A motivational speaker once began his talk by asking, “Who was Jim Thorpe’s coach? Who was Albert Einstein’s arithmetic teacher? Who was Billy Graham’s religion teacher in junior high?” His point was that many people become who they are because someone planted seeds of future greatness in them. So who was Albert Einstein’s second grade math teacher? I don’t know, but that person certainly impacted our world. This to me is where today’s readings hits home. What seeds are we planting in the lives of others as we venture through life? We may think that our actions won’t make much difference but they just might. Certain deeds, like certain seeds, have led to great outcomes. When President Abraham Lincoln met Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, he said, “So this is the lady who started the big war.”
What “big war” are we seeding? What seeds are we planting in others? Sometimes we fail to grasp why our world is in the shape it is in. We spent hours at work and then wonder why our children have become strangers to us. We carry our prejudices like badges of honor, and then wonder why violence and anger strangle society. We justify our indifference to the less fortunate, yet grumble why so many are on welfare. What we often forget is that our words, actions, and priorities can make a difference by planting the “right seeds” in others, but first, we have to produce them.
The basic lesson in this renowned parable of the sower is this: if what Jesus is telling us doesn’t result in making us better people, then there is something very wrong, not with his teachings, but with us. Just as seeds won’t grow or thrive in certain soils, there is something amiss with the “soil of our hearts” if we are not endeavoring to grow in holiness and goodness.
Like rain sent to nourish budding plants, God offers us help every day, all day, free of charge, even when we don’t deserve it. God enlightens our minds, encourages us to do good, and gives us the grace to avoid sin, or at least tries to. Such is the message Isaiah leaves us with. God seeks the best for this world but ultimately the outcome is up to us, much like the outcome of any garden we plant. If the garden is well tended, its beauty and harvest will provide a rich feast. On the other hand, a neglected garden provides little more than a bed of weeds. A landscaper once quipped, “If there’s no gardener, then there is no garden!”
So, what is our attitude as we listen to the lessons of Jesus, handed on to us in both scripture and the teachings of our Church? The different soils mentioned by him describe our varied responses from outright rejection to open hearted and enthusiastic acceptance.
I once assembled a thousand piece jigsaw puzzle. The challenge was not in the number of pieces but the absence of any picture to guide me. As I fitted the many pieces together, the picture slowly emerged. I imagine some not so patient people would have quit along the way, while others with too much else to do wouldn’t begin the assembly in the first place. Only those who persist to the end will be greatly satisfied at seeing the whole picture.
The same holds true for our faith. None of us began our faith journey at baptism with a complete awareness of Jesus and his good news. Through prayer and reflection, we come to know and appreciate the whole message of our faith. For those who persist, the harvest, as Jesus says, is bountiful. Others who are not so patient or committed will journey through life with an incomplete picture of Jesus and his message of salvation.
With the parable of the sower, Jesus challenges us to allow the word of God to take root in our hearts so that we in turn may sow the seeds of justice, peace, and reconciliation that our world so ardently yearns for.
Years ago, a reporter asked Boris Yeltsin, the first president of Russia, what gave him the courage to stand firm during the fall of communism in the former Soviet Union. Surprisingly, he credited Lech Walesa, who started the downfall of communism in Poland when he founded the Solidarity movement. When Lech Walesa was asked what inspired him to stand firm, he said it was the civil rights movement in our country, led by Martin Luther King, Jr. When Martin Luther King, Jr. was asked what inspired him, he said it was the courage of one woman, Rosa Parks, who refused to move to the back of the bus one December afternoon in 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama. Could we say that a brave little woman in the south brought about the downfall of communism? Seeds are like that. They have great potential. Likewise, we never know whom we may influence by what we say and do.
Who seeded you? Who put value, meaning, and grace into your life? God bless them for they touched you in a way that moved you to be present in worship with us this day.
Who are you seeding quietly? Perhaps you have no idea but as we leave church today, we can leave with the intention of making a difference. After all, we are told, “The mass is ended, go in peace to love and serve the Lord.” We can leave this space, intent on better living the message of Jesus Christ. When we let his word take root in us, we in turn can plant the seeds of God’s love in others that tomorrow’s world will harvest. In this way, we can truly love and serve the Lord and one another.