Reflection on the Readings for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Scripture texts can be found at http://usccb.org/bible/readings/071314.cfm
In this sower and seed parable, do we always have to be the dirt? Why do we always have to be the dirt? It's depressing. Who really thinks they've yielded a hundredfold of awesome religious results? My money is on nobody-that would look like pride. Probably the same with sixtyfold. Most of us think we'll be lucky to make thirtyfold because we figure we're still limping along at eight or ten, maybe twelve tops.
There are many ways of looking at and understanding parables.
First, let's look at the sower. It's not only bishops, priests , sisters, brothers, and missionaries that sow the seed of the word of God.
Parents, grandparents, and people in charge of a child, anytime they speak about the love of God, whether formal deliberate instruction, or just by how we love and treat them, are sowing the seeds of the kingdom of God.
For many of us, we would do well to speak of God and the events of salvation more often than we do. It can be at work, with family, with friends, or in social settings. We often hold back for fear of sounding "preachy" or of sounding like a phoney. Most people that we know, know our faults. But if you preach from the heart and show a true relationship with God, you can overcome those faults and show those in your life that relationship with God is important. You are planting the seed.
When we sow the seed of faith in God, don't worry about results. Our responsibility as Christians is to sow the seed of faith with those in our life. The results of that sowing is up to God. As Mother Theresa of Calcutta once said, "God does not call us to be successful; he calls us to be faithful." We may or may not see results. Some seeds may remain dormant for years before they reach maturity and growth. It's between those hearing the word and with God.
This parable talks about seeds, as well. We can relate to the seed, too. Like the seed, we "die" to ourselves in order to give life to others. Parents, in may ways, give up sleep, time, and personal pleasures to give their children good things and save for the future. Teachers in school in many ways, too, "die", when they give their "all" for the children they are charged with to give education.
When you respond to the word of God by being the "sower" and the "seed", you, like the "dirt" can produce "a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold." (Matthew 13:8)
Let us ask Jesus this day to enrich our understanding and increase our fervor. Let Jesus plant the seed in our hearts so we can produce manifold fruits in our live.
Thanks, Deacon Tom, for your insights. I have always interpreted this parable in the more traditional way: the LORD as the sower, the Word of God as the seed, and all the people as various kinds of soil--the rocky that reject, the shallow who initially accept joyfully but quickly lose it, the thorny who struggle when beset by the troubles of the world, and the good, fruitful soil with various degrees of fruitfulness. Naturally I like to see myself as the good, fruitful soil but can also relate to the thorny, since I struggle with the troubles in this world. I have heard some homilists share that all of us can probably have moments when we can be all of these at different times, and I'm inclined to agree.
ReplyDeleteI never thought of applying the parable to see ourselves as seed or sower. But since we can learn to understand Scripture in one area by comparing it with Scripture in other areas, I can see that we can be sowers. I recall that St. Paul refers to those who sow, those who water, etc. and that it is God Who provides the growth. So there are people in our lives for whom we might be the first person to present the Word of God by our words and our behavior, there are others who have heard/received the "seed" from others and for whom we are "watering", and there are others for whom we might be blessed to reap the harvest of conversion. God uses each of us in different ways at different times, each doing our part, and ultimately it is God's work with which we are cooperating, so ultimately the glory belongs to Him.
And, yes, I guess we could be seeds, because in the Gospel of St. John, JESUS says that unless a grain of wheat or a seed falls into the ground it remains just a grain of wheat or a seed, but if it dies it bears much fruit. This especially refers to the LORD's own death on the Cross but also to the ways we need to die to self for a higher purpose.
Of the various insights you expressed, Deacon Tom, your statement,"Who really thinks they've yielded a hundredfold of awesome religious results?" represents how most of us feel. Reading this passage has always left me feeling a bit guilt-ridden regarding the lack of fruit I have produced during different periods in my life. However, we may never know the significance of our affect on others, until one day when we reach heaven. As you reflected, "Just by how we love and treat [others], we are sowing the seeds of the kingdom of God."
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