The Harvest

July 27, 2018

The parable of the sower and the seed is one we pretty much know by heart isn’t it? Thanks to Vacation Bible School or Veggie Talesor CCD or Sunday School, it is likely that most of us have been studying today’s gospel since we were toddlers. And isn’t that the theme? Seeds of faith have been deeply planted since our Baptism and those seeds go through each of the scenarios presented by Jesus in this most memorable parable. Life gives us thorns, and birds, and rocky ground, and dusty paths, and life gives us fertile ground as well. As Christians we need to continue nurturing the fertile ground so that whenever seeds are planted there, (faith is an ongoing harvest) they will be received into an environment where growth is fostered. There will be fallow times, but it is those times of rest and stillness that allow the soil to become rich in nutrients so that the next abundant crop will thrive. The good news about today’s gospel is that the sower scatters the seed to all the areas so we are pretty much guaranteed that some of our seeds are germinating in fertile soil. I used to think that if you were the sad soul that only had the seeds planted among the thorns there was no hope for you and I couldn’t quite understand that unfair distribution. God is so generous with His gifts that He pours them over all and those meant to take root within us will grow if we nurture them. 

I had a real life sower and the seed experience just last night. I was invited into a friend’s home to lead some praise and worship with three families that I have known over the years through Family Camp, Vacation Bible School, Youth Group, and Confirmation Formation. After we sang our favorite songs, we shared our closest moments to Christ. One by one I witnessed the harvest of the seeds planted over the years. These young people that were once participants at Family Camp (of which I had the blessing of being musician and/or program director for several years) were now volunteers and staff members for the same camp and they were now the ones continuing the good work that began so long ago. Many hands of love, deep faith, and sacrifice had tilled the fertile soil, and the harvest keeps growing in abundance and beauty. What a blessing to see the fruits of the labor started so many years ago and on the eve of the parable of the sower and the seed. God is good and today I am rejuvenated in my own spirituality to remember that sometimes it takes years for the harvest, but it will be abundant and beautiful because of love, deep faith, and sacrifice.  

This week has been a bit of a fallow field week for me as far as posting daily gospel reflections and now I get it. I needed to let the seeds incubate for a time just like in the gospel and it is okay. I want everything I do to bear fruit and sometimes that means waiting patiently for the fruit to ripen. Have a fertile soil kind of day and it is well with my soul. 

Reading 1 JER 3:14-17

Return, rebellious children, says the LORD,
for I am your Master;
I will take you, one from a city, two from a clan,
and bring you to Zion.
I will appoint over you shepherds after my own heart,
who will shepherd you wisely and prudently.
When you multiply and become fruitful in the land,
says the LORD,
They will in those days no longer say,
"The ark of the covenant of the LORD!"
They will no longer think of it, or remember it, 
or miss it, or make another.

At that time they will call Jerusalem the LORD's throne;
there all nations will be gathered together
to honor the name of the LORD at Jerusalem,
and they will walk no longer in their hardhearted wickedness.

Responsorial Psalm JEREMIAH 31:10, 11-12ABCD, 13

R. (see 10d) The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
Hear the word of the LORD, O nations,
proclaim it on distant isles, and say:
He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together,
he guards them as a shepherd his flock. 
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
The LORD shall ransom Jacob,
he shall redeem him from the hand of his conqueror.
Shouting, they shall mount the heights of Zion,
they shall come streaming to the LORD's blessings:
The grain, the wine, and the oil,
the sheep and the oxen.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
Then the virgins shall make merry and dance,
and young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into joy,
I will console and gladden them after their sorrows.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

Alleluia SEE LK 8:15

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart
and yield a harvest through perseverance.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MT 13:18-23

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Hear the parable of the sower.
The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the Kingdom
without understanding it,
and the Evil One comes and steals away
what was sown in his heart.
The seed sown on rocky ground
is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy.
But he has no root and lasts only for a time.
When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
he immediately falls away.
The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word,
but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word
and it bears no fruit.
But the seed sown on rich soil
is the one who hears the word and understands it,
who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold."