Dear Parishioners,
The parable of the Sower opens Matthew’s collection of parables, which contains seven illustrative stories drawn from Palestinian life and culture. Jesus presents the story of a farmer who scatters seed before plowing, with the result that a fair amount is lost, even though there is still an abundant yield where the soil is fertile. We can picture a farmer spreading seed across his field, or think of ourselves spreading new grass seed on a lawn, hoping it will grow into a lush carpet of grass.
Unfortunately, some of the seed is lost when it falls on a well-worn path, on a thin layer of soil, or among thorns. Jesus uses this imagery to speak about himself and his mission to plant God’s Word among his people. The seed is his message—something far greater than mere human words. It is the Word of God. The people gathered around him are God’s people, descendants of the prophets, priests, and kings whom God raised up over the centuries to renew their hope and sustain their patient expectation of the One who would definitively establish the Kingdom.
Just as the farmer scatters seed on the varied soil around him, so Christ offers the one Word of God to the varied audience before him. Some listeners accept it; others reject it. Some are overjoyed by it, while others remain untouched. Yet, for all, it remains a fertile seed. This is an important encounter between the Word of God and the human race, between the message of Christ and those who hear it. The fruitfulness of this divine Word becomes a reality to the extent that we accept the seed and allow it to grow within us. Where there is good soil to receive the seed despite inevitable losses, authentic hearers of Jesus’ message will be many and strong in faith.
Once a field has been seeded, its appearance changes considerably. Likewise, the world has been transformed because Jesus has sown the seed of God’s Word within it. We have received that Word, and it continues to transform us. Jesus Christ has inaugurated the new Kingdom. God’s Word is now mingled with us to form a single reality.
By becoming human, Christ has transformed us in ways beyond our comprehension. We have come to share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity. What a great mystery—and what a profound gift! God’s Word is made for humanity; it can only take root in the human heart. Likewise, humanity is made for God’s Word and can bear fruit only through it.
Let us accept the Word joyfully and, like a flash of light, put it into practice without delay. At times, life’s ups and downs can become rocky ground or thorns that choke and destroy the Word within us. We must be on guard against such obstacles. Let us not be seduced by the lure of riches and the passing glory of the world, allowing them to push God’s Word into the background.
Instead, let us be the good soil that produces “a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.” The message of Jesus’ parable, grasped through the ears of faith, is that the Word he proclaims, despite its apparent ineffectiveness at times, will ultimately meet with great success. And Saint Paul reminds us that not only are we destined for glory, but all of creation shares in that hope.
Sincerely yours in the Lord Rev. Vitalis Anyanike
Pastor
