Today's First Reading, Psalm, and Gospel talked about seeds. The Gospel reading (Matthew 13:1-23) is one that had bothered me for a long time. Jesus gives the crowd a parable about seeds. Some fall on stone and can't take root, some are choked by vines, some are in poor soil and burn away under the sun, and some fall on good ground and yield a fruitful harvest (I really have that Responsorial Psalm in my head). He later explains to His disciples that the seeds are people who hear the Word and respond to it in various ways (ignoring it, being overcome by worldly concerns, being enthusiastic and then burning out, and accepting it fully).
What had bothered me is that I had long interpreted that parable as meaning that God, as the sower, throws His people into these different circumstances where they don't stand a chance of following His Word. In this situation, it's not the fault of the seed that lands in hard ground, or weeds, or weak soil; nor is the seed that lands in good soil worthy of praise due to its good luck. I used to wonder how God can blame us for the circumstances that He threw us into. I know that this interpretation is not unique to myself. It's the basis for the concept of Calvinist predestination.
Now, I don't know if it's because of translation, or if two thousand years has changed the mental intent of language, but I no longer think that my earlier interpretation is correct. As I see it, the sower is anyone spreading the Word and the seeds are our situation in life as the Word hits us. The parable seems to present us as powerless, but the truth is that we have control over the "ground" where the seed lands. We choose if we wish to harden our hearts, to be overwhelmed with worldly concerns, to be fair-weather followers, or to accept Christ completely. While God is ultimately the only one who can save us, we still have actions that we can take, patterns of thinking that we can build which can make us more receptive to Him.
What I now like about this parable (and what shows me that it isn't about predestination) is that the sower sends the seeds everywhere. The sower isn't crafting perfect rows filled with the right about of moisture and nutrients while ignoring everything else. Instead, all of the ground is getting a chance to have the seeds grow within it. So to is it with God's Word and Love. They're not just for the wealthy, the healthy, or the wise (I'm tired, sorry); they're for all of us if we are willing to accept them and willing to accept Him.
What had bothered me is that I had long interpreted that parable as meaning that God, as the sower, throws His people into these different circumstances where they don't stand a chance of following His Word. In this situation, it's not the fault of the seed that lands in hard ground, or weeds, or weak soil; nor is the seed that lands in good soil worthy of praise due to its good luck. I used to wonder how God can blame us for the circumstances that He threw us into. I know that this interpretation is not unique to myself. It's the basis for the concept of Calvinist predestination.
Now, I don't know if it's because of translation, or if two thousand years has changed the mental intent of language, but I no longer think that my earlier interpretation is correct. As I see it, the sower is anyone spreading the Word and the seeds are our situation in life as the Word hits us. The parable seems to present us as powerless, but the truth is that we have control over the "ground" where the seed lands. We choose if we wish to harden our hearts, to be overwhelmed with worldly concerns, to be fair-weather followers, or to accept Christ completely. While God is ultimately the only one who can save us, we still have actions that we can take, patterns of thinking that we can build which can make us more receptive to Him.
What I now like about this parable (and what shows me that it isn't about predestination) is that the sower sends the seeds everywhere. The sower isn't crafting perfect rows filled with the right about of moisture and nutrients while ignoring everything else. Instead, all of the ground is getting a chance to have the seeds grow within it. So to is it with God's Word and Love. They're not just for the wealthy, the healthy, or the wise (I'm tired, sorry); they're for all of us if we are willing to accept them and willing to accept Him.
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