"A sower went out to sow"
On a walk the other day I passed by a house and could not
help but stop for a brief moment to admire their side lawn along the sidewalk.
There, neatly planted in rows and carefully watered were straight lines of
beets, tomato plants, carrots, and some lovely rose bushes. You could tell the plants and seeds were
deliberately placed in properly spaced rows to allow for growth and the owners
of the home had taken time to care for the crops. They will have a rich and delicious harvest from a beautiful setting.
What this tells us and we certainly realize is that you
can’t just put a seed or plant in the ground, walk away and hope for the best
to produce the fruits and vegetables you want. It takes some care and
nurturing. Some “TLC” as we say; some
regular water and some sort food, pruning and weeding if necessary, etc. Without that care for the plants, they will
either die or never amount to their potential.
Such thoughts clearly apply to our Scriptures this Sunday.
Isaiah also uses earthy images of rain and snow and
fertile ground along with seeds that grow.
He speaks of God’s word, his grace, the word of Christ himself who is
the true Word of God as not being deterred.
No matter what soil is found, God’s intention will not be stifled. He
will continue to sow the seeds of his grace that all might come to know
him. But in the end, it really is up to
us to cooperate with this divine sower; to prepare our “soil” properly for
growth.
So we hear today a very familiar parable of Jesus about
birds, sun, weeds, and rich dark soil which produces an abundant harvest. Jesus leaves the house. Did he own real estate? No, but it likely was the home of Peter or
some other who offered him a place to stay in Capernaum. The point more is that
of the setting along the Sea where the crowds gathered. He leaves the confines of the house and goes
out to speak from the wide unrestricted space, a symbol of the world, where
crowds amass quickly to listen, so he pushes out in a boat and addresses them
as the sound of his voice more easily resonates from the water to the land.
Yet, we really don’t know who was there or what exactly
they were hoping for: another miraculous healing? More bread and fish? Maybe
some were suspicious of his teaching and were there to catch him on it – as
happened other times. Likely some were there to absorb the seriousness of his
words. I think the images he uses in the parable are aimed squarely at those
who desire discipleship and at those of us who claim to by.
What does he teach them?
He teaches with a very common method using imagery to explain deep truth
about God’s grace and his word. A rather
wasteful farmer simply scatters seed in all directions as he walks along, very unlike
the meticulously planted garden I observed on my walk.
That “sower” could only hope that some of that seed would
grow somewhere but likely is aware that the birds are hungry, the day is hot,
and well weeds have a mind of their own.
This wasn’t the fertile plains of the Midwest or the seeming rich soil
of this beautiful valley we live in where it seems you stick anything in the
ground and it grows.
The land of ancient Israel was a tough place to grow
crops generally. Although the area
around the Sea of Galilee was more fertile than the rocky dry desert of the south,
many people still looked to that Lake on which Jesus was boating to make their
living. It calls the listeners to stop and think or maybe some simply laid back
and admitted that Jesus’ agricultural advice was perceptive.
Our Lord speaks of soil and its condition as too shallow
so the seed became food for birds, too rocky, too filled with thorns and weeds,
but some fell on fertile and rich soil producing an abundance of crops. The
crowds were certainly left with wonderment so he reaction of the disciples may
not be a surprise.
After the parable is preached they pull Jesus aside when
they have a chance and ask, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” In other
words, they admit as well, “We don’t get it either. These stories and riddles
may confuse them." Jesus recognizes their openness to receive more. They readily admit, “We don’t know this – we
don’t fully understand but explain it to us.” So, their soil is neither rocky
nor available for bird food! The seed of curiosity and a receptive heart has
been planted in their now prepared soil.
What Jesus implies in this and other parables is that God
gives his grace liberally to everyone without distinction and that grace is the
word he shares; it is he that becomes the seed sown. God spreads his seeds of
faith and love far and wide. He sent his Son among us to sow new life by his
presence and teaching. However, the problem is not with God but with our own
receptiveness at times.
Do I find that the responsibilities of this world have
become so smothering that my faith is simply an afterthought? Have I stubbornly become accustomed to
certain prejudices I carry or am I so attached to my own self-interests that I
feel I have a “know it all” attitude? I
often wonder about people who come across as more Catholic than the Pope!
Maybe I find I am too attached to certain addictions or
behaviors that I know is choking off my spiritual growth. Or maybe I can be
like the disciples who readily admit their own ignorance and came to the Lord
with an open and receptive mind.
The story is about faith and our own reception of the
Gospel message. For those who hear the
word of God preached and live it out convincingly, the harvest of a rich
community of faith is produced. For
those who simply put no effort into the seed of faith they have received, the
growth will be poor if at all. In the
end, we are all sowers and preachers of the Word. St. Dominic saw this truth as he essentially
commented that the whole Church preached the Gospel when the whole Church lived
the Gospel. That is where the
rich and fertile soil is found. It is both to be receptive to Jesus and his
word and then to live out our faith in concrete action through lives of
selfless service to others.
How open and receptive is our soil to allow for further
growth? What do you still hunger for or
have you become bird food or withered in the sun? So, read the Bible, pray,
learn about your Catholic faith, do good for others and your soil will be
ready. Let’s work on our gardens and be careful about the crop that the Spirit
has planted within us.
In gathering for the Eucharist, we come before this
divine sower who is searching for receptive soil. We hear his Word, we receive his Body and we
nurture our personal soil to keep it fertile but also to use what we do know to
not only hear the Gospel but to live it.
Heavenly Father,
your light of truth
guides us to the way of Christ.
May all who follow him
reject what is contrary to the gospel.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever.
(Collect)
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