Which of the obstacles in the parable do you discover in your life? - Daily Reflections January 29,2014

WHERE IS THE GOOD HARVEST?

 

More than 2,000 years have passed since God became man in Jesus Christ. After Jesus told His disciples to proclaim the Good News to all nations, nothing could stop them from spreading the teachings of their Master. They were quite successful; Christianity spread relatively fast throughout the ancient world. But today, barely one third of the world’s population knows Christ and follows His teachings. In addition, Christianity is shrinking in many Western countries that were once fervently Christian. Among those who are baptized and call themselves Christians, a large percentage lives as if they have not received baptism at all. In Christian countries, criminality, graft and corruption flourish. And so we ask: What went wrong?

       The answer is simple: Nothing went wrong. Jesus foresaw this already when He told the parable about the sower and the seed. The farmer sows according to the custom of the country; the seed is good, but much of the seed is wasted. We could expect that the farmer is disappointed because of poor harvest. But to our surprise, the harvest is plenty in spite of so much seed that was lost.

       Jesus answers our question on what went wrong with God’s Word. The apparent poor harvest after more than 2,000 years should not discourage us. The seed, the Word of God, is good and nothing can hinder a great harvest in the end. We don’t know how long the world will last, but God knows. When He assures us of an overwhelming harvest, we should not feel anxious but try more than ever to contribute to that great harvest.

       We hear the Word of God at least every Sunday during Mass. We read the Bible and so also “hear” God’s Word. But how long does it remain in our memory? “Satan has come and carried away the Word.” There are so many temptations which “choke the Word.” Realizing these dangers to the seed of the Word of God, we can become more careful and try more than ever to listen well, accept and do what God tells us. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Which of the obstacles in the parable do you discover in your life? How can you remove them so that God’s Word could bring more fruit in your life?

 

Lord, send the Holy Spirit to give me the strength to resist all the daily obstacles to a good harvest in my life.