Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, July 13, 2014

Gospel: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: "Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!" . . .

"Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."

 

Reflections: A foolish sower this character in Jesus’ parable! He wastes the seed by scattering it where it has no chance to take root. I’d fire him if he worked for me. Wouldn’t you? It’s a matter of decent stewardship, if nothing else.

And yet, the sower is God, and the word is spread with wanton abandon, in reckless abundance, with irresponsible generosity. The seed is everywhere: not just in the words of Jesus, but throughout our lives. I am convinced that we disregard a million daily encounters—too blind to see, too busy to notice, or too distracted to attend.

Tony, our preacher today proposes that we are seeds, strewn with reckless generosity by the divine sower. To the extent that we bear Christ, that we are in Christ, we are strewn here by God, into this place, this life.

What does it take to cultivate the divine word? Perhaps Matthew gives us a model here. The disciples puzzle over Jesus’ teaching, carrying it inside them. The meaning is not immediately clear—and, astonishingly, Jesus doesn’t try to make it immediately clear. In fact, it is some time later that he slips his disciples a transparent hint. Perhaps that’s because the time of puzzling makes them more able to absorb it.

Over centuries, Benedictine monks have practiced various methods of meditating on sacred teaching. “Rumination,” it’s called—the same word used for cows when they chew their cud—again—and again. Lectio Divina is the term for one method of meditative reading. But this monastic practice is not restricted to the Bible. Ultimately, it’s an approach to life itself.