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Prayer reflection
Lord, in the world today we have become very calculating:
– whatever effort we put out must bring maximum gain;
– what does not bring results we omit altogether;
– we even relate like that in our families, in our Church community, with our friends.
Teach us to look at the sower, going out to sow, to see in him how generous you are:
– you don’t mind that some seed falls on the edge of the path and birds come and eat them up;
– or that some fall on patches of rock where they spring up right away but as soon as the sun comes up they are scorched and wither away;
– or that some fall on thorns and are choked by the thorns.
You let all this happen because you know that eventually seeds will fall on rich soil,
and will produce their crop, some a hundred fold,some sixty, some thirty.
Lord, we thank you for our parents:
– they were generous with their love;
– they sowed the seeds of care, good advice and their own example.
Often they saw no results as these seeds fell on the edge of the path,
on patches of rock, or among thorns.
But they sowed all the same, and eventually the seeds fell on rich soil
and produced their crop.
Lord, forgive us that we do not give Jesus’ message a chance to go deep into society:
– we choke it with many compromises;
– we imply that it wasn’t really meant to work,
– that it was only for children, youths or older people.
As a result, it never gets a chance to fall on rich soil,
to touch the generosity and idealism of people,
and so it does not produce the crop it was meant to produce in society.
Lord we pray today for those who work the land,
that they may sow like the sower in the parable,
– not mean or calculating or arrogant,
– but trusting the land and respecting its wildness
so that it may produce abundant crops.
Lord, help us to feel compassion for those who cannot interpret your parables,
to understand that their ears are dull of hearing and they have shut their eyes
for fear that they should see with their eyes or hear with their ears,
or understand with their hearts;
for if they did, they would have to be converted
before they could be healed by you.