The Parable of the Sower

Today's Reflections 

 

 

The Parable of the Sower

Mt 13:1-9

¹[One] day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. ²Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore. ³And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. ⁴And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. ⁵Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, ⁶and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. ⁷Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. ⁸But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. ⁹Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

SOME SEED FEEL ON RICH SOIL. The sower in the Gospel is a benevolent risk taker. While he is aware that much of the ground is incapable of nourishing the seed, he continues to scatter far and wide. Yes, much seed will be lost, but some seed will fall on rich soil and yield a harvest that will return his investment many times over.

The sower mirrors God. Like him, God does not exclude anyone; God scatters blessings all over, even as God knows of the rejections and disappointments that will result from frail, sinful, and ungrateful men and women.

Philosophers describe the essence of human beings in many ways. Some believe in the dictum, “I think, therefore, I am.” Others say that a human being is the sum total of his or her faculties and capabilities. But from the viewpoint of faith, “we are” because of what we have received. A human being is the make-up of what the person has received from God. The human person is a gift.

As we have received, so we must share. We have to give back to the generous sower a rich harvest. We also have to sow lovingly and generously in the hearts and lives of people around us. Love grows when it is given. Faith is deepened when it is shared.

“I planted, Apollos watered,

but God caused the growth.

Therefore, neither the one who plants

nor the one who waters is anything,

but only God, who causes the growth”

(1 Cor 3:6-7).