Sower, seeds and the Mysteries of God’s Kingdom
Fifteenth Sunday - A
Isaiah 55:10-11; Romans 8:18-23; Matthew 13:1-23 (Mt 13:1-9)
The entire creation is involved in the story of the sower and the seeds: the heavens, the sun, rain and snow, birds, thorns, and soil. In the land of Jesus, the sowing began a few weeks before the first rains that come in October. The farmer cleared the field from larger rocks, sowed the seeds, and then plowed the soil to cover the seeds. Who would have thought that such ordinary activity hides the mysteries of God's kingdom?
The voice of the Lord Jesus goes over the waters (Ps. 29:3) towards the crowd gathered on the shore (Matt. 13:1-3). They already heard Jesus' Sermon on the Mount of Beatitudes (Matt. 5-7) and witnessed His many miracles (Matt. 8:1-17; 9:18-38), but they still did not grasp the mystery of Christ (Matt. 12:24,38). The Pharisees even claimed that Jesus cooperated with Beelzebub (Matt. 12:24) and together with the scribes demanded a sign (Matt. 12:38). How to reach those who look but do not see, hear but do not listen or understand (Matt. 13:13)? Will the parables reach the depths of their hearts?
"To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 13:11). Divine "mysteries" cannot be discovered by human reason but only revealed by God (Daniel 2:17-18, 27). Such revelation is an act of God's grace given to chosen people (Eph. 3:2-4). As Jesus revealed the mysteries of God's Kingdom to those who responded to His call "follow me", so the Holy Spirit reveals the mystery of Christ to the Church (Eph. 3:5).
How blessed were the eyes and ears of the apostles (Matt. 13:16)! They saw and heard and even touched the Word of Life (1 John 1:1). How many prophets and righteous people in the Old Testament wanted to see and hear this fulfillment of God's promise, and yet it was not given to them (Heb. 11:39-40). How blessed are our eyes and ears! We see Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament, we hear the Word of God preached from the pulpit of our churches. Many people long to see what we see and hear what we hear. Even the angels long to look into those mysteries (1 Pet. 1:12).
The seed that was not eaten by the birds or scorched by the sun or choked by the thorns penetrates the soil and takes deep roots. God softens the soil with rain (Ps. 65:11) and the seed begins to grow in a mysterious way (Mark 4:26-29). With spring a miracle of life takes place: "the hills gird themselves with joy" and "the valleys deck themselves with grain" (Ps. 65:13-14). "But some seed fell on rich soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty" (Matt. 13:9).
The best illustration of “rich soil” is the Blessed Virgin Mary. The angel Gabriel came to her with the word of God: "Behold, you will conceive and bear a son" (Luke 1:31). Mary heard and listened, treasured this word in her heart (Luke 2: 19,51), and let the Word became flesh in her womb (Luke 1:38). She becomes a model for us to emulate. When the Church proclaims the Gospel to us, like Mary we should hear and listen, treasure it in our hearts, and allow it to become reality in our lives.
The resurrection of Christ fell on a day of offering the first fruits of the land. Barley has already ripened on the fields, so a sheaf of grain was offered to God in thanksgiving. Christ, the Word of God, sown in the soil of the world, fulfilled the will of the Father (Is. 55:11). He is the "firstfruits” of those who died (1 Cor. 15:20). God's spring also came into our lives who, believing in Jesus, "have the firstfruits of the Spirit" (Rom. 8:23). But we are awaiting the harvest time when all creation shall be set free from “its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God" (Rom. 8:21).