REFLECTION Sunday´s Gospel

15th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Fr James McTavish, FMVD

We are all sowers

This morning we are presented with the well known parable of the sower. The sower goes out to sow the seed. Some falls on the path, some on rock, some on thorny ground and some fell on good soil and bore fruit 100, 60, 30 fold. So we are presented with 4 possibilities – only one bore fruit – the seed that falls on good soil – the other three are fruitless. Sometimes listening to this parable it seem like we have to decide which of the four represents me – A, B, C or D – path rocks, thorns or good soil? Or sometimes, all of the above. What do they represent?

The seed falling on the path – easy prey for the birds. The seed of the Word does not even get a chance to grow. This can happen when we don’t really listen to the Word of God. When I celebrated mass two weeks ago, during the Gospel reading there was a lady doing her nails. In the homily she was moving her head – seems like she was agreeing but she was actually doing her nails! Let’s hope she was listening at the same time! Anyway it reminds us we need to listen well to the Word of God. In other words, to love Jesus with “all our mind,” as he asks us to.

OK – the seed that falls on rocky ground has little soil. The roots are not so deep. Brothers and sisters, we have to always beg for the grace to be more deeply rooted in Jesus, more deeply rooted in prayer. If not, what happens to our Christian life? Have you seen a Bonsai tree? It is a cute little Japanese tree. I saw one, very little really, an orange tree, with little oranges. Cute, sitting prettily, decoration… Its fruit – you cannot eat them. Cute, but useless. Why aren’t the fruits bigger? No roots. They cut the roots. Short roots = small fruits. If we are not rooted in prayer – I cut my prayer time, snip, snip, snip, snip, snip – what happens to the fruits? Smaller and smaller and smaller… Less and less patience, less and less creativity, less and less enthusiasm... Lord, teach us how to put deeper roots in you, in your Word.

OK, the seed falling among the thorns – the worldly anxieties and the lure of money. Even in religious life we can be taken away by many worldly anxieties. The psychologists say one group that is very prone to overwork is the sisters and nuns! Earlier this year I gave an eight day silent retreat to the Missionaries of Charity, Mother Teresa’s congregation, in Tagaytay. I met one sister, she was working very hard with the poor in the northern Philippines. She said, “Wow, my work is very hard. My name is Sr Rice.” Why? All day long, people coming in asking, “Sister, rice.”

They told me the story of how Mother Teresa began work in a city in India – the people were suffering, in poverty, sick people, children to be educated – but in all of this she insisted on the sisters spending time in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Some other congregations, other religious sisters, started to complain, “So much work and you are going off to pray…” We are doing this work, but doing it for Christ. John 15:5 If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. The situation in the city worsened, the work got harder and the congregations started to leave one by one. In the end only one remained, the Missionaries of Charity, bearing fruit 30, 60, 100 fold. In fact, as Christians we are called to be fruitful, to bear much fruit - 30, 60, 100 fold. This should be a growing dynamism, of bearing fruit. When you listen to the Word of God, it is as if you receive a seed. We need work that seed, take care of it, water it, to make it grow.

There was a man who wanted to be more generous. His friend said, “Look there is this store where you can buy generosity – it is quite expensive but you can buy it.” He went to the store – all the virtues you want: joy, patience, kindness… Mmmm generosity - $1500 – wow, OK, he bought it. He got given an envelope – generosity. What is in it? The seed of generosity. If you want the fruit of generosity, plant the seed.

You see brothers and sisters, in our parable, it is not A, B, C or D – in fact you are called to be the SOWER! In your family, in your community, is there something lacking? Sow it. St John of the Cross said, “Where there is no love, put love.” Each one of us is called to be a generous sower. What seeds am I sowing? A parent is called to sow the seeds of faith in the children, by word and example. Sometimes it doesn’t seem to grow. It reminds me of a certain type of bamboo. You sow the seed, water it, nothing happens. You keep watering it, nothing happens. Suddenly it bursts into life - 30, 60, 100 feet tall! In my life, my parents sowed the Word, bringing me to mass, showing me a good example – but if you saw my life at college you would not have seen any effect. It is as if all the effort is wasted but the Word that is sown is powerful, alive; Isaiah said, “It does not return until it has done the will of God”… Suddenly one day in my life, I met my order and that seed burst into life and now it is bearing fruit 100, 60, 30 fold.

The seed of the Word is alive, it has a dynamism – it moves us. Let us never be tired of sowing. If we lack a fruit of virtue, no problem, ask for it. Say, “Lord, I lack generosity.” God will grant us the seed and then we have to do our part – to cultivate it with little acts of generosity. As I become more generous, or kind or patient or courageous, I am sowing those seeds in my family and community. We are all sowers. What are you sowing today?

And if we want a model, we can look at Mother Mary – this good soil who received the seed of the Word in her womb, and through perseverance bore fruit – blessed is the fruit of her womb. All the graces, fruits, virtues we need are coming now in this Eucharist, in the person of Jesus. Let us open our hearts to receive him, and may his love bear much fruit in our lives, 30, 60, 100 fold. Amen.