SUNDAY, FIFTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Is 55: 10-11 Ps 65: 10-14 Rom 8: 18-23 Mt 13: 1-23
TO AN OTHERWISE PAINFUL JOURNEY
Jesus very probably was passionately thrilled with the magic of the agriculture. He was indeed a keen observer of greenery around; of the process of growth and productivity in plant world, to the extent that he used that paradigm to communicate very effectively the lofty lessons of inner spiritual growth and of values of God’s kingdom. God’s Word that was God himself in the beginning, that created the whole universe out of nothing with a word, that same word that became flesh in Jesus is sown into the soil of human life to produce abundant harvest, because it is necessarily meant to produce the abundant fruit. Yes, the Lord says it will not return without having produced the fruits. There is a sure assurance that human story will culminate in an eternal smile.
The parable of the Sower, is more a parable of the seed that passing through very many strange stages ends up in the wonder of multiplying itself very many times, is capable of feeding not merely the Sower and his family, but also the wider world of the birds of the air and other creatures. In fact, every seed comes well packed with energy to survive the ordeals, all the script and potential enough to go through the process of germination, growth and productivity. It includes the supply of copious rainwater of grace from above at the right time, to be productive and fulfilled. But despite that much care, that sadly doesn’t always happen. In spite of everything from the side of God the human freedom can do what was not intended by God. It can cut short the path for immediate solutions. Yet the most astonishing aspect of the parable is the extraordinary optimism of the Sower. He does not carefully measure where every seed falls. He scatters generously, lavishly. Some seeds fall on the path, some on rocky ground, some among thorns, and some on rich soil. This is precisely how God deals with us. He never ceases to sow His grace into our lives, even when previous harvests have been disappointing. Every sunrise, every Eucharist, every page of Scripture, every movement of repentance is another seed falling into the field of our heart.
Moreover, the seed works silently. Once buried beneath the soil, it disappears from sight. For a time, nothing seems to happen. Yet beneath the surface a hidden transformation is taking place. The Kingdom of God often grows in the same hidden manner. We may not immediately see the fruits of prayer, sacrifice, forgiveness, or fidelity to our vocation. At times we may even feel that our efforts are fruitless. But God is at work in the depths of the soul where human eyes cannot see. This should fill us with hope. The Lord is more patient with our growth than we are with ourselves. He sees not only what we are today but also what we can become through His grace. The tiny seed contains the promise of a mighty harvest. Likewise, every act of faith, however small, contains within it the possibility of holiness. God never abandons the work He has begun in us; He continues to cultivate, nourish, and patiently wait for the harvest of eternal life.
St. Paul warns us that our sufferings which often make us feel God’s absence, are precisely meant to make right choices to move towards the crucified Jesus and to happiness in self-less love and not to drift to loneliness and despair away from God. We and the whole creation is waiting in hope for the final transformation of humanity. We can reach fullness only through Calvary.
Thank you, Jesus, for making me clear that I am meant from the beginning of time to produce the fruits if happiness and selfless live. Thank you Lord for understanding that it is I who allowed the field of my heart to be turned into a busy thoroughfare with so much traffic and messy transactions and there is so much deaf resistance in me that your whisper of the voice to make me sensible, is often lost in the din of superficial life. Lord draw me to you so that my soul may not be a barren land but produce the right harvests of love.
Response: The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
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