Divine Seeds

In today’s reading from Mark 4:1-20 (see Sacred Space link to the left) Jesus tells the parable of the seed sower. He explains how the word of God sometimes falls on hard impenetrable hearts, sometimes into shallowness, sometimes in the midst of sin or distraction and other times in deep fertility where it not only sprouts, but where it can set deep roots, flourish and bear abundant fruit.

I can look back at the last year or so and see areas of my life and ministry where all four of those examples apply. I can remember several times when I was almost numb to his call. I heard the call, the teaching of Jesus, perhaps…but somehow convinced myself that I was too busy or had other obligations….or that I couldn’t possibly be the one Jesus was addressing. In other words, I was too hard of mind or heart to consider an appropriate response.

Sometimes I felt the Word of God knock upon the doors of my life…I responded tentatively, perhaps, but slipped back into old ways without even noticing that I had lost momentum. I failed to respond totally, deeply….Somehow I resisted deep transformation. Those were the false starts. Those were the times when I was living on the surface of discipleship.

Sometimes the slippage occurred because I yielded to the sin of complacency or self-reliance. I went through the motions, but failed to maintain a pure, free heart that was totally available to God’s action. Before too long there were any number of distractions and diversions that moved me away from the focus of discipleship…or, I simply caved in to the darkness of frustration …I burned out.

However, with gratitude I can also say that there were those times when I was so captivated by the Word of God and the wisdom, direction and energy it provided that I stepped forward with unwavering confidence. I felt His hand at the small of my back. He seemed so close that my entire field of vision was occupied by nothing other than the call to follow. Without any strategy on my part, my gifts were unleashed in a way that was aligned with the nudge of the Word that came to me through scripture….or prayer….or the invitation of the Church…and immeasurable good fruit resulted.

Read the passage…. Reflect on the last year. When, where and how has the movement of the divine Sower influenced you?