjoy!






O Holy Spirit please be our understanding. Help us to open our hearts and minds to God’s loving words so we may yield a fruitful harvest for Him and for everyone. Amen.

Bring out a smile in God’s face today. Start bearing fruits for Him!