Not every single instance I stood on the pulpit that I
was sure and confident about my preaching. There were moments when I felt lousy
and seemed unable to connect to people.
On one particular Sunday at the Cathedral of Ipil, I was secretly
ashamed of my homily because I felt I did not strike a chord with the
congregation. I felt lousy. But the next morning, someone I knew who was
usually shy and timid and did not care about having conversation with people
approached me. This time she was smiling and she thanked me simply. For what?
She told me something I said in the homily yesterday moved her quite deeply! I just
nodded and smiled hesitantly; but somehow I sensed her sincerity.
The work of evangelization is indeed a lot like sowing seeds
on the ground. As the Gospel reading illustrates (Mt. 13:1-9), when the sower
went out to sow, some seed fell on the path, some on rocky ground; still some
among thorns, but some fell on rich soil and produced much fruit. The seed is the Word of God. When we
evangelize, we sow God’s Word in the hearts of all without discrimination. Not
all, of course, are interested. Some are preoccupied with other things. Some
have their hearts and minds closed by philosophies and ideologies critical of
God and of religions. Some are having doubts. But among all these, there will
always be receptive hearts. These are hearts who long for the Word of God,
hearts who have been prepared by the grace of God. It is in these hearts that
the Word takes root, grows, blossoms and bears much fruit.
I think there are two things here worth our consideration: Becoming sowers of God’s Word and cultivating
the rich soil of our receptive hearts.
Becoming Sowers.
The Gospel today invites all of us to become sowers of the Word of God. Evangelization
is the mission of the Church. It is our mission. Clergy and laity alike. We are
commissioned to proclaim the Good News to the ends of the earth. Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, invites all members
of the Church to embark on this evangelizing mission. We are to proclaim the Good News to all
peoples. And we are to do this with joy and enthusiasm (EG, 10).
We have to become confident sowers. By this, I do not
mean we need to become biblical experts before we plant the seed of God’s Word.
We just need to trust and acknowledge the truth that even in the world today,
there are receptive hearts, hearts that long for true joy. They are searching with hope, sometimes with
anguish (as Pope Francis noted). This
fertile soil awaits the seed of God’s Word. And more importantly, we just need
to accept with humility that it is the grace of God that helps hearts to allow
the Word that is sown to blossom and bear surprising abundant fruits.
Our invitation as sowers seems to be of trust then. Just
sow the seed of God’s Word and trust that some will fall on fertile soil. Sow
the seed at home, for instance. My mother bought two volumes of illustrated
Bible long ago. I guess without her being aware, I had read all of them already
even before I finished grade school. And there’s no way of accounting now the
abundant fruits. Hundredfold perhaps? Sow the seed at school. Once in a sharing
among priests, many recounted how their pre-school teacher or the catechist
made them memorize the passages, “For God so loved the world….” and “The Lord
is my shepherd…” The fruits again are
immeasurable. Sow the seed of God’s Word
in your offices, in the market places, wherever you are and in whatever
capacity you have. The fruit, you will
see, is always beyond you. Hundredfold? Sixty or thirtyfold?
Cultivating our
Receptive Hearts. God’s Word, like
seed, grows and blossoms only in a fertile soil, the soil of our receptive
hearts. With God’s grace, we ought then to cultivate a heart that longs to embrace
His word and allow it to blossom. Here’s a simple way anybody can try out:
Stop. Look.
Listen. Stop means having some
time to be still, to cease from doing whatever is that which preoccupies much
your mind and heart. This is time out from work and other concerns. This is
time to be with the Lord. Look is reviewing our day, noticing
what’s happening in our life and where God has touched us. Listen is allowing God’s
word to enter our minds and hearts as we read the Bible. The daily liturgical
reading is a big help. What is the Lord telling us as we read or listen to
God’s word?
Pray. This is
personal conversation with the Lord, asking for enlightenment and inspiration
particularly about His message. We can freely talk to God about what we think
and how we feel as we embrace his Word. We ought to beg for His grace to
strengthen our commitment to do his will.
Act. Do what
you have been inspired to do as revealed in your time with the Lord. Is it to
forgive? Or kick a bad habit? To be kind? Or stop an unhealthy affair? To help
someone in need? To share the Good News? To spend more quality time with loved
ones? Whatever that is, trust that it is bound to produce much fruit.
To end, another confession: The reason I mustered my courage to share my Sunday
reflections through this blog is that someone in a lonely working place away
from the family and in a foreign land where even reading the Bible is taboo
told me how she looks forward to read the Sunday reflections. A longing heart! I may not offer the best of reflections but
I’m confident anyway that this whole thing is not about me, this is about God’s
word reaching out to the longing of receptive hearts.
Let us be sowers of God’s Word. There are just as many
ways to sow as there are receptive hearts longing for God’s Word.
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