Reflection for Sunday 12th July, 2026

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Seeds of Wisdom (Matt 13: 1-13)

“The reason that I talk to them in parables is that they look without seeing and listen without hearing or understanding” (Matt 13:13). Jesus knew that people would listen to stories and remember them. A parable is a story that runs parallel to life, like a mirror that travels beside you in which you can see your life.

How do we listen

Jesus compared his teaching to seeds planted in different sorts of soil. A seed is not of much use if it is left in a paper packet. It must be mixed in the earth. Scripture, the word of God, must be taken from the paper and planted in the earth of life. Only then will it be life-giving.

But there are different levels of listening. Every speaker must remember that what is communicated is not necessarily what is said but what is heard. 

Jesus compared his teaching to seeds planted in different sorts of soil. A seed is not of much use if it is left in a paper packet. It must be mixed in the earth. Scripture, the word of God, must be taken from the paper and planted in the earth of life. Only then will it be life-giving.

Everything that is read or heard is filtered through the mind of the reader or listener. One listener is delighted while another gets nothing out of the same sermon. There were very different reactions to the preaching of Jesus. Some people were filled with awe at his gracious words while others boiled with anger and were hardened in their prejudice. The sermon is the same but it is the listening that makes the difference. The parable of the sower and seed challenges us about how we listen.

Different soils

The first seed fell on the edge of a path, on hard soil. Birds devoured it before it got into the soil. Our minds are miles away, totally distracted and we take nothing in. Nothing has lodged in the memory. The second seed fell on shallow soil which is alright on the surface but rocky underneath. This represents the shallow person who hears in a superficial, distracted way. This listener is more likely to remember who sat in which seat, or how somebody was dressed!
Other seeds started to grow until the shoots were choked by winding weeds. Sometimes good intentions do not last long because the mind is too preoccupied by other concerns and worries. Finally, there is the good soil which produces a crop in various amounts. If one prepares the soil beforehand there is every chance that the seed will flourish.
Before reading or hearing the scripture, always pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance. And if you have to listen to your least favourite preacher, pray to the Holy Spirit for the poor preacher and for yourself! Ask God for a living word. Have a positive attitude that this reading or talk is just what I need today. Even if the preacher is poor, his incompetence might touch the compassionate quality of your heart. The most unwilling and incompetent preacher in the bible was Jonah yet the people pitied him, and his preaching converted an entire city. Amazing how a spoonful of sympathy can change our mentality!