SCRIPTURE READINGS
Fifteenth Sunday, July 12, 2026 

Biblical Readings Online Here 
(Year A in the three-year cycle of readings)   

The second reading, Romans 8, sets the tone for the other two readings. It concerns the environment, and Pope Francis quoted it in his encyclical Laudato Si. 

Romans 8:18-23 requires explanation. Paul tells us to look closely at the natural world, which attests to the limits of its human inhabitants.   

“The sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us. For creation awaits with eager expectation the revelation of the children of God; for creation was made subject to futility, not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it, in hope that creation itself would be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now; and not only that, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, we also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.” 

Since humans are so completely immersed in their natural environment, their disobedience brings down nature, as happened, for example, with the woman and man in Eden (Genesis 3:16-19). Their punishment negatively affected their relation to nature. 

Paul personifies the created world, portraying it as waiting for redemption. Affected by the Spirit of life, the world “groans” in labor pains as it longs to give birth to a redeemed world. Such is Paul’s answer to the question of what advantage characterizes human life in the Spirit – hope in God’s fidelity. Both humans and nature hope for the final triumph of the Spirit. 

Isaiah, the first reading, similarly reminds us how intimately we are immersed in nature. Isaiah compares the word of God to rain and snow that water the earth and make it fertile and productive. Just as water soaks the earth and makes it fertile, so God’s word comes down to the earth and effects God’s plan upon it. Jesus’s parable on God’s word does the same. The only condition, which Jesus stresses, is that his word is conditional on humans’ accepting and letting it grow within them.  

All three readings emphasize how intimately and powerfully humans are involved with the natural world, and remind us to be respectful toward God who has created the world we live in. Let it nourish us. 

Richard Clifford, S.J., has taught biblical studies for 55 years, most recently at the Clough School of Theology and Ministry, Boston College, and has written many scholarly and popular books and articles.