The WORD in other words (2006) by Father Roderick Salazar SVD – University of San Carlos, Cebu City
Saturday 24th Week in Ordinary Time
In today’s Gospel, Jesus presents us with two powerful images: the seed and the soil. The seed is the Word of God, while the soil represents the human heart. The Word of God remains the same yesterday, today, and forever (cf. Hebrews 13:8). Yet it bears different results depending on the condition of the heart that receives it.
Sometimes the Word comes to us, but it is quickly forgotten or stolen away, like the seed that falls along the path (cf. Matthew 13:19). At other times it begins to take root, but lacks depth and perseverance, and so withers when trials come (cf. Matthew 13:20-21). Still other times it is choked by worldly anxieties, the lure of wealth, and the distractions of life (cf. Matthew 13:22). Only when it falls on rich soil does it bear fruit abundantly, “a hundredfold, sixty, or thirty” (Matthew 13:23).
What, then, should we do?
For any seed to grow, it needs good soil, sunshine, and rain. If our hearts are the soil, and God is both the Sower and the One who sends the sun and the rain, then it is to Him that we must turn in prayer. We must ask not only for hearts open to receive His Word, but also for the grace to welcome everything He uses to make that Word grow within us.
The sunshine and rain of life come in many forms. There are moments of warmth and joy, but also moments of coldness, sorrow, and struggle. We experience success and failure, consolation and disappointment. Yet all these are part of God’s mysterious work in us. As Isaiah reminds us:
“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me void” (Isaiah 55:10-11).
When we welcome both the seed and the seasons through which God nurtures it, His Word begins to live in us. Then we no longer merely hear the Word; we live by it, through it, and for it. As Jesus said:
“Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it” (Luke 11:28).
And when the day comes for our bodies to return to the earth from which they were formed (cf. Genesis 3:19), may our souls joyfully meet the Divine Sower who first planted His Word within us. Then we shall hear the voice of the Lord who once said:
“By their fruits you will know them” (Matthew 7:16).
May our lives, enriched by His Word, bear the fruits of faith, hope, love, mercy, and holiness, so that when we finally stand before Him, He may recognize in us a rich harvest gathered for His Kingdom.
Prayer
Lord, make my heart fertile soil for Your Word. Send the sunshine of Your grace and the rain of Your blessings upon me. Help me to welcome both the joys and trials through which You shape my life, so that Your Word may bear abundant fruit in me and lead me safely home to You. Amen
