THE WORD
1 Cor 15,35-37.42-49 / Lk 8,4-15
When a large crowd gathered, with people from one town after another journeying to him, [Jesus] spoke in a parable. “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some seed feel on the path and was trampled, and the birds of the sky ate it up. Some seed fell on rocky ground, and when it grew, it withered for lack of moisture. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. And some seed fell on good soil, and then it grew, it produced fruit a hundredfold.” After saying this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.”
Then his disciples asked him what the meaning of this parable might be. He answered, “Knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God has been granted to you; but to the rest, they are made known through parables so that ‘they may look but not see, and hear but not understand.’
“This is the meaning of the parable. The seed is the word of God. Those on the path are the ones who have heard, but the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts that they may not believe and be saved. Those on rocky ground are the ones who, when they hear, receive the word with joy, but they have not root; they believe only for a time and fall away in time of trial. As for the seed that fell among thorns, they are the ones who have heard, but as they go along, they are choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life, and they fail to produce mature fruit.
But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance.”
IN OTHER WORDS
I grew up helping my father plow the fields, plant and fertilize rice, and watch it against the grain-eating “Maya” birds. Sometimes I would fall asleep! After the harvest season, we cleared the rocky ground to deepen the field and enable the rice to grow more robust during the next planting season.
Today, Jesus reminds not only the farmers but also the ‘spiritual farmers’ (Jesus said to Peter and his brother Andrew, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men (Mt. 4:18-19)” for they were fishermen) to heed his words and teachings. The farmers, from experience, will immediately recognize the truth in Jesus’ words. “Atarimae!” (“naturally!”, or “no wonder,” or “no doubt”) as a Japanese farmer would say.
“Spiritual farmers,” are those sowing the word of God in the field of the believers, are not only fishers’ of men. They prepare faith-seekers to grow faithfully so that they bear much fruit for God’s eternal glory.
The Gospel story and mine have parallel images: the birds as the devil who came and ate the grains; the watcher as the seed who fell among the thorns and was choked to sleep. Yet, the most important lesson from the parable is that we have to be rm in our faith in the midst of all sufferings, trials, hardships, challenges in life, and be grounded on the Word of God. Stand on guard and be awake in the field of believers. Otherwise many will come, pull them out and scatter them away.
As “spiritual farmers,” we are responsible for taking care, fertilizing or nourishing these faithful with the Word of God for their spiritual health. In this way, we can produce more laborers for the harvest season, who will defend us against intruders. Jesus said; “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.” But I say, “Whoever experienced rice farming, relates to my story well.”
- Fr. Nelson Barbarona, SVD | Japan
The Word in other words 2016
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
