The Sower Sunday

Gospel Mt 13:1-23 or 13:1-9

On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore.  And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up.  Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil.  It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots.  Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.  But some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.  Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

This past fourth of July a poll was taken and it revealed that 3 out of 10 Americans have no idea why America is an independent nation or what we are independent from.  The responses to the question varied but were revealing.  One college student stated that “We celebrate the 4th of July to mark the end of Prohibition.” (I am sure he was well on his way when he answered that question)

Another person said, “We celebrate the 4th of July because that is when we won our freedom from the Indians.”  Not only is it incorrect, but it is also politically incorrect; the right description is Native Americans.

Finally, a person who obviously watches to many movies stated he didn’t have a clue, but if he had to guess, he would say it had something to do with space aliens.  Sorry, but the movie Independence Day can not be considered historically accurate.

Let’s hope non of these people actually handled fireworks during the 4th.  However, it does bring up an interesting point; can we be a part of something without understanding the meaning of it?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is addressing the problem of people not really getting it or at least not retaining the message for long periods of time.  In part, it’s easy to consider ourselves Christian when in fact, we may not understand what the Christian message really means.

It's not always an easy thing to understand God’s kingdom. That is why Jesus uses a simple imagine; a man sowing seeds in a field.  The seed is always ready to do its part.  The only thing needed is soil prepared and cultivate for the reception of the seed.

In essence, what Jesus is telling us is that the problem is not the word of God.  The word of God is powerful, essential and relevant to any generations needs.  The Word of God has the power to transform, to purify, to sanctify; give hope, blessings and salvation to all. 

In the first reading the prophet Isaiah testified to this power when he prophecies,  "It is the same with my word.  I send it out, and it always produces fruit.  It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”

The problem is the human heart, and much like the work it takes to plant a garden and care for it by weeding and protecting it from hungry creatures, the human heart needs to be worked on every day as well.  If the heart is filled with the weeds of resentment, hatred, bitterness, anger, and hostility, then the word of God’s love will not be rooted in our lives.

The work that is required to stay heart healthy requires patients, time, and tilling because like all things which we value this work cannot be completed in a day.  The Monks of Weston Priory have a said pray before their song called, “Calm is the night.” 

"The human heart is not built in a day.  It takes a lifetime to make a human heart. It takes all: birth and learning how to talk, making wishes, living with hope, dreaming dreams. The human heart is nourished with yearning for tomorrow, with poetry and devotion, with contemplation and the incessant thought of home.


The human heart prays; it strives to find a faithful lover; it does not love until it dies in fidelity
for the mystery of another life.  The human heart suffers or else it does not grow; it exhausts itself or else it is empty; it waits and hopes at dawn and dusk, in darkness and daylight."


God is faithful in sending us the word of life, let us be faithful in keeping our hearts ready to do the work required to receive the word.