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15th Sunday in Ordinary Time : 12th July 2020

The Parable of the Sower Matthew 13: 1-23

Take time to read the Gospel and reflect -

    • Jesus speaks of the word of God as something organic and growing. Let me think back to seeds that have grown in my heart: probably happenings rather than preachers’ words. I saw a kindness, a courageous stance, an example of honesty that cost the honest man dearly. That was the seed. It stayed with me, and was active in my heart. In the same way I sometimes find, to my delight, that others have noticed something I did or said, and it became a seed in their heart, yielding good fruit over the years.
    • Jesus explains the story of the sower and the seed. He knows that we have different levels of hearing and responding to him. Maybe this story can throw some light on the desires in our heart to bear fruit; or on what may prevent me from heating fully the word of god. There are thorns in all of us; with Jesus we can remove them so that we may bear more fruit.
    • I allow my imagination to dwell with the scene that Jesus presents, picturing the growth, identifying threats to it. I take care not to allow the weeds and barrenness to dominate but accept that God pictures a flourishing harvest and never gives up that hope for me.
    • I think of how I might remain on the alert for anything that threatens the word that is given to me: the life that Jesus offers can be leached away by sceptical attitudes, cynical comments, despairing attitudes or unkind words.