The teaching of Jesus often explores aspects of everyday life, familiar to those who are listening. In a society that revolved around planting and harvesting, everyone listening to Jesus would knew the challenges of growing crops. They would be aware that the harvest might fail because of birds eating the seed, crops being planted where there was little soil, or the sun scorching the crop before it could be harvested. There were even thorns that might choke the seed before it could grow. However, Jesus always acknowledges that seed can grow well and produce a good harvest.
The gospel passage for this week of the parable of the sower and the seed also includes an interpretation. Jesus warns against the evil one who drives away those who fail to understand the word of the kingdom, and those who have no roots to their faith fall away when trouble comes. He guards against being distracted by the ways of the world and money. Finally, Jesus acknowledges that good seed grows to fruition, so that those who hear the word, understand it and then live it!
This is our call as followers of Christ: to be seed that produces a good crop. Believing requires us to listen, hear and comprehend, not to give up on our faith because it is hard work and challenging; not to allow our lack of faith to cause us to stop being in community, listening to God and being guided to live lives of purpose and direction.
It is sometimes relatively easy to come to faith. What counts is how we live our faith year after year, not least when there are profound challenges in our lives. When things go wrong because our health is compromised or we lose a loved one, when we lose our job or a valued friend moves away. For this reason, our faith needs to be lived in community with other people. Our relationship with God is key, but if we are down and under pressure our faith community is there for us, to pray and support us through the difficulties we all face.
The narrative of today’s Gospel encourages us to follow the way of Christ, to grow in faith, to reach out to others and to share our burdens and joys.
Fr Stephen Rowe