July 12, 2026 – 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reflection by Rev. Leonard N. Peterson
It can be a contemporary office seeker’s response to a reporter. Or a remembered comment from a persecuted Christian missionary. Or your pastor’s statement in his homily last weekend. Or even a remark made by your 6 year old granddaughter. You will note it. You may even remember it, at least for a while. But the odds are that you won’t retain it for long. It’s the way it is with us poor humans. Most of the time.
But today we meet a glorious exception to the rule. Isaiah the prophet “nails it,” as we so often say. I refer to God’s holy Word and how powerful it is. Here is the prophet’s timeless assessment from today’s First Reading: “ For as the rain and snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth…so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I intend, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
This on God’s part, is not a wishful hope or a mere possibility. It is a bold proclamation made in confidence. As such, it should give us confidence when we truly hear it. So many other “words” across history have gotten lost or contradicted by actual events. But not God’s word.
The parable of the Sower teaches us how indifferent responses to the word of the kingdom prove to be unfruitful. Distractions come first of all from the world; and then from the flesh; and finally, from the devil.
On the other hand, fruit brought forth from the responsive heart is everywhere and abundant. “Fruit” is a word common in bible usage to represent the good works and faithfulness that flow from God’s grace. And that can be measured as a hundredfold, or sixty, or thirty. The measurement is God’s task. The producer of the response is either you or me or both.
The story has been told of a new commander who was sent to an army fort on the American frontier. He soon was involved in a conference with an important Indian chief. Working through a translator, he nervously asked the chief a number of questions and was surprised to get no reply. After the meeting, he asked the translator why he had gotten no response. The translator replied, “That’s what we call Indian time.” “He has enough respect for your questions to go away and think about them before answering them.”
Maybe we all need to practice more “Indian time.”
Rev. Peterson’s Reading & Gospel Summary
Reading I: Isaiah 55: 10-11
God’s word is the instrument of His will. It never fails to achieve its purpose and always remains effective.
Reading II: Romans 8: 18-23
Paul wants his readers to know that even our heaviest sufferings in this life are far outweighed by the glory that awaits us as Christ’s faithful followers.
The Gospel: Matthew 13: 1-23
Jesus’ private instructions to His disciples, after proclaiming a parable to the crowd, reflects His intent to arrange His Church hierarchically. Yet our distractions can hinder our understanding of the Word and put obstacles to our best response.