13th July 2014 - Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (aka the Monks of Moyross) Part 3 - Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

On this week's programme we have the third and final part of our interview with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal about their life and ministry. We have our reflection on the Sunday gospel which this week is the gospel for the fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

You can listen to the podcast of this week's programme HERE. 

Community of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (Part 3)

                                                                                This week we have the third and final part of our interview with the Franciscans Friars of the Renewal and this week we learn more about Br. Frantisek Marie and his vocation story.

You can read more about the friars including the first and second part of this series of interviews HERE and HERE.

You can listen to the interview excerpted from the main programme HERE.


Gospel - Matthew 13:1-23 
 

Jesus 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!"
 
Today's Gospel is a familiar one.  It recounts the parable of the Sower.  The danger with familiar parables is that we may gloss over them quickly and say to ourselves that we know the story.  The truth of the matter is that the parables have great depth and speak to us again and again depending on where we are in life. So it is with the parable of the Sower.  Jesus describes the different types of soil on which the seed, the word of God, falls.  

In Lectio style we invite you today to put yourself into the parable - what type of soil are you today?  It is important to ask ourselves this daily, because depending on our openness to God's word, we fluctuate between the types of soil we are.  Some days we will be the rock - completely oblivious to God and to his message.  Some days we will be the little soil - how many times have we had a really positive faith experience maybe at a retreat and we promise to change some aspect of our lives as a result, but when we return home, we fall into our old routine again.  Some days we will be the soil with thorns when we let our cares and worries and burdens distract us from God's loving presence instead of entrusting our cares to him.  And some days, thank God, we are good soil - open to God's word and the prompting of the Holy Spirit.  

The good news is that once we recognise what soil we are we can turn to God once more and invite him into our hearts and minds so that we may be that good soil once more.  Jesus never stops sewing the seed... how will we respond today?

Reflections on this week's gospel:
 
Sunday Reflections
English Dominicans
Word on Fire
Centre for Liturgy
 
Liturgical odds and ends
 
Liturgy of the Hours - 15th week in ordinary time; Psalter week 3
 
Saints of the week
 
July 14th - St. Camillus de Lellis
July 15th - St. Bonaventure - Patron Saint of our blog for 2014
July 16th - Our Lady of Mount Carmel
July 17th - Carmelite Nuns of Compiegne (Blesseds and Martyrs)
July 18th - St. Frederick
July 19th - St. Arsenius the Great