Word to the Wise
Saturday, September 20, 2025 - Saturday in the 24th Week in Ordinary Time
[1 Tim 6:13-16 and Luke 8:4-15]"This is the meaning of the parable. The seed is the word of God. Those on the path are the ones who have heard, but the Devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts that they may not believe and be saved. Those on rocky ground are the ones who, when they hear, receive the word with joy, but they have no root; they believe only for a time and fall away in time of temptation. As for the seed that fell among thorns, they are the ones who have heard, but as they go along, they are choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life, and they fail to produce mature fruit. But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance." [Luke]
SEPTEMBER 20 ST. ANDREW KIM AND COMPANIONS, martyrs in Korea
The parable of the sower and the seed appears in all three of the synoptic gospels, and it seems to be the only one where Jesus provides an explanation of the image. Palestinian farming was considerably less precise than today's GPS guided methods with modern machinery! The property lines might be somewhat vague. In American folklore, the image of Johnny Appleseed might come close to the methods that Jesus used in the parable. The message is really intended for a missionary church and disciples who were puzzled at the variety of responses they were getting to their preaching.
Evangelization can be a messy process and the results, as the parable shows, can be uneven. Sometimes the evangelizer has the experience of an enthusiastic audience that embraces the faith and lives it consistently. Other times, the initial enthusiastic response falls prey to other concerns. And sometimes there is no response at all. The danger lies in disappointment on the part of the evangelizer (sower) that can lead to discouragement. But, if there is no sowing of seed, there will be no crop at all! Consistent and persevering effort can be a challenge to maintain. Disciples, after all, are as human as their audience! The whole New Testament could be seen as words of encouragement to missionaries to persevere and "stay on message." Those words are addressed to US. They can be encouraging or threatening to others, as the martyrs in Korea demonstrated. But the gospel did not spread by people keeping quiet about it! AMEN