Readings: Isaiah 55:10-11; Romans 8:18-23; Matthew 13:1-23
The Power of the Word
1. Today, Jesus tells a parable of a Sower who went out to sow his seed and the four types of soil that received the seed. The Sower is God, who created us out of love and planted the seed of faith in our hearts. “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will endure.” (Jn. 15:16). God’s gift is bestowed on us gratuitously. It is a free gift – a blessing and grace completely unmerited. If we cooperate with God’s gift of faith, God will change and transform us. The soil stands for the different hearts that receive God’s word. Each person must accept or reject God’s offer of grace.
2.
In
the first reading, Isaiah the prophet pleads with the captives in Babylon. He
assured them that God would bring them out of bondage, after years in
captivity, to their homeland in God’s own time. Many of them doubted. They gave
in to despondency and despair, turning their backs on God. So, Isaiah compared
the word of God to rain and snow that have the power to keep the world green
and alive. God’s promises will come true in their time. “Write down the vision clearly
upon the tablets, so that one can read it readily. For the vision still has its
time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint; if it delays, wait
for it, it will surely come, it will not be late.” (Habakkuk 2:2-4). God’s
word came true indeed. After roughly 50 years in exile, the children of Israel
were liberated by the Persians, who destroyed the Babylonian Empire and allowed
them to return home. Like Isaiah compared the word of God to rain and snow,
Jesus compares God’s word today to the seed planted by the Sower.
3. How we react to God’s word is sometimes determined by our socio-cultural environments. At times, the situations we find ourselves in may affect our response to God’s grace. According to St Paul, in the second reading, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us.” Being aware of human suffering, Paul tells us to imagine the human and created world as being involved in one giant act of giving birth: “We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains.” Then he added, “We ourselves…grown inwardly while we wait for… the redemption of our bodies.” Paul believed redemption would take place in the kingdom of God on a day when all people would see themselves as adopted children of God. The word of God will help us to achieve this goal. For “Faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.” (Rom. 10:17). Therefore, we must be disposed and willing to put his word into practice. Hence, the story of the Sower.
4.
The
parable presents four responses to the generosity of the Sower. Note that in
only one case was the word rejected outright. In the other three cases, it was
received with joy. The problem is not in receiving the word, but in treasuring
and putting it into practice. Thus, there are different ways of accepting God’s
word, and the fruit that it produces depends on the heart of the one who
accepts it. The fate of any spoken word depends on the hearer. (a) The seed on
the path is those who lack the moral disposition necessary for true conversion.
They hear the word without understanding. They ask no questions and have no
time to study what they do not understand. As soon as they received the word,
they cast it by the wayside. They allow pride and prejudice to shut the word
from their hearts. They are unteachable and blind to the fact that they do not
know. They harden their hearts, close their eyes to the truth, and turn their backs
on the word. As birds feast on seed, so does the devil feast on their weak
faith and snatch the word from their fickle hearts. (b) The second seed falls
on rocky ground that has little soil. Here, one may profess faith in the Lord,
but such spirituality is shallow and superficial. These people are emotional
and are swept off their feet as soon as they hear the word. They fail to think
things out and through. They are at the mercy of every new and crazy idea.
Their lives are littered with things they began and never finished. When this
attitude is applied to the word of God, one faces disaster in one’s spiritual
life. They mistake emotional attraction for deep faith. No one lives on
emotion. We have minds, and it is a moral obligation to have an intelligent
faith. Christianity has its demands, and these must be faced before it can be
accepted. The Christian offer is not only a privilege but also a
responsibility. A sudden enthusiasm can always so quickly become a dying fire.
5. (c) The third seed fails to grow because thorns choke it to death. Here is someone who cannot let go and let God rule his life. In his order of priorities, God does not rank very high. Prestige, power, possession, and pride take precedence. This person has so many interests in life that they skewed their priorities completely. He is too busy to pray, too preoccupied with material things, with family life, work, business, and other social activities in the community. Reading the bible or finding time for spiritual things becomes a distraction. And going to Mass is an interruption or, at best, a disturbance to his Sunday schedule. He may be so involved in committees and good works of charitable services that it leaves him no time for himself or for God. He is so involved in the work of the Lord that he forgets the Lord of the work. We must be careful not to block God out of our busy lives. (d) The fourth seed sprouts and produces a rich harvest. The word of God penetrates a person’s entire being and permeates his whole existence. The yield is bountiful in love and compassion, in honesty and a simple lifestyle, and concern for the dejected and the downtrodden. This person has an open mind; he is willing to learn and prepared to listen. He is never too proud or too busy to listen and to learn. He understands the importance of taking advice and counsel from wise friends and knows the value of good spiritual reading. He translates what he hears into action and produces the good fruit of the good seed! Four seeds, one Sower. The real hearers are those who listen, who understand, and who obey. They yield a harvest through their perseverance.
6.
Today’s
readings call us to action. They remind us that God’s word will bear fruit
abundantly regardless of how it is received. His word has power and can help us
live better lives. “Indeed, the word of God is living and effective,
sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit,
joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
No creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the
eyes of him to whom we must render an account.” (Heb. 4:12-13). Let us
pray that we may “Be doers of the word and not hearers only.”
Amen.
Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP
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