Word to the Wise
Sunday, July 16, 2017 - 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time - A
[Isa 55:10-11; Rom 8:18-23; Matt 13:1-23 or 13:1-9]"A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, soe seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear." [Matthew]
Farming is a risky vocation. Out here in western Texas on the high plains, farming is the major industry and one can travel for miles on end and see only tilled fields on either side of the highway, mostly for cotton or sorghum grain. I was speaking to a farmer who came to Mass last weekend and he mentioned that he and his brother had to replant an entire crop of sorghum because heavy rain had just washed out the previous planting. I asked how many acres, thinking it might be a couple of hundred, and was told "2500 acres!" That statement echoes in my head as I look at Jesus' parable of the sower and the seed. A farmer must deal with seed quality, soil quality and weather. There is also the question of equipment and physical effort. It is a demanding vocation.
In the parable of the sower and the seed, Jesus is speaking to the sowers, but he is speaking about the response to the sowing. There is no question about the quality of the sower. The sower is the dedicated believer. The seed is the word of God [cf. the first scripture from Isaiah] The challenge comes from the two things the sower cannot control: the heart and mind of the hearer and the circumstances in which the sowing occurs (the social weather, as it were.). The disciples are called "blessed" because they have already responded to the word and are bearing fruit. What can happen, however, is discouragement when the seed does not sprout. Teachers experience this all the time with a classroom of students. Why is it that some learn and some don't, no matter how skilled the teacher may be? The one thing that is unacceptable, however, is the failure to sow or the failure to teach.
Modern farmers can do something about soil and seed and methods of sowing. But ultimately the Lord gives the increase. We who are disciples must continue to sow the seed. We start at home with one another but we also give good example to neighbors. Pastors and ministers know that their efforts will not always bear fruit, but the efforts must be made. Jesus is encouraging the sowers to persevere in the face of many things that we cannot control. If we need an example, we can always talk to a farmer or a teacher. AMEN
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