The Sower and the Seeds
One
The Sower and the Seeds
The Sower and the Seeds is one of Our Lord’s first parables, and it takes His apostles off guard. Afterward, they ask Jesus privately, “What was that all about?”
And He explains, the Sower is God, offering the grace of conversion and salvation. But some seed lands on a footpath. It takes no root, and eventually birds just take it away. Jesus says these are the people who hear the word, but it makes no impression. They don’t get it and so the devil has no problem taking salvation away from them.
Some seed lands on rocky ground. It springs right up but when the sun beats down, when suffering happens, then the plant wilts and dies right away.
Some seed lands in thorns, but gets choked out. Jesus says these are the people who receive the Gospel but cares of the world and love of money and pleasures kill off faith and charity.
Finally, He says that some seed lands in good soil which bears a rich harvest.
So here’s the obvious question: Which soil are we?
Two
The seed on the path – the people on whom the faith makes no impact
Sometimes the seed falls on a footpath, on a dry, dense, wasteland where nothing could ever grow. And sometimes the gospel is preached to a soul that is just not interested in the truth and the truth just bounces right off them. It misses them altogether.
These people are comfortable on the footpath, they are floating effortlessly and mindlessly in the current of the world, the flesh.And the devil has no problem with these people. They’re easy. They don’t even put up a fight. This is, for instance, Herod. A thoughtless, vain, lustful, gluttonous, self-indulgent fool.
It’s terrifying when you stop to think that Herod is the only human being to whom Jesus will say nothing. Because there is nothing Jesus could have said or done that would have made a difference. Herod just wasn’t interested. He never thought about God or any of the important questions in life. He just never thought about God.
It’s scary when we think about how many people are like that: self-indulgent, unreflective, physically and intellectually lazy. Just waiting for the next meal or the next show to stream.
How will the seed find a place to implant in a soul like that?
Three
Seed on the Rocky Ground
Some people receive the grace of the Gospel. They realize, “This is it! Of course! God is the only way it all works, and Jesus is only path to God, and without the Church and the Scriptures, I don’t really have any access to Jesus.”
They realize that Love is the most important thing and that only Christians worship a God of Love. And that nowhere can they find this God of Love in a more loving way than in the Eucharist. So, they get all excited. They get high on Jesus. They get high on being Catholic.
They’re like the Rich Young Man. He comes to Jesus, and he thinks he’s ready to be all in. And then Jesus says, “Okay. But you’re going to have to let go of things.” And that puts a damper on things, doesn’t it? Because following Jesus demands perseverance. It means you accept your cross. It means you don’t give up trying to get rid of your sins and vices. It means that you don’t stop daily meditation or going to confession, no matter if it never seems to get better. It means you stay true to your vocation, no matter how tough your marriage is. It means you stay true to this Church, no matter how frustrating you may find the decisions of Church leadership. But many people won’t persevere. Many people won’t endure the difficulty.
Many people will quit. Many people will wilt under the sun’s heat. And the seed will die.
Four
The Seed Choked by Thorns
Perhaps the most tragic of all the cases in this parable, is the seed that takes root, the soul that commits to Christ, to a life of holiness. This person starts out strong but then loses focus. This is Judas, who is, of course, the most tragic figure in the Gospel.
He starts out so strong. He’s one of the chosen twelve, he’s committed his life completely to Jesus. He’s on track to be a great saint! But then, then it’s the anxieties of the world and the love of riches. He starts to slip back into worldly thinking. He steals from the money for the poor, he worries that too much money is spent on the ointment used to honor Jesus’ feet. And he ends by selling his Savior, his Salvation – selling his eternal happiness – for a bag full of coins.
So if you’re a committed disciple of Jesus, great! But stay vigilant! Because the desire to win, the cares of the world, a fixation on our kids or our health, a fear of the future, are always around the corner, they’re always cropping up. And if you don’t watch it, they’ll choke love, the love of God, the love of Christ, and even the love of neighbor right out of you.
Five
The Good Soil
This parable actually has a happy ending though. There are those who receive the word of God and keep it. And not only do they blossom, not only do they live and flourish, but they become causes of faith, love, and happiness in others, Jesus says thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold.
Think of that! Think of not only your happiness but the happiness of the thirty people you love, sixty people you love, a hundred people you love. The best way you can serve them, help them, is to stay close to Christ through the Eucharist, daily meditation and a resolution and examination of conscience, and regular confession.E very day when we wake up, we need to make the choice – what kind of soil will I be today?