This Sunday we hear the Gospel lesson from the Evangelist Luke chapter 8 verses 4-15, which is the Parable of the Sower.
This is a gospel parable that we have heard time and time again about the farmer who sows seed on the land. As we remember from the lesson, the seed is thrown on four different types of soil, by the wayside where it is trampled, on rocky soil where it lacks moisture, on thorny soil where it is choked and finally some on good soil where it grows and bears a crop a hundred fold.
We know that this lesson concerns the Word of God and how we care for it and are attentive to it, nurturing it with diligence and patience.
There are many examples among those who followed Jesus’ Word throughout the ages and have not only nurtured it but have brought it to fruition. It has been said that the Church Fathers, “by giving their time to doing good deeds” and “providing for real needs”, were not only individually receptive to God’s Word but became Sowers of the Word for others especially those they encountered.
The question usually asked of us is what type of soil do we represent in our lives and for what reason. Are we as Christians taking the necessary time and energy to become better soil and by doing so are we sowing the seed of the Word of God with our family members, our friends, our community; or have we neglected our charge to share this immense gift from God, falling by the wayside and allowing ourselves to become a barren unproductive wasteland, nor bearing any crop and withering away. It is our Christian duty to adequately prepare and cultivate the Word of God and most of all share it with others who need God in their lives so that they too may become good soil and bear fruit, thus growing and expanding the Church.
May the message of this parable permeate our lives so that we may share the joy and Word of God as expressed in His Gospels!
