24th Friday in Ordinary Time
1 Cor 15:35-37, 42-49; Ps 56; Lk 8:4-14
“A sower went out to sow his seed…” – Jesus’ parable is so familiar to us that we almost know it by heart. Perhaps, our first response is a personal examination – where do I stand in this parable – on the path, on the rocky ground, among thorns, on good soil?
I believe most of us, if not all, might say there’s a bit of each in our lives – there’s always room for improvement in reception and surely, material for deeper conversion of heart.
As people of faith, our lives are identified with the Sower, God Himself, and our lives are defined not only by His Word but also by His actions. The sower in his scattering the seed, letting it fall where it falls, reveals not only the way God deals with us but also, how we are to respond.
The love, the mercy, the goodness of God are never limited to a few special people, or to a certain place where there is absolute assurance of a positive response. God bestows His love, His very Self without limit, without condition, without measure. People, hardened like the path, arid like the rocky ground, choked by weeds and thorns, fertile like good soil – all are offered His love, His presence – God knows no favorites.
To believe in this God, our God, the only true God is to desire and live in such a way that everything we do is defined, specified by this relationship of faith, of hope, of love – a radical way of life – radical because it is meant to be deeply rooted in our hearts.
The Sower is never just a character in a parable – the Sower is God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit and it is into the mystery of our God that we have been baptized. In a word, we belong to God the Sower and His words and actions are the substance of our lives.
Like the Divine Sower, we are to love as He does – this love, the only true love is to have a free fall, given, shared, broadcast without limit, without condition, without reservation – how that love is received or ignored or rejected does not determine, define us. It is always our relationship with God that defines, specifies how we live.
These few words are about God and about us: “The sower went out……..”
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