A Homily for the 16th Friday in Ordinary Time
Friday, July 24, 2026
Prince of Peace Catholic Church – 8:00 Mass
Jeremiah 3:14-17; Jeremiah 31:10, 11-12abcd, 13; Matthew 13:18-23
Audio Recording
I suspect most of us have planted something at one time or another. Perhaps it was flowers, tomatoes, or even just a potted plant on the lanai. You can prepare the soil, water faithfully, and provide plenty of sunshine, but there is one thing you cannot do: force the seed to grow. That growth happens quietly, beneath the surface, long before anyone sees the first green shoot. Our job is to prepare good soil; God is the one who gives the growth. Faith often works the same way.
Today’s readings remind us that God is always doing more than we can see. Through the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord speaks to His scattered and unfaithful people with remarkable tenderness: “Return, rebellious children.” He does not begin with condemnation. He begins with an invitation.
God promises to gather His people, appoint shepherds after His own heart, and establish His presence among them in a new and deeper way. The old symbol of God’s presence—the Ark of the Covenant—will no longer be necessary because God Himself will dwell among His people. What begins as a call to return ends with a promise of communion.
That same theme continues in today’s Gospel as Jesus explains the Parable of the Sower. The seed is the Word of God, but the difference lies in the soil. The path never lets the seed sink in. The rocky ground welcomes it with enthusiasm but has no depth. The thorny soil allows other priorities to choke it. Only the rich soil receives the Word, allows it to take root, and bears fruit beyond expectation.
Notice something important: the sower never changes the seed. The seed is always good. What changes is the condition of the soil. That leads to an important question: “What is the condition of the soil of my heart?” After hearing this parable, we might be tempted to think, “I’m glad I have good soil. Mission accomplished!” But that’s probably not true for any of us.
Most of us have experienced every kind of soil at different times in our lives. There have been moments when our hearts were hard and slow to understand God’s Word. There have been rocky seasons when our faith faltered under trial. There have been thorny times when worry, resentment, or the endless distractions of daily life crowded out God’s voice. Yet there have also been times when God’s Word took deep root and bore fruit through prayer, service, and sacrifice. The condition of our hearts is never fixed. And that’s good news, because soil can change.
A farmer doesn’t give up because the ground is hard. He cultivates it, enriches it, removes the rocks, and pulls the weeds. In the spiritual life, the Lord does the same with us. Every confession softens the soil. Every sincere prayer loosens the hard ground. Every act of forgiveness pulls another thorn. Every time we listen to Scripture with an open heart, God is preparing us to bear more fruit.
Jeremiah’s invitation and Jesus’ parable fit together perfectly. God first calls us to return, and then He plants His Word within us. He never asks us to produce fruit on our own. He simply asks us to let Him cultivate our hearts.
At this Mass, the Lord once again places the seed of His Word into the soil of our hearts and soon will nourish us with the Bread of Life. Much of what He does in us will remain hidden, just as the seed grows unseen beneath the surface.
So let us prepare the soil of our hearts and remain open to His grace. Our job is to prepare the soil; God is the one who gives the growth. And in His time, He will bring forth a harvest far greater than we could ever accomplish on our own.