Gospel of 24 July 2020
Friday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Matthew 13:18-23
The man who hears the word and understands it yields a rich harvest
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You are to hear the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom without understanding, the evil one comes and carries off what was sown in his heart: this is the man who received the seed on the edge of the path. The one who received it on patches of rock is the man who hears the word and welcomes it at once with joy. But he has no root in him, he does not last; let some trial come, or some persecution on account of the word, and he falls away at once. The one who received the seed in thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this world and the lure of riches choke the word and so he produces nothing. And the one who received the seed in rich soil is the man who hears the word and understands it; he is the one who yields a harvest and produces now a hundredfold, now sixty, now thirty.’
Reflexion
Here we have one of the most familiar parables of our Lord. We just heard this two Sundays ago.
Although our Lord sees the parable as an allegory of how He sows the Word among different kinds of people who make up His audience, some who are receptive, whilst others are not, I believe the parable also provides all of us with a wonderful message and model for evangelisation.
Now you may choose to protest that you are not ordained like a priest, but that doesn’t mean you cannot be messengers of the Gospel. Following Jesus and sharing His teachings is an adventure—you never know what’s going to happen. You don’t know if the seeds you try to plant will grow and flourish, or if they will falter.
Words can fall on deaf ears. Words can resonate with someone but then quickly dull out. Or words can resonate, seep, and thrive within someone and they, too, can become a messenger. We never know what can happen. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. It might look and feel reckless, but it could lead to something so fruitful and so beautiful, that at the end of the day, it’s all worth it.
How do we know? Well, we only need to look at the sower in the story. The sower sows, carelessly, recklessly even. He doesn’t hold back his sowing just because the soil does not seem to be rich enough to produce a good crop. He does not allow the predicted outcome of his efforts to stifle his efforts. He sows with abandonment. There is failure, of course. But there is also great joy.
Of course we also know that the sower is our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He preached not only to the choir (to those who were already convinced of His message) but also to those who rejected His teachings from the very start. The sower who won’t be careful with the seed is Jesus, who won’t in the end, be careful even with His own life. That life will finally end on the cross. But with His resurrection from the dead, comes the bountiful harvest. From His resurrection comes forgiveness and reconciliation with God for us and we are living proof of it.
So we should not stop sharing the Word of God with others. We should not allow setbacks and failures to deter us from sowing the seeds of Truth. We should not be thinking of the many who failed to accept the message, the many who rejected the invitation, the many who walked away because our Lord’s call seems too demanding. Rather, think of the few who heeded the call and bore fruit. For this reason, never give up in sharing the Word. There will be failure. But there will also be great joy for those who have received the gospel and who will one day bear a rich harvest.