15th Sunday

The parable of the Sower

My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
A harried businessman, rushing from home to catch a flight to a distant city in order to close an important deal, narrates the adventurous ride and the valuable lesson he learned from a wise cabbie:“One day I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. The taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches. The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. The taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. To my astonishment the cabbie was genuinely friendly! So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? That guy almost demolished your taxi and sent us to the hospital!' This is when the taxi driver taught me what I now call 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.' He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage: frustration, anger and disappointment mounting inside of them. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it, and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.’”
My dear brothers and sisters, addressing the disciples of his day and of our own, Jesus relates the parable of the sower and the seed, reminding us that when the Word of God takes deep root in our lives, the whole world can be enriched.
We often assume that people will accept the Good News if only they could understand, but the reverse is also true that people cannot really understand God’s word until they first accept God in their lives.
The seeds fall on different types of soil, the pathway soil, the rocky soil, the thorny soil, and the good soil. Each of these types of soil is said to represent a certain type of heart with which hearers receive the word of God. The question each of us must ask ourselves today is, “What type of soil for the word of God do I represent? Am I like the pathway where the seed cannot even sprout, or like the rocky ground where the seed sprouts but has no roots, or like thorny ground where the word of God is choked to death by worldly cares, or like the good soil that bears much fruit?
To respond to this parable adequately, we must view it from different angles.
The first is to look at the story as if we are the seed.
On the other hand, we can look at the parable as if we were the farmer. Vatican II and all the Popes since have stated repeatedly that each of us is called to be an evangelizer, to tell others that Jesus Christ changes lives eternally and that the place to encounter him most fully is within the Catholic Church. To get the few that bear fruit, lots of seed must be sown by lots of people. So regardless of whether or not we think we have green thumbs, we farmers are being commanded through this parable to get the seed out there, sowing it everywhere we go, undeterred by the birds, the weeds, and the scorching sun.
So As seed, our job is to get busy growing. As farmers, our job is to get busy sowing.
The seeds that are sown bear different results, resulting in four different destinies. But, according to Jesus, the reason is not because the seed lacks power. No. It is due to the condition of the soil.
A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. (This is not my story though) Eventually the barber said: 'I don't believe that God exists.’ 'Why do you say that?' asked the customer. 'Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine loving a God who would allow all of these things.' The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument. Just before he leaves the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and un-kept. The customer said to the barber: 'You know what? Barbers do not exist.' 'How can you say that?' asked the surprised barber. 'I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!' ‘The customer said. 'Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside.' Barber was angry he said 'Ah, but barbers DO exist! What happens is, people do not come to me.' 'Exactly!'- affirmed the customer. 'That's the point! God, too, DOES exist! What happens, is, people don't go to Him and do not look for Him. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world.'
The seeds that fell on the path represent those who hear the word of the Kingdom of God but do not understand it. The Evil One comes and takes away what has been sown in their hearts (cf. Mt 13:19). The Evil One often uses this tactic and he tries to prevent the seed from germinating in people's hearts. This is the first comparison. The second is the seed fallen on rocky ground. This ground represents the people who hear the word and welcome it immediately with joy, but they do not have roots in them and are inconstant. When tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, they fall away immediately (cf. Mt 13:20-21). The third case is the seed fallen among thorns. The two first characters were bad: the wayside was not the proper place, the rock was not a congenial situation for the growth of any plant; but this is good soil, for it grows thorns. The seed that falls among thorns can be likened to those who live in a perpetual state of distraction. Their eternal salvation, unfortunately, is not their primary preoccupation.
Finally, the seed fallen on fertile ground represents those who hear the word and understand it, and the word bears fruit in them (cf. Mt 13:23).
What is this fruit anyhow? In Gal 5:22 Paul says the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control. Yes dear brothers and sisters 'Do not ask the Lord to guide your footsteps if you're not willing to move your feet.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.