The Sower, the Sown and the Grower

Today’s Gospel is about the Kingdom of God.  Just as a person plants seeds and then, each day, runs out to the garden to see if the plant has sprouted and each subsequent day checks on its growth, so, too with planting of the seeds of the Kingdom of God.  We plant the seed and God gives the growth. Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel, Mark 4: 26-34, that the Kingdom of God “is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.” Of that Kingdom, we are only the sower. God is the grower.  No wonder “it springs up and becomes the largest of plants.”

You and I may sow seeds of faith,  love,  forgiveness, compassion and understanding, of generosity and  trust,  hope and light, joy and enthusiasm for the Word of God among us and within us. God gives those seeds growth!  We may never know how the seeds we spread grow and even where they take root but, knowing that God is the Grower, we can be confident that our good deeds and good words will make a difference in the world in which we live. Ever see a plant, even a tree, growing out of a mountain, a bed of rock. That is the power of an ordinary seed. Then think of the seed of God’s Kingdom and its power to penetrate and bear fruit even in the most  unlikely of places: a hardened human heart, a turbulent heart, a rebellious heart. No heart is too hardened, too turbulent, too rebellious for God’s Word and the good we do in God’s name  not take root because  God is the Grower of the good we do! Let us continue in our determination to make a difference today by sowing seeds of love and forgiveness, peace and joy, faith and trust.