Sowing for the Harvest

Reflection for 15^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

(Isaiah 55:10-11; Rm 8:18-23; Mt 13:1-23)

1.0.  “A Sower went out to sow”

The parable of the sower was introduced by prophet Isaiah in the first reading. He said that the word of God comes forth like rain and snow, “It shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I intend, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” The sower goes forth, with the same intention for each seed: that it bears fruit! But as Jesus narrated the story, imagine watching the sower move along in his work! It appears he began on the side of failure. The first set of seeds were eaten by birds, the second set gave him hope, but withered away, and so on. Still, he continued to sow! We see here that success comes from commitment and perseverance. As we sow in the earthly field, let us be focused on our intentions and purposes—the will of God for us—and never to be discouraged by temporary failures or to be over excited by momentary successes.

2.0.  The Seeds Fell

The first set of seeds fell along the road side, and birds came and devoured them. Jesus explains that these are those who hear the word of God but do not make effort to understand it. Then the devil snatches it away. Yes, the devil is hovering around, looking for those without understanding of the word of God. That is why we should not live by the ‘road side’ of life, without having roots in the word of God. In order words, to deepen one’s understanding of the Bible is itself power over the devil.

The second group fell on rocky ground, “Where they had not much soil.” Truly, they sprang up, showed themselves, but could not withstand the heat of the sun! Jesus explains that these are those who received the word with joy, “Yet he has not root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.” These are those who seat at the convenient side of the word of God. He does not tie his life to the word. So, any wind of persecution will blow him away. This group are the ones who internally dislodged themselves since they were not receiving constant renewal of nourishment to sustain their growth in the word of God.

“Other seeds fell upon thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.” Notice that while seeds were planted, thorns were the ones growing, and eventually suffocated the seeds! To this Jesus says, “This is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.” So, these worldly cares and pleasures should not dominate our lives, rather we should approach them with discipline and self-control. If we surround ourselves with these thorns, they will suffocate the life of the word of God in us.

The Fourth group fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. “This is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit.” These ones shine out by overcoming what the others could not. Imagine the many self-denials they applied, the many persecutions they endured, and the efforts they made to understand and deepen their knowledge of the word of God and defeat the devil. We see here that the determination, commitment and focus with which the sower carried out his work, is reciprocated and returned in the fruits they yielded!

3.0.  The Sower, the Seed and the Soil

Therefore, the ‘personality’ of the sower is imprinted in the seeds that brought forth harvest! Isaiah announced that God is raining down His Word. Jesus, the Word of God is sown, even as he was planted for three days in the heart of the earth. But today he is planted in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. For there to  be harvest, the Sower, the Seed and the Soil must be united with a common sense of purpose. But are we by the roadside, without any commitment to the Word? Are we living a double life, acknowledging the Word, but finding meaning in other things by rooting ourselves in values other than the word, such that we cannot lay down our lives for what we believe? Have we allowed the thorns of lust, greed, quest for power, etc to dominate our hearts and minds?

It is obvious, then, that we who have received the seed must groan inwardly like a woman in labour pains. The hope we have is that “The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” When you have a hope greater than the obstacles and challenges you face, then you remain committed and focused on your intentions and purposes like the sower. “They go out, they go out, full of tears. They come back, they come back full of joy, bearing their sheaves” (Ps 126:6).

Fr Jude Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lago.

Sunday July 12^th, 2020.