By Fr. Brian Wirth,
Director of Rural Life
One of my favorite things to do is to drive around and look at corn and soybean fields, and marvel at the handiwork of God and our farmers. Doing so unites us to Christ as Sower.
Of all the Gospel accounts, the Parable of the Sower is one that should deeply resonate with us in the Diocese of Lincoln, living in Nebraska, “the “Good Life.”
Many may view the Parable of the Sower as an occasion for an examination of conscience, to prayerfully consider what we have done or failed to do in regard to our receptivity to the Word of God. This is good—to examine where in our lives God’s word isn’t understood, doesn’t penetrate our lives, or is undervalued and not cultivated properly.
But don’t overlook the fact that the Word of God—likened to seed—is sown into soil.
This soil isn’t just our heart, body, soul, or our lives. The soil is this, but there is more to the soil. The soil spoken of by Jesus is real, physical soil. Jesus speaks of a real place: the Church. The soil concerns the parish grounds, which comprise our diocesan church.
We must never forget that our parishes aren’t merely a collection of infrastructures meant to house the activities of a faith-based club. Our parish lands are real territories and above all, they are mission territories. We are no longer living in a time of Christendom; we are living in times of apostolic mission.
As such, this is how we should think of our parishes and their boundaries. All Catholic parishes have boundaries, but many believe that physical boundaries only mean if your house is within such boundaries, you are guaranteed faith-based services. But this is dangerous thinking.
Rather, we should continually strive to understand—and more, to cherish—our parish boundaries as signifying for us the mission territory for which we are responsible. The task of tilling and keeping care of the land is not a task solely for the pastor or parish staff, but collectively, the parish family. Our parish lands are one of God’s greatest gifts to us.
Just as Adam and Eve, the first parish family, were tasked to care for and protect the Garden from the beginning in Genesis, each parish’s lands are a particular mission territory called to be cared for and protected, sown and cultivated, for the sake of producing an abundant harvest, reaping physical fruits of time, treasure, and talents, but even more, spiritual fruits, a harvest of souls for the sake of salvation lovingly sown and produced by the Master of the Harvest.
Our labors, and more, our apostolic mission, is to prepare these territories, these parish lands, this soil, to abundantly receive the Word of God in Christ. We are not called to only prepare ourselves, but our families, the registered members of our parish, and the whole territory in which we live and call our home.
We ourselves have been lovingly created to till and water (via Baptism) the soil, remove the weeds and rocks, to rid all things that directly inhibit receptivity to Christ, so that when the Word of God in Christ is proclaimed and the invitation to know Christ in his Church is extended, God’s people are ready to receive him.
The Parable of the Sower is not merely a charming story. Above all, the Parable is a call from Christ, lovingly commanding us to accept a new way of living: Jesus is calling us all to a radical way of life. He is calling us to an intimate discipleship of love.
Just as farmers constantly—through time, energy, blood, sweat and tears—look for ways to make their fields more fertile, clean, and productive in their fruitful labors, even more are we called to do so in the spiritual life.
The Gospel tells us in no uncertain terms that too much of the precious land that Christ has entrusted to us is unseeded, or full of rocks, or choked with weeds, and it is time for us to tend the good soil, to turn our attention to this mission field, and be willing to get our hands dirty.
Let us not be seeds that simply remain in the bag of the Sower. In faithful discipleship, may each of us, with Christ, fall into the soil bed of our parish lands as seeds and die so that together we may produce abundant fruit for the harvest, fruit that will last for all eternity.
