Posted by The WORD in other words (2009) by Fr Fred Daniel SVD – Divine Word Seminary of Tagaytay
Wednesday 3rd Week in Ordinary Time
Lots of hard work and sacrifices are invested to ensure a good harvest. In the Philippines, as well as in other rice producing countries, the soil is prepared first before the rice, already grown into seedlings in separate seedbeds, is planted.
The preparation of the soil comes in various stages: (1) the inundation of the land with water in order to soften the soil, (2) while flooded with water, the plowing of the land to loosen the soil and absorb water, and (3) the combing of the soil to remove foreign objects including the roots of weeds and thorn bushes, Then comes the planting of the rice in nicely arranged rows, followed by the scattering of fertilizer.
When the rice stalks reach a certain height, pesticides are sprayed. Other farmers put up a “scarecrow,” a man-like figure, on the plowed fields to drive away the birds. Every day, the farmer visits the planted fields to check the growth of the plants rice. In other words, it takes a farmer’s hardwork and lots of sacrifice to ensure a bountiful harvest.
While the method of agriculture in Palestine, as given in the parable, is different from that in the Philippines and other rice-producing countries, the hardwork of the sower is given a distinct attention. The parable of the different kinds of soil refers to the different attitudes in accepting the seed of the Word of God. The rich soil is the ideal soil where the Word of God yields a bountiful harvest. The seed that fell on the path, on the rocky ground, and among thorns, symbolize the unfertile grounds where the seed of the Word of the God did not grow and, thus, failed to produce the expected harvest.
While all these different kinds of soil can be applied to the different kinds of persons in their attitude toward the Word of God, it can also be applied to the different attitudes of every individual disciple. In every individual disciple, there is a rich soil, a compacted soil similar to a path, a rocky ground with little soil, and soil with many thorns.
The parable is an invitation for every disciple to look deeper into the self and, like a good farmer who works hard to ensure a bountiful harvest, to cultivate and enrich those areas where the seed of the Word of God has yet to take root and produce good results. The Word of God will always bear the right fruits at the right time only if the heart is prepared not only to welcome it but also to cultivate it with sacrifices.
Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to become a rich soil so I may live Your Word more fully. Amen.
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