Pastor's Column

15^th Sunday Ordinary Time

July 13, 2008

 

In this Sunday's gospel (Matthew 13:1-23), our Lord compares himself to a farmer who is scattering seeds. While we live on earth, each of us is like a farmer who has been given a precious piece of land to cultivate. It is not ours, but only lent to us for a time. God provides seeds and expects us to know how to plant them so that he can get a good crop at the harvest time! Here are some of the things that can block that good harvest we will want to have at the end:

 

Some seeds land on the pathway. This can happen if we are not really listening to God. He is speaking to us, but we cannot hear him. Perhaps our lives are saturated with media noise; many have time for everything but God.   It's not that these hearts reject the Lord and his seeds, but that they just don't care very much. They don't learn about their faith or pray or attend Mass because the Lord just doesn't interest them; this seed falls on the path and is lost.

 

Some seeds fell on rocky ground. Much of the soil in the holy land has a layer of rock underneath, so the earth is actually quite shallow. Plants that land here cannot develop deep roots. Many people base their faith primarily on the level of feelings. If our response to God is based on emotions, then we will wither when the heat gets turned up in our lives. When God sends us seeds that don't "feel good", we are liable to reject them! Any relationship, including marriage, must be based on more than good feelings; and this is true for our relationship with Christ as well.

 

Some seeds fell among thorns. Sometimes the ground we are planting in looks good because it was turned over; but, if we didn't deal with the weeds first, they will soon be back!  Many of us are really busy but often concerned with trivia instead of the things that really matter. Our lives become cluttered with "thorns": riches, plans, and all manner of busy-ness, and God gets crowded out. Living in habitual sin is actually like encouraging a big crop of weeds! In the end, we are left with a field full of nothing, and it is too late to reap a harvest of things that will last. Many people don't figure out until the end that what counts in life the most is what we have done for others and the quality time and treasure we have given to God.

 

Some seed fell on good soil. Notice that none of us is fruitful all of the time, but some of God's seeds should be growing well in our garden. Growing a garden takes patience, vigilance and skill. The Lord will teach us everything we need to bear much fruit – if we are willing to listen.