Jesus said to the crowds: “This is how it is with the Kingdom of
God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would
sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he
knows not how. Mark 4:26–27
It’s beautiful to reflect upon how the Word of God changes people’s
lives. This short passage above analogizes the sharing of the Word
of God with the planting of seed. The sower goes forth and scatters
seed into the ground and then observes how that seed grows into a
fruitful plant. The mysterious line states “he knows not
how.”
So it is with the Word of God. When that Word is received by
another, we are blessed to be able to stand back and watch as that
Word takes root and transforms their lives. Of course, at times we
may sow the Word and it doesn’t take root. This is on account of
either the hardness of another’s heart or on account of the way in
which we sow. But when the seed of God’s Word does take root, we
should be in awe of how God works in that soul.
Think about this reality in your own life. How did you first
receive the good seed of God’s word? Perhaps it was through a
sermon, a retreat, the reading of Scripture, a book or the witness
of another. Think about how you first received God’s Word into your
life and what effect it had upon you.
Once God’s Word has taken root in a soul, it is a holy practice to
“rise night and day” so as to observe this seed as it grows.
Specifically, we must allow ourselves to be amazed at the
mysterious way that a life is changed, be it your own life or the
life of another. It’s inspiring to observe the soul of a person as
it begins to root out sin, to seek virtue, to establish a life of
prayer and to grow in the love of God.
If this is something to which you find it hard to relate, then
perhaps it’s time to either allow that seed of God’s Word to fall
gently and deeply into the fertile ground of your own soul or to
prayerfully look for ways in which God wants to use you to sow that
seed into the heart of another. Doing the latter takes much
openness to the working of the Holy Spirit. It requires that we
allow God to inspire us so as to know how we can cooperate with His
hand in evangelization.
Reflect, today, upon the “mystery” of a soul who goes through this
process of change and spiritual growth. If you find it difficult to
find such an example to ponder, then turn to the lives of the
saints. The saints are among the greatest witnesses of those who
allowed God’s Word to sink deeply into their lives so that they
became new creations, transformed by God’s grace. Ponder this
transforming witness and allow yourself to be drawn into gratitude
and amazement as you do.
My transforming Lord, I thank You for the way that You have sown
the seed of Your holy Word into my own life. I thank You for the
way in which You have changed me, freed me from sin and set me on
the path to holiness. Use me, dear Lord, to sow that seed in the
lives of others and fill me with wonder and awe as I witness Your
merciful hand at work. Jesus, I trust in You.
Source of content:
catholic-daily-reflections.com
Copyright 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved.
Used with permission via RSS feed.
Featured image above: The Sower By Jean-François Millet, via
Wikimedia Commons
Kommentare (0)
Melde dich an, um einen Kommentar zu schreiben.