Today’s Gospel reading is a very familiar one to most of you, I am sure. It is the story of the Sower of seed who randomly scatters seed across the land with some falling on a footpath, some on rocky soil, some in a field choked with weeds and some on good, fertile soil. We know that the Sower is Jesus. The seed is the Word. The different soil conditions are the status of our hearts…our souls. And it is the state of our souls at the time they are exposed to The Word that determines our response. I want to note here that I don’t think Jesus would be a very successful farmer with this approach. For anyone who has spent some time in the Midwest farming belt, you know that seed is not cheap to purchase. So the last thing you would do is just blindly toss seed wherever. No, you would spend time and money to prepare the ground. Plow and disc (breaking the clods up into uniform soil) then fertilize. You would be sure that the seed you then plant will hit this soil exclusively. More on this later.
Seed that falls on the footpath is the soul that does not hear or respond to the word and the devil intervenes. When the soul hears the word and initially responds with quick growth, that is the rocky ground. But plants in rocky soil fails to take root and the Word does not fully occupy the soul. Temptations of the world take precedence and pull the person away from The Word in short order. The weeds in the next example are the cares and anxieties of the world that come before full participation in God’s word. And, finally, when the Word falls on the soul of someone who embraces it with a heart that is ready and able.
I would say all of us have during our lives been on one of the paths that Jesus is describing in this parable. We may have had a time as young people where there was so much going on in our lives that the idea of God was far away. We had sports, friends, the opposite sex, driving, etc. We were the footpath that the seed fell on without consequence. And as young adults we may have then had a spiritual experience. Maybe a retreat or heard a charismatic speaker at a parish mission. Our joy bloomed. But, inevitably, the world gained a foothold again. College, jobs and relationships may have taken center stage. We may, later in our lives, have found God again somewhere. Maybe a friend re-introduced us through a Bible study. And we began to grow. But then we started a family and a new job. Responsibilities took over and worry and anxiety pushed God to the perimeter. That leaves those that receive the Word on good, fertile soil and grow exponentially in their faith. Now I am going to go out on a limb here and say that for most readers of ACM, they would not currently fall into the first two categories. You have apparently heard the Word and are coming here to nurture and grow what you have heard. The devil has been pushed aside and the roots of faith have gone deeper than the surface rocky layer. I would also say that you likely have not reached the point of ultimate fertility either (I am not speaking in a reproductive sense here). We are all still growing. Still maturing in the faith. I’d like to think I have achieved Mother Theresa status at this point in my life, but most of my friends and relatives would beg to differ.
So, where does that leave most of us? Squarely in the third category, I think. We have accepted Jesus’ Word in faith. We have overcome the temptations (Not the Motown group. The attractions of the world. I could listen to “My Girl” all day}. And we have not achieved sainthood. But I would venture to guess that we all battle with keeping our faith lives front and center. The worries of jobs, paying bills and sometimes just survival can get in the way. And the pleasures of the world in terms of relationships and hobbies. Or sometimes an obsession with our careers.
I made a decision a couple months ago. Now you all know how two wheels occupy a huge part of my life. When I am not riding motorcycles, I am thinking about them. Or planning the next trip. My vacations often revolve around getting the next “fix”…finding a way to squeeze a ride into the trip. I know that riding has occupied a bigger percentage of my life than it should. Takes away from time with Elise but also steals some time from God. So, I decided it was time to hang up my motorcycle tour company. I bet you thought I was going to say that I was giving up riding!! GET OUTTA TOWN!. Those are weeds I will allow to grow in this garden…at least for now. No. I am doing a little trimming. Taking out the weed wacker and eliminating some of the time occupied by planning tours and then all that is involved with running any business. I hope to reduce some of the competition Jesus has had in my garden and allow the plants of His Word to spread out a little wider and higher.
I alluded earlier that Jesus does not focus scattering His Word only in certain places. His Word is universally given. Free of charge. I used the saying once before that God does not call the equipped. He equips the called. We all have the power and ability to be best able to accept Jesus and His Word into our lives. We just have to prepare our souls ourselves. How? Get out those string trimmers and start weeding. Remove anything in your lives that are taking time away from the time you can spend reading Scripture, going to Mass, receiving the Sacraments, getting into Bible studies, etc. Or maybe sell those two motorcycles that you really no longer need. Weeds apparently come in all forms…and engine sizes.
I love the movie Godspell. It is a classic 1970s retelling of the Gospel of Matthew. As you will see in this clip of the parable of the Sower:
