{"id":15823,"date":"2026-07-12T00:00:37","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T23:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tad.scot\/?p=15823"},"modified":"2026-07-11T10:47:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T09:47:19","slug":"15th-sunday-in-ordinary-time-12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tad.scot\/?p=15823","title":{"rendered":"15th Sunday in Ordinary Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

I used to walk frequently in the Braes of Glenlivet, a valley at the foot of the Cairngorms, enclosed by the Ladder Hills, less than an hour’s drive from Elgin. I loved its sense of remoteness and wilderness, with its green floor and heather-covered high slopes, populated only by cattle, sheep and wildlife. However, quite surprisingly, there were two rather large Catholic churches in that area, where there were few settlements. An elderly parishioner once recalled that, when he was a boy, those churches were packed each Sunday. Over time, the glen rapidly depopulated due to postwar changes. One important factor was the mechanisation of farming, which massively reduced the need for human labour, so many people left in search of a better life elsewhere, either in towns and cities or abroad. The process of \u201cdehumanisation\u201d of farming continues. In the recent series of \u201cClarkson\u2019s Farm\u201d<\/em>, an autonomous machine resembling a Martian rover, powered by solar panels, was employed to sow the field with unbeatable precision, working round the clock and recording where each seed was planted, so later it would deal with weeds, keeping the crop untouched. The introduction of sowing machines decades ago ruined the parable in today\u2019s gospel, though occasional spillages could save it a bit. But this latest development, where a single seed wouldn\u2019t be out of place, pretty much draws the curtain on the parable. Or does it?<\/p>\n

The parable\u2019s main message isn\u2019t about the specific, long-outdated sowing technique it recalls. After presenting the story to the crowds, Jesus later explained its meaning to his disciples. The quality of the seeds the sower threw wasn\u2019t questioned. The word of God they represent is unfailingly effective, as shown in today\u2019s first reading: \u201cmy<\/em> word<\/em> that<\/em> goes<\/em> out<\/em> from<\/em> my<\/em> mouth<\/em> […]<\/em> will<\/em> not<\/em> return<\/em> to<\/em> me<\/em> empty,<\/em> but<\/em> will<\/em> accomplish<\/em> what<\/em> I<\/em> desire<\/em> and<\/em> achieve<\/em> the<\/em> purpose<\/em> for<\/em> which<\/em> I<\/em> sent<\/em> it.\u201d<\/em> (Isaiah<\/em> 55:11,<\/em> NIVUK)<\/em> In the parable, the yield, or lack of it, depended solely on the quality of the ground the seeds fell on. Surprisingly, this was addressed in a rather inspiring way in the aforementioned show \u201cClarkson\u2019s<\/em> Farm.\u201d<\/em> Prior to any action, the fields were professionally scanned and mapped for variable soil qualities, and the data was then used to precisely apply various farming techniques, from fertilising to spraying, to even out yields across the field. We are supposed to do something similar with our hearts and minds; to \u201cscan\u201d<\/em> them regularly to see where there\u2019s a need for improvement, spiritual intervention, or even urgent action to prevent a disaster. This technique has an old-fashioned name: the examination of conscience. A common misconception is that its purpose is only to make you feel miserable by listing your own shortcomings and imperfections; life can be tough enough without such self-inflicted misery. But the examination of conscience has a completely different purpose, even if the starting point is the identification of your own weak points. Once \u201cmapped\u201d<\/em>, they can be addressed more precisely and effectively, and consequently improve the quality of your life.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe<\/em> word<\/em> of<\/em> God<\/em> is<\/em> alive<\/em> and<\/em> active.<\/em> Sharper<\/em> than<\/em> any<\/em> double-edged<\/em> sword,<\/em> it<\/em> penetrates<\/em> even<\/em> to<\/em> dividing<\/em> soul<\/em> and<\/em> spirit,<\/em> joints<\/em> and<\/em> marrow;<\/em> it<\/em> judges<\/em> the<\/em> thoughts<\/em> and<\/em> attitudes<\/em> of<\/em> the<\/em> heart.\u201d<\/em> (4:12,<\/em> NIVUK)<\/em> The Letter to the Hebrews uses a different image to convey more directly the same message we find in today\u2019s first reading. When we open our hearts and minds to the word of God, it can have various effects in our lives. It can be a source of consolation and hope when we face challenging situations. It can offer an ethical or moral perspective when we struggle to make an important decision. It can challenge our attitudes, behaviour, desires, dreams or plans. It can clearly define boundaries that must not be crossed. In all these situations, the underlying reason for God\u2019s intervention is his limitless love for you, \u201cwho<\/em> desires<\/em> everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.\u201d (1 Timothy 2:4)<\/em><\/p>\n

The word of God comes to us in many ways. While the Bible certainly contains it, being \u201calive<\/em> and<\/em> active\u201d<\/em> means the word of God is preached and proclaimed. It\u2019s addressed to us when we celebrate the sacraments. We can hear it collectively at the Eucharist or individually during sacramental confession. We open our hearts to it in prayer or spiritual reading. The word of God can be conveyed to us by people we meet or even by the circumstances we find ourselves in. And, as my watching of \u201cClarkson\u2019s Farm\u201d exemplifies, God\u2019s inspiring word can even come through a TV show, unintended for that purpose by its creators. Whatever the manner in which the seed of God\u2019s word is sown, it will find its way to our hearts and minds when they are open to receiving it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I used to walk frequently in the Braes of Glenlivet, a valley at the foot of the Cairngorms, enclosed by the Ladder Hills, less than an hour’s drive from Elgin. I loved its sense of remoteness and wilderness, with its green floor and heather-covered high slopes, populated only by cattle, sheep and wildlife. However, quite surprisingly, there were two rather large Catholic churches in that area, where there were few settlements. An elderly parishioner once recalled that, when he was a boy, those churches were packed each Sunday. Over time, the glen rapidly depopulated due to postwar changes. One important factor was the mechanisation of farming, which massively reduced the need for human labour, so many people left in search of a better life elsewhere, either in towns and cities or abroad. The process of \u201cdehumanisation\u201d of farming continues. In the recent series of \u201cClarkson\u2019s Farm\u201d, an autonomous machine resembling a Martian rover, powered by solar panels, was employed to sow the field with unbeatable precision, working round the clock and recording where each seed was planted, so later it would deal with weeds, keeping the crop untouched. The introduction of sowing machines decades ago ruined the parable in today\u2019s gospel, though occasional spillages could save it a bit. But this latest development, where a single seed wouldn\u2019t be out of place, pretty much draws the curtain on the parable. Or does it?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14586,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sermon","category-year-a"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/tad.scot\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/meditate-5353620_1280.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tad.scot\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15823","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tad.scot\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tad.scot\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tad.scot\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tad.scot\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15823"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tad.scot\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15823\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15824,"href":"https:\/\/tad.scot\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15823\/revisions\/15824"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tad.scot\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tad.scot\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tad.scot\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tad.scot\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}