MATTHEW 13:1-23
I KNEW A YOUNG MAN WHO
HAD REALLY FALLEN AWAY FROM THE CHURCH. HE WAS SINGLE, ALTHOUGH HE
HAD HAD A FEW GIRL FRIENDS. HE WAS DEEPLY INVOLVED IN MUSIC, AND
ALTHOUGH HE DIDN'T SMOKE OR DRINK, HE HUNG OUT WITH GUYS WHO DID.
EVENTUALLY HE MET A YOUNG LADY WHO WAS VERY RELIGIOUS. THEY FELL IN
LOVE, APPARENTLY, BECAUSE THEIR RELATIONSHIP LASTED FOR SEVERAL
YEARS. DURING THIS TIME HE BECAME A REGULAR CHURCH-GOER, GOT TO KNOW
A LOT MORE ABOUT HIS FAITH, BEGAN TO DISTANCE HIMSELF FROM SOME OF
THE BAD INFLUENCES IN HIS LIFE. THE COUPLE GOT ENGAGED MORE THAN
ONCE, BUT FOR SOME REASON THEY NEVER MADE IT TO MARRIAGE. EVENTUALLY
THEIR RELATIONSHIP WAS TESTED SEVERELY – BY SEPARATION AND OTHER
THINGS – AND THEY BROKE UP. HE NO LONGER PRACTICES HIS FAITH, AND
HAS STATED THAT HE DOESN'T CONSIDER HIMSELF A CATHOLIC ANYMORE.
SO WHERE DOES HE FIT IN
WHAT JESUS WAS TALKING ABOUT? THERE WAS A TIME WHEN THE WORD MEANT
NOTHING TO HIM. THEN IT SEEMED AS THOUGH THE SEED FELL ON FERTILE
GROUND, AND BORE FRUIT. BUT THEN, WORLDLY CARES STRANGLED THE NEW
GROWTH. AND WE MIGHT EVEN THINK THIS CYCLE HAPPENED BEFORE, BECAUSE
HE WAS RAISED IN A DEEPLY CATHOLIC FAMILY. MIGHT THINGS HAVE BEEN
DIFFERENT IF HE HAD MARRIED THE WOMAN HE HAD GONE WITH FOR SEVERAL
YEARS? WOULD THAT HAVE CREATED MORE FERTILE GROUND? YOU WONDER.
MANY YEARS AGO, MY
REACTION TO THIS PARABLE WAS TO BE GRATEFUL THAT I WAS FERTILE
GROUND, THAT I WAS WHERE THE SEED COULD BEAR FRUIT. FOR THE OTHER
EXAMPLES, I COULD LOOK AROUND AND SEE MY FRIENDS AND RELATIVES –
SOME WHO HAD FALLEN AWAY FROM THE CHURCH, SOME WHO HAD NEVER EMBRACED
THE FAITH OF THEIR PARENTS; SOME WHO HAD BEEN VERY ENTHUSIASTIC FOR A
WHILE, BUT WERE NO LONGER. BUT JESUS IS TELLING US TO LOOK AT
OURSELVES; HE'S NOT GIVING US A MEASURING STICK THAT HELPS US TO
CLASSIFY OTHER PEOPLE.
IF WE ARE HONEST WITH
OURSELVES, WE KNOW THAT WE GO THROUGH INDIFFERENCE, ENTHUSIASM
FOLLOWED BY BURNOUT, FORGETTING OUR CHRISTIAN CALLING BECAUSE OF ALL
THE NOISE IN OUR LIVES, THE 24/7 DISTRACTIONS; AND YET THERE ARE
TIMES WHEN WE CAN SEE THAT GOD IS WORKING IN US TO BEAR AT LEAST A
LITTLE FRUIT.
WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, I
HAD UNCLES WHO FARMED. ONE OF THE TASKS EVERY SPRING WAS TO GET THE
LAND READY FOR PLANTING. THIS INVOLVED PLOWING, BUT PLOWING WASN'T
JUST PULLING A PLOW BEHIND A TRACTOR. FOR REASONS WHICH I NEVER
UNDERSTOOD, PART OF PLOWING WAS TO PICK UP AND MOVE THE LARGE ROCKS
THAT SEEMED TO HAVE GROWN IN THE FIELD OVER THE WINTER; EVERY FIELD
HAD A PILE OF ROCKS OFF IN THE CORNER SOMEWHERE. FERTILIZATION WAS
OFTEN NECESSARY AS WELL; GOOD FARMERS GREW CROPS LIKE ALFALFA EVERY
NOW AND THEN, AND THESE WOULD RESTORE NITROGEN TO THE SOIL. AND OF
COURSE THERE WAS THE WEEDING THAT HAD TO TAKE PLACE, AT LEAST UNTIL
THE CROP HAD A HEAD START.
THE SOWER IN JESUS'
EXAMPLE ISN'T A TYPICAL FARMER. HE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE CONCERNED
ABOUT THE GROUND ON WHICH HE CASTS SEEDS. A REAL FARMER WOULD BE
CONCERNED; TO THROW SEED WHERE IT COULDN'T GROW WOULD BE A WASTE.
I THINK ONE POINT JESUS
IS MAKING IS THAT GOD IS A VERY EXTRAVAGANT FARMER, WHO HAS AN
INFINITE AMOUNT OF SEED. HE MAKES HIS WORD AVAILABLE AT ALL TIMES TO
ALL PEOPLE. BUT WE ARE THE ONES WHO HAVE TO PREPARE THE SOIL, AND
KEEP IT PREPARED.
IF YOU ARE SINGLE, OR
CALLED TO THE RELIGIOUS LIFE, THERE ARE CERTAINLY PITFALLS AND
PROBLEMS WITH DOING THIS. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, YOU DO HAVE MORE
CONTROL OVER THE QUALITY OF YOUR SOIL THAN PERHAPS PEOPLE CALLED TO
MARRIAGE. I KNOW FROM MY OWN EXPERIENCE THAT WITH SMALL CHILDREN, A
CAREER, BILL PAYING, UNEXPECTED EMERGENCIES – IT'S EASY TO FORGET
ABOUT YOUR SOIL. AND THAT IS PROBABLY A SPECIAL GRACE THAT COMES
FROM THE SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY, THE SACRAMENT THAT THE COUPLE I
DESCRIBED DID WITHOUT. BECAUSE A HUSBAND CAN HELP PREPARE HIS WIFE'S
SOIL, AND A WIFE, HER HUSBAND'S. AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS, YOU CAN'T
HELP BUT HAVE A REALLY WONDERFUL MARRIAGE, WHERE THE WORD OF GOD IS
BEARING MUCH FRUIT, MOST OF THE TIME.
HOW DO WE MAKE GOOD SOIL
OF OURSELVES? JESUS GIVES US THE ANSWER. FIRST, WE ARE NOT
INDIFFERENT TO HIS WORD. WE CHEW ON IT, WE MEDITATE, WE STUDY IT.
WE DON'T JUST LET IT GO IN ONE EAR AND OUT THE OTHER. EVERYONE HAS A
BIBLE, AND IF YOU DON'T YOU CAN GO ON LINE. IF YOU WANT GOOD
BIBLICAL COMMENTARY, THERE'S PLENTY OF THAT AS WELL. BUT WE CANNOT
BE INDIFFERENT, IF WE WANT TO BE GOOD SOIL.
SECOND, WE RECOGNIZE THAT
THERE WILL BE TIMES OF ENTHUSIASM AND TIMES OF COLDNESS; SOMETIMES
OUR SOIL IS NOT VERY DEEP. HOW CAN WE DEEPEN IT? A SIMPLE ANSWER,
AVAILABLE TO US ALL, BUT ESPECIALLY TO HUSBANDS AND WIVES, IS TO
SPEAK TO EACH OTHER ABOUT OUR FAITH, NOT JUST THE GOOD STUFF, BUT THE
HARD THINGS, THE DOUBTS, THE TIMES WHEN WE WONDER IF THERE REALLY IS
A LOVING GOD. SPEAKING TO EACH OTHER, HAVING SOME SPIRITUAL
FRIENDSHIPS, ALLOWS US TO HOLD EACH OTHER ACCOUNTABLE, SO THAT WHEN
THE WORD OF GOD IS HAVING TROUBLE LAYING DOWN ROOTS BECAUSE WE ARE
SHALLOW, WE HELP EACH OTHER DEEPEN THE SOIL. JESUS TOLD US THAT
WHERE TWO OR THREE ARE GATHERED TOGETHER IN HIS NAME, HE WOULD BE
THERE.
THIRD, WE ALREADY KNOW
THAT MOST OF OUR DAY IS SPENT DEALING WITH LIVING – JOBS,
HOMEMAKING, EDUCATION OF CHILDREN, DISCIPLINE, KEEPING UP OUR
PROPERTY, MAYBE EVEN WORKING IN SOME TIME FOR RECREATION. AND AFTER
THIS, WE NEED TO SPEND SOME TIME WITH OUR LOVED ONES. THERE'S
USUALLY VERY LITTLE TIME LEFT TO WORK ON OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.
WE NEED TO DO SOME WEEDING. THIS MEANS NOT JUST ONCE, BUT MAYBE
EVERY FEW DAYS, WE HAVE TO LOOK AT WHAT IS TAKING OUR TIME AND
EVALUATE WHAT'S IMPORTANT AND WHAT'S NOT. A PRIEST TOLD MOTHER
THERESA THAT HIS BIG PROBLEM WAS THAT HE WAS SO BUSY WITH HIS
PRIESTLY DUTIES THAT HE HAD NO TIME FOR PROLONGED PRAYER. MOTHER
THERESA, ONE OF THE BUSIEST WOMEN IN THE WORLD, WHO SPENT HER FIRST
HOUR OF EVERY DAY BEFORE THE BLESSED SACRAMENT, AND THE SECOND
HEARING MASS, REPLIED THAT IF THAT WAS THE CASE, THEN HE WAS WAY TOO
BUSY.
SO TODAY JESUS CHALLENGES
US – NOT TO CLASSIFY PEOPLE WE KNOW INTO DIFFERENT KINDS OF SOIL,
BUT TO TEND TO OUR OWN SOIL. BECAUSE THE FATHER WILL ALWAYS PROVIDE
ABUNDANT SEED; IT IS UP TO US WHETHER THE SEED BEARS FRUIT.
