Some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.

In the summer of 1989 I made my first trip to the United States. My purpose in traveling here was to work for a month with a group of protestant and catholic teenagers from my hometown in the north of Ireland who were taking part in what is called the Ulster Project. Ulster is simply the name of a region or province in the north or Ireland, and it is where the present protestant-catholic conflict is located. The project itself is basically a church-sponsored reconciliation program that was the brainchild of Kerry Waterstone, an Episcopalian priest from southern Ireland. His idea back in 1975 was simply that the attitudes of teenagers from the north of Ireland might be changed, so as to influence the future of that part of the country, if they could see and experience the way Americans have learned to live together in their "melting-pot" society.

And so since 1975 groups of teenagers, half Protestants and half Catholic, half girls and half boys, have been coming to US cities for the month of July to live with host families and to meet with each other and American teens for daily activities that include encounter sessions, social activities, community service and worship experiences. The teenagers who come on the project are carefully selected for their leadership potential, and the vision behind their participation in the project is that it will plant seeds in their minds and hearts of reconciliation, tolerance, mutual trust and understanding, so that when they get older and begin to take up important positions in the community, they will be the ones who will lead the way in moving beyond the bigotry, prejudices and stereotypes that underpin the present strife.

So, Kerry Waterstone had a dream, and one hopeful sign that his dream is beginning to bear fruit, is that of the thousands of teens who have taken part in the project over the years, none has ever gotten caught up in any kind of paramilitary activity on their return to Ireland. The groups invariably continue to meet on their return and many of the teenagers have returned to the States as youth counselors with other groups. Now much still needs to be done to heal the deep wounds of division in the north of Ireland, but as things stand, I believe there is more than a glimmer of hope of lasting peace. Both our first reading and gospel reading this morning convey the message that God shares his abundance with us and his plans will not be frustrated. In our reading from Isaiah God's creative and nurturing work is compared with rain and snow falling on the earth and not returning until it has given moisture. And then in the parable of the sower and the seed, we are told that even though much of the seed falls on inhospitable soil, some will undoubtedly fall on rich soil and produce an abundant harvest.

In the whole of scripture God's word is not just a spoken word. It is a doing word, a creating, life-giving word. It is like a life-bearing seed. Where do we encounter that word? Well, I think if we are sufficiently sensitive, we encounter it unceasingly in every experience of our lives, whether that experience is joyful or sad, a success or a failure, pleasant or painful.

There is clearly, though, for us one place in particular where God's word is more deeply experienced and that is in the person of Jesus Christ. For Jesus is the Word of God. Everything that Jesus said, everything that Jesus did was God communicating to us through him. Not just his teaching but also his whole life, a life that embodied his message of peace, love, justice and nonviolence - in all of this Jesus was, and is for us today, the Word of God.

In the parable the seed of God's word falls where there are many weeds and thorns. These competing plants smother the seed. This image challenges us to perhaps ask ourselves the question: Do I want to be a good Christian but also want all the things that the world around me thinks important, even if they are in conflict with the gospel vision? Well, it won't work. We cannot at the same time totally serve God and be part of a materialistic, consumerist and "success"-hungry world.

How willing and open am I to let the word of God take root in my heart and lead me to live a more committed and authentic Christian life? Our readings today exhort us to hear, understand, and act upon God's word. If we genuinely desire to make a difference in our world, then it is not enough to "talk the talk," we must also "walk the walk."