By Alyssa Bormes
A sower went to sow. This line from today’s Gospel reminds me of a few things.
Having grown up in the heartland, where farming was king, sowing is pivotal. There is only a limited amount of seed, and it has to produce a crop to be harvested in the fall. The area economy can ride on the crops. Sowing is an art!
The Gospel also reminds me of my recent visit to the Holy Land. We learned that it makes perfect sense that, like in today’s Gospel reading, Jesus was in a boat speaking to the crowd on the shore. The smallest sounds carry on the water. When we were on the Sea of Galilee, we had perfect quiet, until something other than a still, small voice was heard. It was Elvis! Someone in the distance was playing Elvis, and we could hear him singing, “For I can’t help falling in love with you.” As the king was singing it, I was falling more deeply in love with the King, Jesus. All I had to say to Elvis was, “Preach it, brother!”
And then when you put sowing and Jesus together, you get what brought me home. There were so many bits and pieces of homilies or teachings here and there—sowed throughout the years.
But here is the difference with the sowing of the seeds in agriculture and the seeds of Christ: the farmer only has limited seed, and he has a timeline, the harvest must be reaped in the fall. However, with the Word of God, you can wantonly sow the seed; there is no end to it! You are able to sow it on any kind of soil.
My heart was a rock for years. Some of the seed actually did take root and flowers appeared for a short time. I suppose this is why I love to see a flower growing out of a rock; it gives me hope. Yet the other seed just held there in that rock, waiting for the ground to become softer. This is another difference: the harvest might take years to come, and you may never be a witness to it, and that is just fine.
When we speak and live the truth in charity, we are never wasting words or actions. We can sow the seed of God with abandon! He will replenish our supply through grace, especially the grace of the Eucharist.
So get on out there and go wild sowing the seeds of the Good News!
Nailed it, Alyssa! I frequently reflect on how The Lord touches me through others in a multitude of ways every day – and recall that I have the choice every minute to be that touch point for others I encounter, whether God chooses to let me know the result or not.