The Parable of the Sower, Elia 2nd S,Sept.5,10
( Mt.13:1-9)
In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks about the disposition of the human heart and its response to the word of God through the parable of the sower. This parable is a magnificent explanation of the varied responses of the human heart to the message of God that has come through Jesus Christ.
The response to the message of God from people is similar to the response to the seeds by the earth. If the earth is fertile and receptive to the growth of the seeds, then the yield would be plenty. But if the earth is barren ,rocky or filled with brambles, then the yield would be scanty. Jesus reminds his listeners that their hearts should be receptive and unprejudiced in order that the word of God may do wonders in their hearts.
This is true in our lives too. If our hearts are clouded with anxieties and worries and not dependent on the providence of God, we will never be able to experience the peace and joy that Christ offers us through his words. When we open the Bible, we listen to so many sayings of Jesus offering us comfort and hope. He asks us not to be worried and to look at the birds of the air and lilies of the field in order to experience the power and strength of the providence of God. But we, often, do not listen to the inner meaning of those words. We don’t allow those words to touch the depths of our hearts.
This parable reminds us that not only we should make our hearts ready to receive the word of God, we should also be sowers of God’s word. Our kind words, our generous actions, our compassion and mercy will make people more ready to receive the word of God.
We should never despair of the lack of impact of the message of God. The word of God has its power to penetrate the obduracy of the human heart. It will make its effect in ways unknown to us. What we have to do is to sow them, make the message available to people and live by it.
Just as yesterday’s rain and sunshine have produced the greenery of the earth , so too our good actions and words would produce their effects in the hearts of people in ways unknown to us.
The parable is a challenge to each one of us to make ourselves more receptive to the word of God. We have to allow it to make changes in our lives. We have to listen to it, meditate on it and make ourselves submissive to it. Then the peace and joy Jesus offers us through his words will become ours.
We should never miss opportunities to become the sowers of the word of God. We have to spread the message of Jesus. The words of Jesus should be proclaimed through our words and actions. There will be hearts around us that will be receptive. The harvest would then be plenty. Peace and joy will flourish in the hearts of people.
St. Francis of Assissi speaks of the need of preaching though our very life: “It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.”
Mother Teresa to speaks in the same vein: “We shall never know all the good that a smile can do….We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty.”
We shall remove from our hearts all those that impede the growth of the word of God like envy, arrogance and lack of forgiveness and create an attitude that is open to the will of God .
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