Seeds scattered and sown

Perhaps it is fitting that the scripture passages for this weekend evoke images of planting.  It's already been a month or so since the planting of crops has taken place, and already there are fruits to some of our labours.  The image of planting, fertilizing and growth can easily be transferred to the domain of faith, and like the world of farming, there are some inherent challenges.

Listen to this week's reflection or feel free to read it:

Seeds to be sown
There’s a question that’s been brewing within me for the past couple of months.  Perhaps it’s time I share it with you.  Perhaps together we can try to find a suitable answer.  The world around us is changing.  At times it would appear that there are certain aspects about our society that are changing right before our eyes, and the challenge is for those of us who live within this modern-day society to keep up with the changes or be left behind.

Let’s consider one example.  On the evening of my ordination, during the homily that he spoke, the Bishop looked straight at the two of us who would soon have hands laid upon our heads in the ancient gesture of priestly ordination, and spoke to us about special food which the people of God need.  He exhorted us to feed them with this special food every day of our lives.  He was referring to the food that is the Word of God.  This Word must first be heard, both with the ears on the sides of our heads, and with the ear of our hearts.  It must then be chewed, wrestled with, swallowed and digested so that we can discover the truth it contains.  Only then can we feed it to someone else, and the trick is that even though it may be offered, that doesn’t mean it will be heard by another, much less enter into their own hearts.

Almost two decades after that night has passed, I often wonder now about the world that our children have grown up in.  Have we provided them the necessary tools so that they could develop the ears of faith to hear this word?  Have they even heard of the practice of listening with the heart?  Have they been able to sharpen their teeth on the puzzles of the gospel and its special food, or have they ground their teeth on other material, at times so much so that they are unaware of the riches our faith offers?

The book of Isaiah spoken in today’s liturgy compares this word of God to rain and snow which come down from heaven, and do not return until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout.  During what seemed to be an interminable Spring, this year we have seen so much water come from the heavens in parts of Canada that farmers were unable to even plant the fields, much less hope that the earth would bring forth and sprout.  If nothing is sown, nothing can grow, but even if the seeds are sown, other conditions can also contribute to the amount of harvest that we might see.

The seed of faith is sown on the day of our baptism, but from that day onward, the kind of soil in which this seed grows can and in fact does affect how much faith makes a difference in our lives.  Some seed falls on the path … Faith that has no soil to grow in will never germinate.  If parents of this generation have never been exposed to faith, how can they pass it on?  …Some seed falls on rocky ground … Have you ever noticed how young infants learn?  They’re like sponges.  They’re inquisitive and often more perceptive than adults, but this thirst for knowledge will only persist if it is fed.  If there is only rocky ground, with little soil, it will soon perish.  The same is true for faith.

… Some seed falls among thorns … Every time I travel outside Canada, I find myself returning with a renewed sense of thanksgiving.  This is indeed a country of great wealth in so many ways.  The problem with such affluence is that it can often lead to a sense of apathy, or worse yet, to a belief that material possessions hold the promise of success.  In such a world, faith gets choked off, ignored, until it is needed, as though it were a commodity for sale.  Luckily, some seed falls in rich soil.  There is still hope.  It’s not too late, but we must act now.  We must be people of conviction, courage and faith.  Only then will we understand that the sufferings of the present time are not worth comparing with the glory yet to come.  Our world needs to know that there is a reason to hope.

Many of the changes we’ve seen in modern times are good things, but some of them have the potential to do great harm.  The question is do we know the difference