Wednesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Honestly, I’m not much of a gardener. I've overwatered and underwatered plants and accidently cut plants that weren't weeds. However, I lived with Marianist Sisters who are great gardeners. Whenever I have observed them growing plants from seed, I’m always struck by how much time and care they take. They get rich soil, are attentive to how much water and light to give, and keep track of the seeds’ growth. From these Sisters, I gain a better understanding of Jesus’ parables and metaphors that reference planting.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus told the parable of the sower to his disciples. The sower spreads seeds on all sorts of terrain. This action is a metaphor to Jesus, the Word, being sown in the hearts of many people. When that seed is planted in us, what will Jesus find there? A path where a seed cannot take root, rocky ground where roots cannot go deep into the soil, among thorns where the thorns are obstacles to the seed’s roots, or rich soil where a seed can deeply root itself and be nourished? Like soil, faith has to be cultivated so that when the Word is planted in our hearts, it can grow and bear fruit. This Gospel passage invites us to reflect on our understanding, the strength of our faith, what impedes our relationship with God, and what distracts us from God. We are called to create a life in which a deep-rooted faith grows and blossoms into loving others as God loves them. How are you called to cultivate your faith?
—Sr. Emily Sandoval, FMI