Introduction: May the Word of the LORD continue to take root in you
so that you produce the rich harvest which GOD has planned for you.
We
know for a bountiful crop, the soil must first be prepared by tilling, fertilizing
with manure, planting the seeds and then having sufficient rain and sunlight. If
all the conditions are right, a little seed of corn (or wheat or other grain) produces
a plant which has many more seeds than of that which was planted. How wonderful
GOD has made the reproductive cycle of life.
The prophets of old, and especially Jesus, were aware of this cycle and used it to describe the growth of the seed of GOD’s Word in the life of those who are prepared to hear and bear the fruit of the Word of the LORD.
Commentary: This poetic passage from Isaiah about the word of God may be understood on two levels. On one level it prepares for Jesus’ parable in the gospel reading about the sower and the seed. But while Isaiah stresses the effectiveness of the word of God, Jesus reflects on the failure of his word with many sections of his hearers, as well as on the brilliant success of his word in those who bear fruit ‘thirtyfold, sixtyfold, a hundredfold’. On another level it prepares for the meditation on the Word of God in the prologue to the gospel of John: ‘In the beginning was the Word; the Word was with God and the Word was God.’ This helps to explain just how God, the awesome and inexpressible, can be manifested and active in creation. In Genesis God created by his Word (‘Let there be light, let there be a vault, etc’), so the Word is seen not as something separate from and independent of God, but as the concrete expression of God’s will, the manifestation of divine power. The Word which comes forth from God’s mouth and does not return unfulfilled is, on this level, the creative power of God, unstoppably fulfilling the will of God in the world.
Psalm 65:10-14 is a passage that celebrates God's abundant provision and blessings upon the earth. It emphasizes God's care for creation, the fertility of the land, and the transformative power of God's provision. The imagery used throughout the verses paints a picture of overflowing abundance and joy, evoking gratitude and praise for God's goodness.
Commentary: In our reading of Romans 8 on life in the Spirit of the Risen Christ we have missed out (they are used on a separate occasion) a few crucial verses on our adoption as sons, enabling us – both men and women – to call God ‘Abba, Father’. This intimate Aramaic family name, used by Jesus to his Father in his agonized prayer in the Garden (Mark 14.36), can be used by all his followers who share his life. With Jesus we are heirs of God, sharing his inheritance. Not only ourselves, however, but the whole of creation is renewed and re-created by the Spirit. It all takes on a new dimension and a new life, groaning in the Spirit to be released from frustration. This is a new reason for renewed human beings to care for God’s creation. In the first place we were created in the image of God to further and to complete his creation. Now, re-created as adopted sons and heirs of God, our responsibility is increased and intensified. As yet, we have only the first fruits of the Spirit, but first-fruits make sense and have their value only in view of the fullness and completion of the harvest.
Commentary: Like any good teacher, Jesus
uses pictures – or parables. Ever heard the one about the elephant and the
wasp? Or electricity like a toy train going round a room? Anyway, for the next
three weeks we have some of these pictures, to show us what Jesus is trying to
do. This first one is rather sad. Whatever he does seems to fail: seed pecked
up by birds, scorched by the sum, choked by thistles. What are my pecking
birds, my scorching sun, my choking thistles which annihilate the seed Jesus
sows in me? Different for every one of us. But some, just a little, of the seed
bears a fantastic harvest. There must be something I can show to the Lord with
pride and gratitude: ‘Look, this is the seed you gave me; it has grown,
developed, and here is your harvest’. Jesus, too, reflected on his mission to
establish his Father’s sovereignty on earth. Jesus, too, got depressed and
wondered if he was getting anywhere. It was only when he had failed utterly,
alone, deserted and tortured, that his perseverance won the crown. Jesus
doesn’t want the successful. He wants the failures as his followers – and
that is where the harvest lies.
Reflection: What is the best and
easiest way to help people understand God's kingdom? Like the rabbis of his
time, Jesus very frequently used parables - short
stories and images taken from everyday life - to convey hidden truths about the
kingdom of God. Like a skillful artist, Jesus sketched memorable pictures with
short and simple words. A good image can speak more loudly and clearly than
many words. Jesus used the ordinary everyday illustrations of life and nature
to point to another order of reality - hidden, yet visible to those who had
"eyes to see" and "ears to hear". Jesus communicated with
vivid illustrations which captured the imaginations of his audience more
powerfully than any abstract presentation could. His parables are like buried
treasure waiting to be discovered (Matthew 13:44).
What can the parable about seeds and roots teach us about the kingdom of God?
Any farmer will attest to the importance of good soil for supplying nutrients
for growth. And how does a plant get the necessary food and water it needs
except by its roots? The Scriptures frequently use the image of fruit-bearing
plants or trees to convey the principle of spiritual life and
death. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.
He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and
does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious
in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit (Jeremiah
17:7-8; see also Psalm 1:3)
How do you listen to God's word?
Jesus' parable of the sower is aimed at the hearers
of his word. There are different ways of accepting God's word and they produce
different kinds of fruit accordingly. There is the prejudiced hearer who has a
shut mind. Such a person is unteachable and blind to what he or she doesn't
want to hear. Then there is the shallow hearer. He or she fails to think things
out or think them through; they lack depth. They may initially respond with an
emotional reaction; but when it wears off their mind wanders to something else.
Another type of hearer is the person who has many interests or cares, but who
lacks the ability to hear or comprehend what is truly important. Such a person
is too busy to pray or too preoccupied to study and meditate on God's word.
Then there is the one whose mind is open. Such a person is at all times willing
to listen and to learn. He or she is never too proud or too busy to learn. They
listen in order to understand. God gives grace to those who hunger for his word
that they may understand his will and have the strength to live according to
it. Do you hunger for God's word?
The refusal to believe and understand
Jesus told his disciples that not everyone would understand his parables.
Did Jesus mean to say that he was deliberately confusing or hiding the meaning
of his stories from his listeners? Very likely not. Jesus was speaking from
experience. He was aware that some who heard his parables refused to understand
them. It was not that they could not intellectually understand them, but
rather, their hearts were closed to what Jesus was saying. They had already made
up their minds to not believe. God can only reveal the secrets of his kingdom -
that which is hidden to the spiritually blind - to those who hunger for God and
humbly submit to his truth.
What can make us ineffective or unresponsive to God's word? Preoccupation with
other things can distract us from what is truly important and worthwhile. And
letting our hearts and minds be consumed with material things can easily weigh
us down and draw us away from the heavenly treasure that lasts for eternity.
God's word can only take root in a receptive heart which is docile and ready to
hear what God has to say.
How God's word takes root in us
The parables of Jesus will enlighten us if we approach them with an open
mind and heart, ready to let them challenge us. If we approach them with the
conviction that we already know the answer, then we, too, may look but not see,
listen but not understand. God's word can only take root in a receptive heart
that is ready to believe and willing to submit. Do you submit to God's word
with trust and obedience?
One lesson from this parable is clear: the harvest is sure to come. While
some seed will fall by the wayside and some fall on shallow ground and never
come to maturity, and some be choked to death by the thorns; nonetheless a
harvest will come. The seed that falls on good soil, on the heart that is
receptive, will reap abundant fruit. God is always ready to speak to each of us
and to give us understanding of his word. Are you hungry for his word? And do
you allow anything to keep you from submitting to God's word with joy and
trusting obedience?
Lord Jesus, faith in your word is the way to wisdom, and to ponder
your divine plan is to grow in the truth. Open my eyes to your deeds, and my
ears to the sound of your call, that I may understand your will for my life and
live according to it
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: The shallow and rootless mind, by Clement of
Alexandria, 150-215 A.D.
"Let us look, as from a broader perspective, at what it means
to be on the road. In a way, every road is hardened and foolish on account of
the fact that it lies beneath everyone's feet. No kind of seed finds there
enough depth of soil for a covering. Instead, it lies on the surface and is
ready to be snatched up by the birds that come by. Therefore, those who have in
themselves a mind hardened and, as it were, packed tight do not receive the
divine seed but become a well-trodden way for the unclean spirits. These are
what is here meant by 'the birds of the heaven'" But 'heaven' we understand
to mean this air, in which the spirits of wickedness move about, by whom,
again, the good seed is snatched up and destroyed. Then what are those upon the
rock? They are those people who do not take much care of the faith they have in
themselves. They have not set their minds to understand the touchstone of the
mystery [of being united with Christ]. The reverence these people have toward
God is shallow and rootless. It is in times of ease and fair weather that they
practice Christianity, when it involves none of the painful trials of winter.
They will not preserve their faith in this way, if in times of tumultuous
persecution their soul is not prepared for the struggle. (Excerpt
from FRAGMENT 168)
GROUNDS FOR WHAT?
“For just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not
return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful,
giving seed to him who sows and bread to him who eats, so shall My word be that
goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but shall do My will,
achieving the end for which I sent it.” —Isaiah 55:10-11
Farmers periodically take samples of their ground and have them
tested. If your spiritual ground was tested now, would you be:
an infertile footpath? (Mt 13:4)
infertile rocky ground? (Mt 13:5)
fertile but unfruitful ground overgrown with thorns? (Mt 13:7)
fertile, fruitful ground bearing a 30-fold harvest? (Mt 13:8)
fertile, fruitful ground bearing a 60-fold harvest? (Mt 13:8)
fertile, fruitful ground bearing a 100-fold harvest? (Mt 13:8)
When a farmer finds from testing that his soil is deficient, he does
not ignore this information but takes measures to improve the condition of his
ground. This should also be true spiritually. If you are an infertile footpath
or rocky ground, repent and go to Confession as soon as possible. If you are
fertile but unfruitful, ask the Holy Spirit to convict you of your thorny
compromise with the ways of the world (Jn 16:8). If you want to increase from a 30-fold harvest
to 60-fold or 100-fold, you need community life and daily Bible study.
In good ground, you can grow almost anything worth growing. In bad
ground, you can hardly grow anything. The condition of the ground is critical.
Recognize the condition of your ground and improve it.
Prayer: Father, may every seed You
plant in me grow fully. “I consider the sufferings of the present to be as
nothing compared with the glory to be revealed in us.” —Rm 8:18. Alleluia! Jesus is risen from the dead! Alleluia
forever!
The
personal question/action for today: How has my life been affected by my openness to the
Dabar YHWH? What can I do to be better grounded in which the Word
of GOD can take root and grow? How can my discipline of being a person of the Word
touch the life of another person today? This week?