For three weekends this July we get to listen to parables from
the Gospel of Matthew. Today is the
parable of the sower and the seed. Next
Sunday we will hear the parables of the wheat and the weeds, the mustard seed,
and the yeast in the dough. And at the
end of July we will hear the parables of the buried treasure in the field, the
pearl of great price, and the fishnet full of fish of every kind.
Parables are great. They
are multilayered, kind of like an artichoke.
Ever cook and eat an artichoke?
You pull the layers off to get the soft part of the leaf at the
bottom. Dip it in butter and eat
it. Yum.
Layer after layer. Parables are
like that. So our job is to listen
closely at Mass and ponder the layers of meaning. When we give time to prayerfully study and
meditate on the scriptures, then God is faithful to give us power for
conversion. Conversion of our own lives
and of our community.
In order to hear scripture fruitfully I offer a little prayer I
like to use. You’ve heard me say it
before. It’s simple. Something like this:
Lord, open my ears to hear your Word. Lord, open my mind to understand your Word.
Lord, open my heart to believe your Word.
Lord, open my life to live out your Word.
Lord, open my life to live out your Word.
Easy. With that prayer
to help us, let’s go
forward. This first parable is the
farmer who sowed the seed in the field.
Now, in any field, there is the main area that has good tilled earth,
soft and ready. This is usually the middle
of the field. And we know what the
margins of the field are like. Fence
rows with weeds, paths, and rocky areas. So when sowing seeds - avoid the bad
spots and farm where the seed will grow.
Right?
But Jesus’ farmer is different. The seed is being thrown everywhere - on the
path, on the rocky ground, in the middle of the weeds, as well as on the good
soil. Now remember, this parable is not
really about farming techniques.
Instead, it is about God’s method for
cultivating our souls. So the sower is
Jesus, the seed is the gospel, and our souls are the field. God brings
us his Word of salvation no matter what condition our souls are in. In this parable Jesus teaches about what
prevents us from growing in our faith. So
let’s take a deeper look.
Problem #1. Ignorance. This may be the #1 reason why some Catholics leave
the Church. We have a rich deposit of
faith, but some people don’t bother to study
it and understand it. They come to Mass occasionally but not every Sunday. They bring their kids to RE classes or
Catholic school, but don’t really practice the faith at home. So the kids grow up ignorant of the faith
because the parents never understood it or practiced it. They don’t want to grow in knowledge. They are
ignorant of their faith. And so they are
easy prey for the devil, who comes to steal their faith. They leave the Church. They may go to another religion that tickles
their fancy or they stop going all together.
How many people have lost their faith because of ignorance? never understood it or practiced it.
People of God – Decide today to grow in knowledge of the faith. Let’s cultivate our souls through study of sacred scripture, sacred tradition, and church teaching.
Problem #2. Shallowness.
This is the 2nd problem Jesus addresses. These people have some knowledge of the faith BUT–
there is not much of a relationship with Jesus and with his church. They can be enthusiastic while times are good. But when the difficulties come, then they
fall away. They were never transformed by a deeper relationship with Jesus and
his Church. That relationship is
cultivated through a personal commitment to ongoing prayer and worship. But they don’t do that and so they are shallow in
their faith. They are easy prey
for the devil, who comes to steal their faith.
How many people have lost their faith because of spiritual shallowness?
People of God - let us make a decision today for spiritual
depth. Let’s cultivate our souls by seeking true
spiritual depth together through regular prayer and worship.
Problem #3. Distractions. This is the third problem Jesus addresses - distractions. He specifically mentions anxiety and the lure of riches. This one is so relevant for today. We have many distractions. There is so much noise all around us and even
inside our heads. It is easy for people
to become completely distracted. And
then, before we know it, there is no time for personal prayer. Sunday Mass is merely another option for the
weekend. Time for spiritual growth can’t
compete with work, or sports, or other activities. The gospel of Jesus has no opportunity to
change these people because there is no time or place for it. They have a malnourished and shallow faith because
of too many distractions. And so they
are easy prey for the devil, who quickly steals their faith. How many people have lost their faith because
of distractions?
People of God - let us make a decision today to set aside
distractions and make Jesus and his Church our highest priority. Let’s cultivate our souls by putting God
first.
God desires to cultivate our souls for the salvation of the
world. What the church does in Marion
County truly matters – not just for our own community but even for the whole
world. So here is the guarantee of the
Word of Christ we hear today. A soul prepared
by spiritual knowledge, spiritual depth, and spiritual focus will bear a rich
harvest. A harvest of love. A harvest of service. A harvest of holiness. A harvest that can truly change the world.
Whoever has ears –
let them hear!
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