Preparing the Soil
Once upon a time, a teacher told a story. It simply began: “A
sower went out to sow.” It’s a story that has come down to us largely unchanged
from the way it was first told. And it is a story that we know well.
A Prayer for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time +
O God,
who show the light of your truth
to those who go astray,
so that they may return to the right path,
give all who for the faith they profess
are accounted Christians
the grace to reject whatever is contrary to the name of Christ
and to strive after all that does it honor.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
(Taken from the Roman Missal)
Unfortunately, it seems that many of the stories told by
Jesus (the “Parables”) have lost their power to surprise and inspire us. There
seems to be two reasons for this. The first is that they often include images
and anecdotes from everyday life that are significantly unrelated from most of
our day-to-day lives. After all, how many of us have any first-hand experience with
sowing a field and understand what goes into cultivating a fruitful harvest.
The second reason why these stories have lost their impact is that we know them
too well. With the stories of the “Prodigal Son” and the “Good Samaritan,” the
parable of the “Sower and the Seed” is among the best-known of these stories of
Jesus.
In Saint Matthew’s account of the parable of the sower
(13:1-9, 18-23), we have Jesus telling a story of a man who went out to sow
seeds. As he scattered the seed, some fell on a path, others fell onto rocky
ground with little soil, and some seed fell among thorns and weeds. But some of
the seed fell on rich, fertile soil and produced an abundant harvest. Jesus
himself goes on to explain the meaning of the parable. It all seems fairly
clear. The seed is God’s Word and the different kinds of soil represent the
hearer’s ability to receive the Word and allow it to grow and flourish in our
hearts. The harvest could be said to be our good works and faith, which are
given for the nourishment of the world.
It all seems so simple. And, in fact, it is.
But as I read this parable alongside the words of the
prophet Isaiah (55:10-11), two points of reflection came to me.
Isaiah reminds us that God speaks to us, intent that “my
word shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for
which I sent it.” So, the gifts of Providence aren’t given for our own
consolation and enlightenment, they are given for a purpose: “Just as from the
heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered
the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the one who sows and
bread to the one who eats, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth.”
The Letter to the Hebrews reminds us that, “the Word of God is alive and active”
(4:12).
God scatters the seed whether we’re ready, paying attention,
or willing to receive the seed at all. This is part of God’s gracious
self-giving. God is always speaking to us and the seed is always being sown.
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| "The Sower" by Vincent Van Gogh |
And so, this leads to the second point. We have a
responsibility to prepare the soil and cultivate a rich harvest.
I’ve often used this parable as a sort of “examination of
conscience,” trying to figure out my heart-soil. Am I rocky and shallow? Am I
distracted with the weeds of “things” and other pointless distractions and
cares? But if we stop there, we are missing the call that is included in this
story—Jesus is inviting us to be sure to prepare the soil and to care for what
God has planted within us. Dirt-packed paths can be broken up and the soil
enriched, rocks and debris can be removed, and thorns and weeds can be torn
out, leaving behind fertile space for growing. We have a part to play in this,
other than simply being receptive.
In many ways, I think this parable summarizes what Ordinary
Time is all about. This is the season of the year in which we are given time
and space to “farm” our hearts and souls to make the most of what we receive in
the other seasons of the year. We have the feasts of saints and the great
events of Jesus’ life to inspire us and invigorate us as we do this hard work
of becoming better disciples of Jesus. Entering these mysteries is key and this
work can only be done through prayer, discernment, and works of care and
compassion that take us outside of ourselves and our own places of comfort. This
is the ordinary time when we are being called to extraordinary work.
O God,
who show the light of your truth
to those who go astray,
so that they may return to the right path,
give all who for the faith they profess
are accounted Christians
the grace to reject whatever is contrary to the name of Christ
and to strive after all that does it honor.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
(Taken from the Roman Missal)
Nice article Silas. I wrote about the parable too (I almost always write about Sunday's Gospel on Monday). I wrote about the seed falling on my ex-husband and how I am no better than he and must be diligent in not falling prey to birds, a hardened heart, and other temptations.
ReplyDeleteAlthough our ideas are similar, they are very different too. What a great example of how God gives us each what we need to hear, when we need to hear it!
I LOVE how you connected other Bible verses to this parable and how you use this as an examination of conscience, something I hadn't thought of. Thank you for this post. It was beautifully thought out and well written. God is surely using you to sow His seeds. God Bless...
Thanks for your kind feedback, Strahlen. I appreciate that you shared your perspective. It does help to show how fruitful God's Word can be for each of us!
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