The Sower

The Sower

 I'm stingy, I can be a cheapskate. In Brazil they had an expression, he has the hand of a cow. The cow cannot give anything because it doesn't have a thumb, that's how I am. It's hard for me to spend money. I always think, “Maybe I can find it cheaper, I don't  really need it? What am I going to be if I run out of money? ”

Jesus obviously does not have the hand of a cow, he is very generous, super generous. He is the sower who sows generously to everyone, and everywhere, without judging, without thinking, this is not worth it.

At the end of the story of the parable of the sower, Jesus says: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." We are asked to pay close attention to the parable. But what should we reflect on? In the sower? In the seed? On the different soils?

We usually think only of the soil. We use the gospel to review our lives and ask ourselves, How do I receive the seed? How do I receive the word of God? This is good, however it is important to pay attention to the sower and his way of sowing.

It is the first part of the parable "The sower went out to sow." He does so with surprising confidence. Sow abundantly. The seed falls and falls everywhere, even where it seems difficult for the seed to germinate. It is not difficult for people to identify the sower. This is how Jesus sows his message. They see him go out every morning to announce the Good News of God. He sows his Word among the simple people who welcome him, and also among the scribes and Pharisees who reject him. He sows among very good people who practice their faith, but he also sows among sinners, the poor, the lame, and paralyzed. There is no one who is excluded. In Jesus' eyes we all have value.

As I admitted I am stingy, with money and also sometimes with the word of God. Before sowing I ask myself, “are they worthy, it would be a waste to sow among them. How am I going to baptize their baby? They never come to mass. How could they be godparents, they are not married in the church? Why am I going to waste my time with them, they are homeless, they have no education? Confessing the truth, sometimes I think I'm not going to talk to them because they think differently from me, because they have ideas that I don't like. Now is not the time to "sow" by judging, but to learn to sow generously, to include everyone in the kingdom of God.

The gospel is a parable, which means that it has many interpretations. Jesus, speaks of the different types of soil but the truth is that each one of us is good soil, we all have the possibility of bearing fruit in abundance. It is good to think about what kind of soil we are, but it is also good to think about the way we are called to sow, to evangelize.

Evangelizing is not spreading a doctrine, but being present in the midst of the world and in the hearts of people. It is about being the power of the word of Jesus. This cannot be done in just any old way. We have to be generous with the word of God. The most important thing is not the number of preachers, catechists and teachers of religion, but the evangelical quality in which we live our lives. So let's be generous. Let us share with everyone the joy we have in knowing Jesus Christ.

Father Jose Pagola's reflection helped me in my understanding of this parable.