Readings (Year A):
Isaiah 55:10 – 11
Psalms 65:10, 11, 12 – 13, 14
Romans 8:18 – 23
Matthew 13:1 – 23
Reflection: What are we doing to prepare the ground?
A Pew Research Center Poll shared that only 42% of the surveyed population responded that being part of a Catholic parish is an “essential part of what being Catholic means to you personally.” This makes Jesus’ parable in today’s Gospel all the more significant:
A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.
As parish communities, what are we doing to cultivate the seeds that have been entrusted to us? Do we provide ample, rich soil for seeds to grow, or do we choke the seedlings by creating a culture that is not conducive— even detrimental—to healthy flourishing? Do we create rocky ground by quantifying grace and weaponizing sacraments? Do we perpetuate thorns by crafting divisions and distinctions that are not of God? Do we leave people vulnerable to isolation and fear, insisting that we know best instead of listening and accompanying?
We cannot lament that people are not coming to our parishes if we refuse to be places of nourishment and support. But if we want safe spaces, we must be willing to create those spaces ourselves. Following the example of Christ, we must lower ourselves, choosing vulnerability over power, humility over prestige, and weakness over strength. We must be willing to make room in our hearts and minds for other voices, even when they challenge what we find comfortable. We must be willing to work for peace and justice, even when it is not convenient. We must be willing not only to advocate for, but to stand in solidarity with the immigrant and refugee, the person who lives without a home, and the person who lives with anxiety and depression. We must combat the evils of abuse, racism, sexism, xenophobia, and homophobia in all forms. In doing so, we cultivate an environment where seeds can grow, where people can thrive.
But we do not do this on our own. While we must work to cultivate the ground, the psalmist reminds us that it is God who waters the lands and breaks up the clods. It is God who crowns the year with bounty and harvest. Everything we do is a response to God’s invitation. May we respond to this invitation with renewed zeal, remembering that we cannot expect our parishes to grow (or even survive) if we are unwilling to accept God’s invitation to collaborate in the vineyard.
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