Posted by The WORD in other words (2006) by Father Alex Vitualla SVD – Occidental Mindoro
Friday 16th Week in Ordinary Time
In a Bible study, a woman once asked: “Father, if God loves and treats each of us fairly, why is there rich and poor?” To answer, I asked: “Who among you have at least three or more grown-up children?” Some raised their hands. “Do all your children have the same status in life?” One replied: “No, others are poor and others have enough.”
The difference, she explained, was that some studied and worked hard, so promotion and progress came easier. The question then is not simply why there is rich and poor, but how we respond to God’s blessings. “The Lord makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45).
For us, followers of the Divine Word, the joy of receiving the seed of the divine sower is overwhelming. The seed brings new horizons, confidence, and hope. Yet the question remains: will the seed grow and bear fruit? Jesus teaches: “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” (Matthew 13:23).
St. Arnold Janssen reminds us that the boundary between success and failure is only a thin line. St. Teresa of Avila adds: “Patience gains all things.” Add to this a little faith, perseverance, persistence, determination, and discipline—these small virtues make the difference between a seed that withers and one that flourishes.
Why entertain impatience, hopelessness, and despair when they bring no good? Instead, trust in God. “Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles” (Isaiah 40:31).
The Word of God is living and powerful (Hebrews 4:12). Once received and nurtured, it enriches our Christian life. The challenge is not whether God blesses us—He does—but whether we allow His seed to grow in us, bearing fruit in faith, hope, and love.
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