July 12, 2020
15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Using the best seeds doesn’t always guarantee the best plants. An older Italian gentleman straight from Italy gave me these amazing tomato seeds that he claimed produced the best tomatoes ever grown. Without doubt, the fruit he shared with me was a testament to that fact. These tomatoes were amazing! I couldn’t wait until the next growing season to plant these seeds and harvest my own tomatoes. The whole experiment ended up a failure. I did everything the gentleman said, but my fruit didn’t even come close. What happened? At first I was perplexed, then some years later the light dawned. The problem wasn’t the seeds, it was the so
You cannot sow seeds in any old place and in a haphazard way and expect them to be at their best. It doesn’t work that way. Planting the seeds is the easiest part. Preparing the soil is the challenge. Tilling, mulching, enriching, and building up the nutrients are all required for good fruit. Then after the seeds are planted, more care is required in order to maintain that healthy, nutrient rich environment for those seeds to sprout, grow, and flourish. God happily sows the seeds of his Word. What do we do with them?
If we expect to be a passive bystander and have good fruit magically grow, we are mistaken. Bearing the good fruit of God’s Word requires preparation and work. We have to cultivate the soil of our lives so that those seeds can find a proper home. This one thing alone takes a great deal of patience, time, and effort. What kind of preparation have we put into our lives so that we can be a recipient of God’s seed? It takes a great deal of soul-searching and ego-checking to properly prepare. God is the ever faithful and persistent sower. If the seeds do not bear fruit the first time, God will come back time and time again, giving it another try.
If we have created a suitable bed for sowing, then once the seed is sown, we must properly maintain them. What is our maintenance plan for the seeds of God’s Word? We need not only a source for water but a watering schedule. We need to weed, aerate the soil, nurture the young plants, protect them, and provide proper nutrients. What does our spiritual maintenance plan look like? If we have done all things well, imagine what the seeds of God’s Word could produce in us!
©LPi
MEDITACIÓN EVANGÉLICO
12 de julio de 2020
15º Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario
Las palabras de Isaías en la lectura de este domingo anticipan la bondad y abundancia de Dios en la parábola del sembrador pronunciada en los labios de Jesús. “Como baja la lluvia y la nieve de los cielos y no vuelven allá sin haber empapado la tierra, sin haberla fecundado y haberla hecho germinar, para que dé la simiente para el sembrador el pan para comer, así será la palabra que salga de mi boca. No volverá a mí con las manos vacías, sino después de haber hecho lo que yo quería, y haber llevado a cabo lo que le encargue. (Isaías 55:10-11).
Cada vez que asistimos a Misa y cada vez que leemos la palabra de Dios en casa y en familia Dios abre el corazón de quien la escucha, y si está preparado, el terreno germina y los frutos brotan en abundancia de justicia y amor. Dios espera corazones con esperanza y llenos de fe y gratitud. El Evangelio nos narra que mucha gente estuvo alrededor de Jesús cuando él explicó esta parábola. ¿Qué fue lo que ellos escucharon? Escucharon hablar de un sembrador, de la semilla, de cómo cae la semilla en la tierra, y del cuidado que se debe tener para que dé fruto. ¿Cómo cuido a mi familia para que crezca en compasión y amor de unos para con los otros? ¿Qué tipo de abono y cuidado le doy a mi esposa, esposo e hijos? Este es un reto, el saber trabajar la tierra de cada corazón. En resumen, lo que Dios desea de nosotros es que demos fruto en abundancia.
©LPi