Seeds of Love

 

The Luke 11:9 series: Seeds of Love

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Let's use the metaphor of seeds to examine how Jesus wants us to live our lives here on Earth 

Parable of the Sower

Jesus spoke many things in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” [Matthew 13:3-9]

He further explained the parable by saying:

“Therefore, hear the Parable of the Sower: 

• When anyone hears the Word of the God, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. 
• But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. 
• Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 
• But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” [Matthew 13:18-23]

Here's what we can learn from the Parable of the Sower

1. God is the sower who plants seeds of love and faith in our hearts each and every day. It could be the kindness you experience, an unexpected blessing or grace, or even a poem or sunset that brightens up your day. It's God's way of showing his message of love - we just have to be receptive to his messages of love.

2. In order to germinate, the seed has to be buried in the soil, here in total darkness with the proper TLC (tender loving care) of water and fertile soil, it will germinate - ending its life as a seed, growing into a plant or tree to bear abundant fruit. So too for us, in our darkest hour of despair, if we let the TLC of God to touch our souls, we will find spiritual growth that will not only help us overcome our problems but let the love of God flow through us to yield abundant fruit. So many people I know have used a terminal illness or a tragedy to recalibrate their lives, living a life compatible with the love of God. toward 

3. The devil knows that the easiest way to prevent the faithful from going to Heaven is to have them not believe in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus said, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you." [Matthew 17:20]. in case you haven't figured it out already, for God nothing is impossible, we have to let his transformative grace work through us.   

4. "Oh that today, if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts." [Psalm 95:8]. We can choose to ignore the wisdom of God at our peril. God will not call you out or shame you for not listening. Remember when you did something bad, someone maybe a parent,  a teacher, a boss, a spouse or a loved one called you by your full name, saying, "John William Robert Doe, listen to me".  Don't expect God to do that. But you can fully expect that never stops sending those seeds of love to you, maybe not the ones you think you need and are looking for but the ones you need in your life. Thomas Merton has this very incisive metaphor of sealing wax and our very soul, in his book, 'New Seeds of Contemplation': “Our Souls are like wax waiting for a seal. By themselves, souls have no special identity. Their destiny is to be softened and prepared in this life, by God’s will, to receive, at their death, the seal of their own degree of likeness to God in Christ. And this is what it means, among other things, to be judged by Christ. The wax that has melted in God’s will can easily receive the stamp of its identity, the truth of what it was meant to be. But the wax that is hard and dry and brittle and without love will not take the seal: for the hard seal, descending upon it, grinds it to powder. Therefore if you spend your life trying to escape from the heat of the fire that is meant to soften and prepare you to become your true self, and if you try to keep your substance from melting in the fire—as if your true identity were to be hard wax—the seal will fall upon you at last and crush you. You will not be able to take your own true name and countenance, and you will be destroyed by the event that was meant to be your fulfilment.” 

5. Satan is the enemy that keeps you away from God. Planting weeds in your garden. A vigilant gardener knows that one must deal with weeds early and decisively before they ruin not only your garden and maybe spread to your neighbour's garden. Likewise, root out all evil before it possesses your body, mind, heart and soul, spreading like a cancer

Unless a grain of wheat dies

Jesus said, “Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you’ll have it forever, real and eternal." [John 12:24-25]

Here Jesus uses the example of how one has to live one's life in service of others, to produce much fruit. If we live our lives selfishly then we will not be fertile in the Garden of Life (the metaphor is to be dead to the calling of God by choosing the sinful ways of the world),  but if we surrender ourselves to the love of God and love one another like he loves us, then though his grace we will bring immeasurable joy into this world.

Imagine if Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu had not responded to the call of God, choosing instead to live a selfish life, dead to the call of God, in Skopje; the world would never have experienced the immense love of God flowing through St Mother Teresa of Calcutta. God's garden is indubitably a much better place, no one can deny that.

Parable of the Mustard Seed

Jesus said: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.” [Matthew 13:31-32]

Continuing with the analogy of a gardener planting seeds, Jesus talks about the mustard tree, Salvadora perisica, an evergreen shrub that can grow to a height of 6 to 30 feet depending on the fertility of the soil.

Here Jesus reminds us that even from the smallest seeds or acts of love, immense grace and goodness can flow. So don't let urgent problems like Global warming, endless wars and violence, divisiveness in society et al, discourage you from enjoying the beauty of this bountiful Earth, if each of us spreads the love of God in small ways, then through the grace of God we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit; not only will be live a more peaceful life but we will touch many lives.

St Paul in his letter to the Galatians wrote, "

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such, there is no law." [Galatians 5:22-23] 

St Paul in this letter to the early Church in Corinth wrote these profound words: 'Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, and I thought as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now, we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide by faith, hope, and love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.' [I Corinthians 13:4-13]

What are you doing for Jesus?

What are you doing for Jesus,

As you journey thro' life?

Sowing the grain for the harvest,

Or scattering seeds of strife?

Source: Lyrics of ‘What are you doing for Jesus?’ by Emily P. Miller

Acknowledgement

This post was inspired by the 'Seeds of Contemplation' retreat conducted by my parish priest Rev Fr Brendan McGuire and the amazing support staff at St Simon Chuch in Los Altos, CA on October 25th and 26th.

Reference

Johanssen, G. (2023, January 8). 20 mind-blowing mustard tree facts that you probably didn’t know. The Fragrant Garden. Retrieved October 27, 2024, from https://thefragrantgarden.com/mustard-tree-facts/

Footnote

This series of posts, which I call, 'The Luke 11:9 Series', is an attempt to verbalise various aspects of my Catholic faith as revealed in Scripture; topics include Destination Heaven; Golden ticket; God's Grace; Seeds of Love; Mary, did you know?; Feel the love of God; Love your neighbour as yourself, The Good Shepherd; Receive the Sacraments often; Eucharistic Adoration; Communion of Saints; How to pray; Role-playing Scripture; Mary, Help of Christians; Understanding suffering; Forgiveness; Gratitude, the life-changing attitude; Life after death; One Body of Christ; and Hearts ablaze. I sincerely hope it helps you in your faith journey. Always turn to the Holy Spirit when you search for answers to your questions, because Luke 11:9 says, "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."